When You're Applying
Choosing your uni
League tables are to a great extent rubbish. There's a good number of them, always - The Guardian runs one, as does The Times, and there are some international ones too, like QS.
If you're an undergraduate, you know what field you want to continue in. You'll perhaps also know what your favourite approach to that field is.
If you don't, I suggest you take a gap year. No, seriously. Studying in the UK is expensive and thus is not something I suggest you do without having an idea of what you want to do, unless you have plenty of money to waste.
This is the only point where league tables come in. League tables separated by field are a good way of finding out which unis offer postgrad studies in the field you're interested in, but that's all. So list all the unis in a league table that offer postgrad studies in your field and then toss out the tables. You might now have a very long list if you're doing a fairly popular and general study and a very short one if your field is either new or obscure, but it's a good starting point.
Actually, this is where league tables are a good help, because sometimes there are universities on there that you didn't even know existed. I didn't even know there was a place called 'Keele', let alone that it has a uni, but they're good at Criminology.
So how does one separate a good uni from a bad uni? A very short-sighted answer would be "Oxbridge is good and the rest is rubbish", which is nonsense.
In fact, now that you have your list of unis that offer your field, it's time to explore the webpages of those studies and see what type of courses they offer. If they don't offer a number of courses in parts of your field that you find most interesting, it's a rubbish uni - for you.
For instance, my interest lies with media and crime and policing and politics etc., and Cambridge generally offers the best Criminology degree. Except that the Cambridge Criminology MPhil focuses quite heavily on penology and developmental theories (not in the least because they have the Cambridge longitudinal study, which is one of the major studies in developmental life-course theories), which just does not line up well with my interests. So it's a good thing they rejected me, as I would not have been happy there - while every single one of my courses here in Leicester has excited me. Had I done my homework properly, I'd have known and I wouldn't have bothered with Cambridge in the first place.
Once you have a short-list of the unis that offer courses that excite you, that's when you start actually applying. How you arrange your short-list is up to you, of course.
Application Forms
It differs wildly per uni how they want you to apply, but most of them have automated the process by now, with only a handful left that want you to download a form, fill it out and email it in.
They always require the same type of information - name, address, DoB, PoB, nationality, whether you have any learning difficulties, disabilities, a criminal record, and all that kind of stuff.
Grades
If you have decent grades, there's nothing to worry about. The English system of 1st, 2is, 2iis etc. is a bit complicated; Fulbright offers the following conversion chart for American GPAs, I'm sure it's broadly translatable to UC grades too.
| UK | US |
| First Class Honours | A (4.00) |
| 2:1 | A-/B+ (3.33 - 3.67) |
| 2:2 | B (3.00) |
| Third Class Honours | C+ (2.30) |
| Pass | C (2.00) |
Personal Statement
The personal statement can be a bit tricky, but if you're well-informed about your future study, you should be able to write a good one.
Most application forms describe some points the uni hopes you touch on in your statement, and the following points I have so far found work very well:
- Consider why you are making that choice and show your dedication.
- Include experience (both work and academic), and be honest.
- Don't be painfully honest, that's just detrimental.
- Describe your (realistic) future plans.
- Toss in some ambition.
It's all very common-sense, really - sell yourself well, but be honest. Do describe the things that make you extraordinary, rather than the things you have in common with everyone else. Don't say that you've always been reading crime fiction, but do say that you used to sneak down on Friday nights when you were 10 to watch that one crime show with your parents.
Oh, and mind your grammar and spelling. No they're/their/there or you're/your errors. Have some friends read it over.
Actually, have your arch-enemy read it over, they're much better at pointing out everything that's wrong with it.
English-Language Tests
Sometimes unis ask you to supply them with formal proof of your English ability, and tell you that a letter from a professor and a letter from your undergraduate uni that taught in English doesn't cut it.
So then you're doomed to a test, and the two major ones are TOEFL and IELTS.
TOEFL is ridiculously expensive - 240 dollars. Is it worth it? That's a bit of an extortionist dilemma - the test itself is not worth it, but without it you won't be admitted to your uni of choice. So you still pay up.
The TOEFL iBT is the internet-based test, which in the Netherlands they take in Arnhem. The location is stupidly difficult to find - once you're near and you're wondering that it should be there but then where is it?, you're probably right next to it as the entrance is located in a sort of building-tunnel and looks a bit dodgy.
It's supposed to last four hours and tests the four major language skills - Speaking, Writing, Listening and Reading, each category out of 30 for a total out of 120.
Most unis require a minimum score of 90 or 100 and if your secondary school English teacher was worth their salary, you won't have any trouble scoring that. Heck, I was hungover, angry, frustrated and working on about 4 hours of sleep, got 118. ETS, the company that runs the tests, hypes it up tremendously, promoting all sorts of study materials and what not, but that's truly unnecessary if your English is good enough for you to function in daily life. Actually, if you do need to study for the TOEFL, you might want to reconsider studying in the UK. Just because I got good points on my French tests doesn't mean I'd function well in French academia; the same goes for TOEFL results obtained by study.
