Tips for successful study: UK academic culture

24 Sep 2015

It may take some time for you to adjust to studying in the UK. Academic culture and expectations may vary according to the subject, the level of study and the type of institution. However, there are some general trends you may notice in the UK:

– Students often work independently, studying on their own for significant periods of time.

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– Students are expected to develop critical judgement, which means an ability to assess whether an argument is coherent and well supported by evidence.

– Learning large amounts of factual data is important in some subject areas, but in many cases a critical approach is considered more important.

Many UK students will also be going through the process of learning the conventions of academic life. Study skills classes may help you understand what is required. Your tutors should also be able to guide you as you approach your work.

Know What is Required

It is important to know what you need to do to fulfil the course requirements. by finding out the answers to some of the following questions, you may be able to plan your work and use your time effectively:

– When writing an essay or assignment, how long should it be?

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– Is this piece of work assessed or is it ‘practice’?

– What proportion of your overall mark does this piece of work/exam represent?

– How much work do you have to do in total and at what stage of the course?

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Much more of this information will be included in your Course Handbook, which will be a useful reference throughout the entirety of your course. Read the whole article.

This article was originally published on the UKCISA website.

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