Your TOEFL results are valid for 2 years and afterwards your study in the UK will serve as a good enough testimony to your ability to speak English. Oh, and they cost another 18 dollars to send to your unis, per uni.
References
Finding instructors to agree to write you letters of references isn't difficult, but it can be a bit frightening. If you're scared that they might say no, don't be. You can simply drop them an email or walk up to their office and ask them in person; they get these sorts of requests all the time.
What you should inform them of:
- When is the deadline (and don't ask them for a reference if the deadline is tomorrow)
- What does the uni want to know (if the uni has specified it)
- How are they to submit it - e.g. does the uni send them an email to which they have to respond, or do they have to send it in on their own initiative?
Do make sure that you ask instructors who are not notoriously late with paperwork - nothing is more frustrating than having an application that's complete save for that one reference.
Most unis require two references, though Oxford wants you to do three instead.
Documents
They will ask for copies of your transcripts, diplomas and whatnot. Easiest is to scan as PDF and email it in - saves you a trip getting a signed and validated copy, plus it saves you postage.
Finances
As said, studying in the UK is expensive, and it's not likely to get any cheaper. Last year, undergraduate fees went up to 9000 pounds, while postgrad fees for next year are around 5000 quid. It's outrageous.
Thankfully, we have DUO, and despite all their numerous and irritating failings, they do allow us to study abroad, as the total number of subsidies and loans goes a long way to paying for it. It doesn't cover it entirely, but it's a good enough start.
The good thing of course is that you get a lot of money from DUO regardless of tuition fees, and this includes
a) basisbeurs
b) aanvullende lening
b) aanvullende lening
c) OV-vergoeding
And then of course there's still the collegegeldkrediet, which rises with the tuition fees. DO MAKE SURE to send your application for DUO-subsidies and loans for a study abroad in on time. It takes them a good three months to process the application, and in the meanwhile you'll have to call them often because something's gone wrong on their side.
Rent fees on campus start at around 400 a month and renting in the private sector isn't much cheaper. Of course, if you want a private bathroom and/or kitchen, you'll be spending a lot more, and London is even more expensive.
Food isn't cheap either - think Dutch prices plus about 20%, and that's the price in pounds.
Train travel is ridiculously expensive, but long-distance bus/coach travel is cheap. For 28 pounds, you can get a 16-25 rail card, which gives you 1/3 off on rail tickets.
So be warned and prepared, but don't let it hold you back. It's an investment, and all those other arguments the Dutch government employs to try and make DUO subsidies into loans.
Companies (both here and there)
Visit their websites and see what their regulations are for you living abroad for an extended period. If there's no info on there, don't hesitate to contact them. Most will have no issue with it whatsoever, but then at least you have a good to-do-list before you leave.
On health insurance: you will be obligated to keep your Dutch health insurance despite whatever insurance you pick while abroad, unless you get a job. In the UK, you will be eligible for NHS; for this, visit your closest GP, ask for the registration form and fill it out. It will take up to 8 weeks or so for your card to arrive in the mail including all your information, but from then on you won't have to worry about UK health insurance. Do be aware that you need to have a valid UK address and plan to live there for more than 6 months (no requirements on having lived in the UK before).
On banking: it's best to inform your bank that you'll be living abroad, so they won't, for instance, block your debit card for unusual transaction patterns. Also, if you have ING, make sure your Dutch phone number is registered as '+31' so you can receive your TAN-codes wherever you are and change your phone number without hassle. I'm not familiar with other banks, but in any case it's best to just find the nearest branch, make a physical visit and ask about peculiarities.
In the UK, you'll most likely be subjected to a 3-month trial period on your bank account because you'll have no credit rating whatsoever. In order to open a bank account, bring your passport and just to be sure bring a letter from your uni addressed to you on your UK address, so a) you can show you ARE in fact studying there and b) the bank will know it's a serious address on which you really live. The UK has no such thing as our GBA, so in a sense serious mail addressed to you on your address is the only way for any company or institution to know that you actually do live there and aren't just faking it. Also, they'll prefer it if you register a UK phone number but since you won't be able to get a UK phone subscription without a bank account, they will usually accept a Dutch number. Change it to your UK number as soon as you've got one.
On phones: What you do with your Dutch phone is up to you. If you can, it's probably better to change it to a top-up plan if your subscription has run out, preferably one in which you can also top-up via internet or text, so you won't be stuck with Dutch subscription fees per month.
If you happen to have Simpel, don't forget to turn on the function that allows you to use your phone abroad. You can turn it on via your online profile.
In order to get a UK phone, most phone companies will be very hesitant to sign you up for a subscription, because of your lack of credit rating, and you won't be able to get one at all without a UK bank account. From personal experience, I know 02 does subscriptions without a credit rating, but you'll have to pay a 100 pound deposit which you'll get back three months later (or can leave on your account so they'll take the subscription fee from the deposit in the months afterwards, until the deposit runs out).
You can also get a phone using a top-up plan. That's way easier, as you can spend as little as you want on the Sim-card and phone, won't have to suffer the credit check and can get it everywhere.
On the GBA: You can only get "uitgeschreven" from the GBA within five days of you moving abroad. Most likely, your municipality will allow you to do this online, for which you'll need a DigiD. Seeing as you have stufi, you have DigiD... if you don't, I suggest you get a DigiD NOW. You will need to de-register with the GBA.
On DigiD: Make sure the number registered for text-validation is a +31 number (so not just 06-blabla) so you can receive texts abroad and change your number if necessary.
On stufi: DUO is wildly annoying when it comes to studying abroad. They'll want to know your address abroad, but you can leave this empty on the study-abroad form until you actually know your new address. Do this stuff early enough and you won't have to deal with them very often. Email doesn't work, you'll have to call them if something goes wrong, which will happen, guaranteed.
All-nighters are necessary.
They are not just for when you have to hand in your essay tomorrow morning at 10 am, but every once in a while they are just good for you, in the sense that because you're sleep deprived, you'll go through the material to read much faster because you're skipping everything that makes no sense, and you have no time to fuss with flowery phrases (alliteration unintended). In a sense, it is a way to re-calibrate your reading and writing process.
The procrastination.
Because you'll be inclined to put off reading that next chapter, you'll instead be doing something like cleaning out your wardrobe (which in turn allows your socks to find their long-lost siblings), finally doing your dishes, or finally doing your laundry. Or writing a blog post.
The calories.
I'm not very clear on this one yet, but you clearly burn more calories sitting behind a desk, putting in effort to keep your attention on the page, than you do sleeping. Plus, in order to stay awake, you should really open up the window, letting in the cold night air, and it has been scientifically proven that shivering burns calories. Also, that walk around the block at 4am surely burns calories too. On the other hand, the amounts of coffee/cola/red bull that you drink in order to stay awake may counterbalance all this. As I said, I'm not clear on this one yet.
The stress and guilt.
Being one of those persons who needs to leave tasks to the last minute in order to be able to efficiently work on it, I feel guilty in the weeks leading up to this moment because I should've spent them writing. And then I start stressing out and eventually panic, and it's when I start panicking that I realize the moment is nigh. Doing an all-nighter takes away a lot of guilt for spending afternoons watching Have I Got News For You on iPlayer (iPlayer is the best thing since frozen pizzas).
The calm.
Everyone is sleeping. Everywhere, lights have been turned off (except in that weird house across the street that always looks a little dodgy). There you are, sitting behind your desk in your pajama and jumper, writing serious(ly) academic stuff. If your dorm/flat is in any sense sound-proofed, now is the time to blast music and not feel weird for singing/dancing along with it.
Tips on how to get through one:
In order to get a UK phone, most phone companies will be very hesitant to sign you up for a subscription, because of your lack of credit rating, and you won't be able to get one at all without a UK bank account. From personal experience, I know 02 does subscriptions without a credit rating, but you'll have to pay a 100 pound deposit which you'll get back three months later (or can leave on your account so they'll take the subscription fee from the deposit in the months afterwards, until the deposit runs out).
You can also get a phone using a top-up plan. That's way easier, as you can spend as little as you want on the Sim-card and phone, won't have to suffer the credit check and can get it everywhere.
On the GBA: You can only get "uitgeschreven" from the GBA within five days of you moving abroad. Most likely, your municipality will allow you to do this online, for which you'll need a DigiD. Seeing as you have stufi, you have DigiD... if you don't, I suggest you get a DigiD NOW. You will need to de-register with the GBA.
On DigiD: Make sure the number registered for text-validation is a +31 number (so not just 06-blabla) so you can receive texts abroad and change your number if necessary.
On stufi: DUO is wildly annoying when it comes to studying abroad. They'll want to know your address abroad, but you can leave this empty on the study-abroad form until you actually know your new address. Do this stuff early enough and you won't have to deal with them very often. Email doesn't work, you'll have to call them if something goes wrong, which will happen, guaranteed.
When You're Here
Paper-Writing
Genuinely start early, or as early as you can make yourself start.
- Begin by reading overview books. You know, 'The Oxford Handbook of X' or 'The Routledge Handbook of Y', as well as course books, 'Essential Theories of Z'.
- Note down every single piece of research in these chapters that seems even marginally useful.
- Find out that all the good books have already been taken from the library, no matter how early you start.
- Collect all the journal articles. Stick them in a computer file or print them out, either way, collect as many as possible.
- Examine the essay question.
- Write the essay outline.
- Find out half the articles are irrelevant. Work them into your essay anyway.
- Start writing.
- Find out that the really good book, the absolutely necessary book, is on a shelf in the library. Attempt to loan it; find out it has been reserved by another person and all the access you would've had to the book is now taken from you as it is put with the other reserved books. Really, you should've stayed in the library with it until you were done with it.
- Fit the semi-relevant books into your essay.
- Print your essay.
- Identify each segment.
- Put the segments in a reasonably decent order.
- Rewrite your essay.
- Spend your leftover time polishing the essay.
- 30 seconds before the deadline, find out that your essay only marginally sticks to the original brief. Hand it in anyway.
All-Nighters
I admit, All-Nighters are the result of bad planning. Usually, though not always.
They are not just for when you have to hand in your essay tomorrow morning at 10 am, but every once in a while they are just good for you, in the sense that because you're sleep deprived, you'll go through the material to read much faster because you're skipping everything that makes no sense, and you have no time to fuss with flowery phrases (alliteration unintended). In a sense, it is a way to re-calibrate your reading and writing process.
The procrastination.
Because you'll be inclined to put off reading that next chapter, you'll instead be doing something like cleaning out your wardrobe (which in turn allows your socks to find their long-lost siblings), finally doing your dishes, or finally doing your laundry. Or writing a blog post.
The calories.
I'm not very clear on this one yet, but you clearly burn more calories sitting behind a desk, putting in effort to keep your attention on the page, than you do sleeping. Plus, in order to stay awake, you should really open up the window, letting in the cold night air, and it has been scientifically proven that shivering burns calories. Also, that walk around the block at 4am surely burns calories too. On the other hand, the amounts of coffee/cola/red bull that you drink in order to stay awake may counterbalance all this. As I said, I'm not clear on this one yet.
The stress and guilt.
Being one of those persons who needs to leave tasks to the last minute in order to be able to efficiently work on it, I feel guilty in the weeks leading up to this moment because I should've spent them writing. And then I start stressing out and eventually panic, and it's when I start panicking that I realize the moment is nigh. Doing an all-nighter takes away a lot of guilt for spending afternoons watching Have I Got News For You on iPlayer (iPlayer is the best thing since frozen pizzas).
The calm.
Everyone is sleeping. Everywhere, lights have been turned off (except in that weird house across the street that always looks a little dodgy). There you are, sitting behind your desk in your pajama and jumper, writing serious(ly) academic stuff. If your dorm/flat is in any sense sound-proofed, now is the time to blast music and not feel weird for singing/dancing along with it.
Tips on how to get through one:
- Eat a decent dinner in order to prevent midnight cravings.
- Throw open your window to let in that crisp night air.
- Blast any other sort of music that prevents you from going to sleep (I personally like opera for this, currently have Don Giovanni on, but 80s rock also works really well for it, except that you'll want to sing along. No such problem with opera, unless you speak Italian/French/German and know the operas by heart).
- Have caffeine on hand - the semi-healthy type, not in pill or powder form.
- Do an occasional walk around the block.
- Give in to procrastination, but only a little - it'll wake you right back up.
- Under no circumstance decide to start doing stuff in bed (all sorts).
- After dawn, make your way to the library as soon as it opens up, so you can continue your night's work without being tempted to sleep for the day.
- Come home just before you'd normally go to sleep, and crash. BAM, that'll also put your sleeping pattern in order again.
Academese
I have decided to put together this small glossary of Academese; suggestions for words to be added are always welcome. Dutch translation in italics.
of Arts (BA/MA): A degree in any humanities course, or any social sciences course that doesn't involve numbers or law*.
Een graad 'of Arts' betekent een graad in de geesteswetenschappen, of een graad in de sociale wetenschappen waarin geen nummers of rechten voorbijkomen*.
of Science (BSc/MSc): A degree in any science course that isn't engineering, or any social sciences course that does involve numbers (but no law)*.
Een graad 'of Science' betekent een graad in de bèta-wetenschappen dat geen ingenieursgraad is, of een graad in de sociale wetenschappen waarin wél nummers voorbijkomen (maar geen rechten)*.
of Law (LLB/LLM/JD): A degree in a law course; it's Bachelor of Law, Master of Law, and then suddenly Juris Doctor, which I think is a degree mostly used in the US. Old-fashioned 'meester in de recht' for LLM*.
Een graad 'of Law' is een graad in de rechten; Bachelor of Law, Master of Law, maar dan wel opeens Juris Doctor, wat eigenlijk een Amerikaanse term is. Vergelijkbaar met het vroegere 'meester in de recht' in geval van de LLM.
of Engineering (BEng, MEng - yes, I first thought is was of English too): A degree in an engineering course. Old-fashioned 'ingenieur' for MEng*.
Een graad 'of Engineering', afgekort 'Eng' (Ik dacht eerst ook dat het in Engels was) is een ingenieursgraad; MEng is de ouderwetse ir.
of Medicine (MD): The type of 'doctor' meant with the question "is there a doctor in the house?".
'MD' is het soort doctor van "is er een dokter in de zaal?"
of Business Administration: I think I only know of MBAs, not BBAs, though technically those should also exist. US-inspired degree in, well, managing a business.
Een graad in Business Administration, waarvan ik alleen de MBA ken, hoewel technisch gezien er ook BBAs moeten bestaan, is een Amerikaans-geïnspireerde graad in, tja, het managen van een bedrijf.
*HBO studies never have this addition, those are simply B or M.
*HBO studies hebben nooit zo'n toevoeging, die zijn simpelweg losse B's of M'en.
Propedeuse (P): Dutch term, meaning you've passed the first year of your study.
Je propedeuse of P betekent dat je je eerste jaar gehaald hebt.
Bridge year: Most of your undergrad courses work out to get you into your postgrad, but you're lacking somewhere so this year is to make up for that.
Brugjaar: Met de meeste bachelor studies kun je gewoon een daarop volgende master volgen, maar als je vakken mist moet je een brugjaar doen.
Gap year: Taking a year off to go backpacking in the Himalayas, comparable to the old fashioned Grand Tour of Europe often done by the ancient rich in previous centuries, though nowadays it's more people who are looking to find themselves. A select few still do it to see something of the world, though.
Een gap year is een jaar er tussen uit om te gaan backpacken in de Himalaya's, vergelijkbaar met de ouderwetse 'Grand Tour' van de ancien riche in voorbije eeuwen, maar vandaag de dag zijn het vooral mensen die zichzelf proberen te vinden. Een paar gaan echter om daadwerkelijk iets van de wereld te zien.
Bachelor's: First stop after secondary school, provided you've got decent marks. Will probably get you a lower-level administrative job somewhere; it means that you've learned the basic concepts of a certain field. Takes 3 years in Europe, 4 in the US. Also called undergrad(uate).
Je bachelor is de eerste stop na het VWO; met je BA/BSc kun je ergens een administratieve baan krijgen, het betekent dat je de basis begrippen van een bepaalde academische discipline kent. Duurt 3 jaar in Europa, 4 in de VS.
Master's: After bachelor's. Means you are capable of most jobs in your field; you have learned both the basic concepts and can apply them in new ways. Old-fashioned 'doctorandus'. Often takes 1 or 2 years, though 1.5 is not unheard of. If you're teaching with a Master's, you're an instructor/teacher (except for the US, where everyone is a professor unless they're a PhD) and people address you as 'Mr' (not! Mr. in de recht) or 'Ms' (or 'Mrs', of course, if you're married). Some particularly tough Masters-degrees are called 'MPhil' instead of MA/MSc/LLM/MEng; these are research masters. Also called postgrad(uate), or just grad(uate) in the US.
Je master is na de bachelor en betekent dat je de meeste banen binnen je discipline kunt doen; je hebt zowel de basis begrippen geleerd en kunt ze toepassen. Dit is de ouderwetse 'doctorandus'. Duurt meestal 1 of 2 jaar, maar anderhalf jaar is ook mogelijk. Als je lesgeeft met een master ben je gewoon een leraar of lector (behalve in de VS, waar iedereen een professor is) en mensen spreken je aan als 'mevrouw' of 'meneer'. Sommige masters zijn MPhil: dit zijn research masters en die zijn extra zwaar.
Doctorate (PhD, DPhil): A degree that takes a minimum of about three years (though it is not unheard of, especially in the US, for it to take 7 years) that means you have added new knowledge to your field. Old-fashioned 'doctoraat'; afterwards, you are the type of doctor that is always called upon and then confuses people by saying "but I know nothing of medicine!". People are to address you as 'Dr' (though many fail to do so properly). Afterwards, you're technically qualified to teach and research at University level. See also this illustrated guide: http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/
Je doctoraat is een graad die minimaal drie jaar duurt (volgens de Nederlandse wet; het is echter niet vreemd als deze bijvoorbeeld 7 jaar duurt, zoals in de VS) en het betekent dat je nieuwe kennis toevoegt aan je discipline. Daarna ben je het soort doctor dat altijd moet zeggen "maar niet in de medicijnen!" en mensen moeten je aanspreken als doctor maar veel doen dat niet. Na je doctoraat mag je lesgeven op een universiteit. Zie ook bovenstaande link voor een uitleg met plaatjes.
Post-Doc: The ghosts of Academia; technically qualified doesn't mean anything, so it's becoming increasingly customary for people with a Doctorate to go on and do a Post-Doc; also known in the Netherlands as AIO (assistent in opleiding) or OIO (onderzoeker in opleiding). Basically, you're spending your time teaching classes and doing research for lousy pay.
Postdocs zijn de spoken van Academia; dat je mag lesgeven op een universiteit betekent niet dat dat ook lukt, dus gaan steeds meer mensen na hun doctoraat een postdoc doen, wat ook wel bekend staat als AIO (assistent in opleiding) of OIO (onderzoeker in opleiding). Eigenlijk spendeer je je tijd aan lesgeven en researchen voor weinig geld.
Professor: Those who have managed to battle the bog of the bachelor's without imbibing too often, manage the misery of the master's without going mad, do (and finish!) the doctorate, get results in researches, publish papers, and teach terrifically, all for a good number of years, may finally see their hard labour recognized by a University and call themselves (and have themselves called!) professor from then on.
It's kind of a big deal, and that's why those good enough to get a professiorate (that's a word, whether or not my spell check recognizes it) may put the title 'professor' before all their other titles and keep it until they die (though after retirement it becomes 'professor emeritus').
Een professor is iemand die na een paar jaar zonder gek te worden door de universiteit wordt beloond met een professorschap; daarna mogen ze de professor-titel voeren vóór alle andere titels en die houden ze tot ze doodgaan (na pensioen wordt het wel 'professor emeritus' en als je Diederik Stapelt raak je alsnog je titels kwijt).
TA/RA: Teaching assistant or research assistant; anyone who isn't a full teacher or researcher on a project but is nevertheless responsible for carrying out the same tasks as anyone who is. Can also be called an intern and then be forced to write a complete thing and still be second author.
Een TA of RA is een 'teaching' or 'research' assistent, die niet volledig leraar of research is maar toch dezelfde taken moet uitvoeren. Kan ook stagiair worden genoemd.
Author: Someone who wrote something; order of names is important, because when there's a load of authors it becomes 'first name et al.', in which 'et al.' is short for et alii, which is Latin for 'and the rest'. Illustration: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=562
De auteur is de schrijver van iets, en de volgorde van de namen is belangrijk, omdat als er veel schrijvers zijn het 'eerst naam et al.' wordt, waarin 'et al.' et alii betekend, wat Latijn is voor 'en de rest'. Zie ook bovenstaande illustratie.
Don: Someone important at some old British unis, like Oxford and Cambridge.
Een Don is iemand belangrijk aan oude Britse unis zoals Oxford en Cambridge.
Fellow: Another name for an instructor at some old British unis.
Fellow is een andere naam voor leraren en lectoren aan oude Britse unis.
Uni: Short for university.
Uni is een afkorting voor universiteit.
Oxbridge: Portmanteau of 'Oxford' and 'Cambridge', often used to indicate all supposedly elitist older British unis.
Oxbridge is een samenvoeging van 'Oxford' en 'Cambridge', wordt vaak gebruikt om alle zogenaamd elite universiteiten in Groot-Brittannië aan te duiden.
Russell Group: Group of 24 British unis which lobby for better things for unis.
1994 Group: Second most important uni lobby group.
De Russell en 1994 Group zijn beide lobby groepen voor universiteiten in GB.
Campus: Confusingly, both just the location of the university buildings and of that plus university-owned housing, but can also be housing alone.
Een campus is zowel de locaties van de universiteitsgebouwen als de woningen die de universiteit aan studenten verhuurt.
Funding: Money to do research. Sometimes also available to PhD-students so they can actually find that new bit of info.
Funding is geld om research te doen, wordt soms ook aan PhD-studenten verstrekt zodat ze ook daadwerkelijk nieuwe info kunnen vinden.
Conference/Symposium: A few days so you can meet other academics in your field and listen to their research, while you present your own. Also a very good excuse to travel abroad for a few days and see something of the world/drink.
Een conferentie of symposium is een paar dagen waar je andere academici kunt ontmoeten en naar presentaties luistert (en soms ook zelf presenteert). Ook een goed excuus om naar het buitenland af te reizen en iets van de wereld te zien/te drinken.
(Wine) Reception: Academic afterparty, means free food and free alcohol, plus a chance to mingle without having to look (too) serious.
(Wijn) Receptie: Een academische afterparty, wat gratis voedsel en gratis alcohol betekend, plus een mogelijkheid om te kletsen zonder al te serieus te hoeven doen.
Department/Faculty: Section of the uni devoted to a particular field.
Departement/Faculteit: Deel van de uni specifiek op een bepaalde discipline gericht.
College: In Oxbridge terms, a separate unity comprising a number of fields of study, though still part of the greater Uni of Oxbridge; in terms of other unis, the collection of all Departments in a direction (e.g. College of Social Sciences).
Het college is een verzameling departementen binnen een bepaalde richting, zoals het College van de Sociale Wetenschappen.
More academese Meer Academees: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=405
Public Transport (23 June 2013)
One of my friends from London came up to Leicester earlier this week, and I joined her on the trip back to London to see another friend in Oxford a few days later, and then travel up to Leicester again - and I realised that I haven't written yet about the How To of English Public Transport (though I suppose it is generally applicable to Wales, Scotland and NI also). So here goes.
Trains
Like all public transport, the trains have been privatised, meaning that there are separate companies on different bits of the English rail network. Like, when I travel to London, I travel by East Midlands, while to Stansted (and from Oxford to Birmingham and Birmingham to Leicester) I travel by CrossCountry. This means that it could get confusing to look up train times beforehand.
Thankfully, there is the National Rail website, where you can easily just do an enquiry and from there also be redirected to the company websites to book tickets. Tickets can generally be sent to any UK address (for a fee, of course), though often there is also the option of collecting them from the ticket machines at the station, which work by sticking in the card you used to book your tickets with, then typing in the booking reference; the third option, which is not widely available (CrossCountry does it, East Midlands does not), is to book an e-ticket, which simply works by emailing you your ticket, which you then of course have to print and carry with you.
Mind, trains are relatively expensive, but they are comfortable, often having the option of buying 'light refreshments' (tea, coffee, crisps) and nice seats with decent tables. Also, they often go multiple times in an hour, at least to the places you'd actually want to visit.
If you plan to travel often, it may be worthwhile to buy a 16-25 Railcard. They currently cost £30, used to be £28. You can get one by taking a passport photograph, filling out the flyer (obtainable at any railway station) and taking your passport or driver's licence to the ticket desk at a station and requesting one. What they do is give you 1/3 off on any rail ticket, and they are valid for a year. However, there's also the option of getting one for 3 years (£70), for which you can apply until the last day before you turn 24, so it'll also be valid when you're actually 26. In my case, an Off-Peak Return ticket to London can cost £56, but now I pay about £35 - so it took me three trips to London to save more than I spent on the Railcard. However, if you live in London, of course, it's not of much use unless you intend to travel to the country a lot (or are planning a rail trip that on its own already costs over £90 - like when you suddenly decide to make the 8 or so hour journey up to Scotland).
Coaches
If you're willing to spend a little more time travelling in order to spend a little less money, you may instead opt to travel by coach - long-distance bus. There's a lot going from London Victoria. You can easily book tickets via National Express, although again, these can only be delivered to UK addresses. You can often also buy tickets from the driver or at a desk at the coach station. They're good value for money.
Buses
Local transport is always a bit of a matter of getting used to, because it's somehow always different everywhere even if it isn't.
A bus can be taken by simply stating your destination to the driver and handing him the appropriate amount of cash. They don't take cards and they're not happy with you if you hand them £20 if your fee is £2.40. As there are buses where the next stop isn't announced (like, Dutch Connexxion buses go, "next stop: Renesse Transferium" - the buses I've been on in England so far don't do this), you will have to keep in mind where to stop, or miss your stop and have to walk back a bit.
But don't worry, there's a stop every few hundred metres and on a weekday, popular lines have a frequency of up to six times per hour, so if you miss your stop, you won't have to walk much further and if you miss your bus, you won't have to wait long.
Do keep in mind that the last bus usually goes around 11-ish in summer, earlier in winter.
Taxis
I love taxis, they make me feel so decadent even if they're perfectly normal at night when the buses no longer run. They'll charge night fees after midnight, but if you can share one your share won't be more than a few pounds. In any case, cheaper and better than in the Netherlands - if you catch a random taxi, do make sure it's a licensed one because they have to adhere to all sorts of standards. Black cab style taxis are usually good.
The Tube
The Tube of course is a phenomenon, and I'm far from being an expert on it as I don't live in London and my experiences on the Rotterdam subway are not comparable.
So if you intend to live in London, ask someone else about advice for the Tube.
If you intend to visit semi-regularly, you can follow my advice.
First the basics (though you should know this already anyway):
Mind the Gap.
Keep to the right on the escalators.
Use every bit of available space when it's crowded.
Don't talk to strangers.
Don't be loud.
Right, so that should make you not be too visitorly awkward. The good thing about the Tube it that every train on every line has an incredibly high frequency - however, tube trains don't run really late at night/really early in the morning, so don't miss the last tube.
You can buy tickets from the machines (just follow the instructions, they're relatively simple for us Internet-savvy people) or from the ticket desks. The machines also dispense Day Tickets, which are about £8 or so for Zones 1 and 2 (if you're visiting, you won't travel outside of these zones anyway as even Greenwich is still Zone 2) and which are valid for the entire day. If you're staying longer, it is wiser to get a multiple day Oyster card from the ticket desk - I think it's 7 days. That one works just like the ordinary OV Chipkaart, but it's, as implied, only valid for 7 days.
If you're staying even longer, contemplate getting a proper Oyster and sticking on some money, it might be cheaper. And also then, get advice from someone actually living in London.
If I think of other transport-related things, I'll modify this post.
of Arts (BA/MA): A degree in any humanities course, or any social sciences course that doesn't involve numbers or law*.
Een graad 'of Arts' betekent een graad in de geesteswetenschappen, of een graad in de sociale wetenschappen waarin geen nummers of rechten voorbijkomen*.
of Science (BSc/MSc): A degree in any science course that isn't engineering, or any social sciences course that does involve numbers (but no law)*.
Een graad 'of Science' betekent een graad in de bèta-wetenschappen dat geen ingenieursgraad is, of een graad in de sociale wetenschappen waarin wél nummers voorbijkomen (maar geen rechten)*.
of Law (LLB/LLM/JD): A degree in a law course; it's Bachelor of Law, Master of Law, and then suddenly Juris Doctor, which I think is a degree mostly used in the US. Old-fashioned 'meester in de recht' for LLM*.
Een graad 'of Law' is een graad in de rechten; Bachelor of Law, Master of Law, maar dan wel opeens Juris Doctor, wat eigenlijk een Amerikaanse term is. Vergelijkbaar met het vroegere 'meester in de recht' in geval van de LLM.
of Engineering (BEng, MEng - yes, I first thought is was of English too): A degree in an engineering course. Old-fashioned 'ingenieur' for MEng*.
Een graad 'of Engineering', afgekort 'Eng' (Ik dacht eerst ook dat het in Engels was) is een ingenieursgraad; MEng is de ouderwetse ir.
of Medicine (MD): The type of 'doctor' meant with the question "is there a doctor in the house?".
'MD' is het soort doctor van "is er een dokter in de zaal?"
of Business Administration: I think I only know of MBAs, not BBAs, though technically those should also exist. US-inspired degree in, well, managing a business.
Een graad in Business Administration, waarvan ik alleen de MBA ken, hoewel technisch gezien er ook BBAs moeten bestaan, is een Amerikaans-geïnspireerde graad in, tja, het managen van een bedrijf.
*HBO studies never have this addition, those are simply B or M.
*HBO studies hebben nooit zo'n toevoeging, die zijn simpelweg losse B's of M'en.
Propedeuse (P): Dutch term, meaning you've passed the first year of your study.
Je propedeuse of P betekent dat je je eerste jaar gehaald hebt.
Bridge year: Most of your undergrad courses work out to get you into your postgrad, but you're lacking somewhere so this year is to make up for that.
Brugjaar: Met de meeste bachelor studies kun je gewoon een daarop volgende master volgen, maar als je vakken mist moet je een brugjaar doen.
Gap year: Taking a year off to go backpacking in the Himalayas, comparable to the old fashioned Grand Tour of Europe often done by the ancient rich in previous centuries, though nowadays it's more people who are looking to find themselves. A select few still do it to see something of the world, though.
Een gap year is een jaar er tussen uit om te gaan backpacken in de Himalaya's, vergelijkbaar met de ouderwetse 'Grand Tour' van de ancien riche in voorbije eeuwen, maar vandaag de dag zijn het vooral mensen die zichzelf proberen te vinden. Een paar gaan echter om daadwerkelijk iets van de wereld te zien.
Bachelor's: First stop after secondary school, provided you've got decent marks. Will probably get you a lower-level administrative job somewhere; it means that you've learned the basic concepts of a certain field. Takes 3 years in Europe, 4 in the US. Also called undergrad(uate).
Je bachelor is de eerste stop na het VWO; met je BA/BSc kun je ergens een administratieve baan krijgen, het betekent dat je de basis begrippen van een bepaalde academische discipline kent. Duurt 3 jaar in Europa, 4 in de VS.
Master's: After bachelor's. Means you are capable of most jobs in your field; you have learned both the basic concepts and can apply them in new ways. Old-fashioned 'doctorandus'. Often takes 1 or 2 years, though 1.5 is not unheard of. If you're teaching with a Master's, you're an instructor/teacher (except for the US, where everyone is a professor unless they're a PhD) and people address you as 'Mr' (not! Mr. in de recht) or 'Ms' (or 'Mrs', of course, if you're married). Some particularly tough Masters-degrees are called 'MPhil' instead of MA/MSc/LLM/MEng; these are research masters. Also called postgrad(uate), or just grad(uate) in the US.
Je master is na de bachelor en betekent dat je de meeste banen binnen je discipline kunt doen; je hebt zowel de basis begrippen geleerd en kunt ze toepassen. Dit is de ouderwetse 'doctorandus'. Duurt meestal 1 of 2 jaar, maar anderhalf jaar is ook mogelijk. Als je lesgeeft met een master ben je gewoon een leraar of lector (behalve in de VS, waar iedereen een professor is) en mensen spreken je aan als 'mevrouw' of 'meneer'. Sommige masters zijn MPhil: dit zijn research masters en die zijn extra zwaar.
Doctorate (PhD, DPhil): A degree that takes a minimum of about three years (though it is not unheard of, especially in the US, for it to take 7 years) that means you have added new knowledge to your field. Old-fashioned 'doctoraat'; afterwards, you are the type of doctor that is always called upon and then confuses people by saying "but I know nothing of medicine!". People are to address you as 'Dr' (though many fail to do so properly). Afterwards, you're technically qualified to teach and research at University level. See also this illustrated guide: http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/
Je doctoraat is een graad die minimaal drie jaar duurt (volgens de Nederlandse wet; het is echter niet vreemd als deze bijvoorbeeld 7 jaar duurt, zoals in de VS) en het betekent dat je nieuwe kennis toevoegt aan je discipline. Daarna ben je het soort doctor dat altijd moet zeggen "maar niet in de medicijnen!" en mensen moeten je aanspreken als doctor maar veel doen dat niet. Na je doctoraat mag je lesgeven op een universiteit. Zie ook bovenstaande link voor een uitleg met plaatjes.
Post-Doc: The ghosts of Academia; technically qualified doesn't mean anything, so it's becoming increasingly customary for people with a Doctorate to go on and do a Post-Doc; also known in the Netherlands as AIO (assistent in opleiding) or OIO (onderzoeker in opleiding). Basically, you're spending your time teaching classes and doing research for lousy pay.
Postdocs zijn de spoken van Academia; dat je mag lesgeven op een universiteit betekent niet dat dat ook lukt, dus gaan steeds meer mensen na hun doctoraat een postdoc doen, wat ook wel bekend staat als AIO (assistent in opleiding) of OIO (onderzoeker in opleiding). Eigenlijk spendeer je je tijd aan lesgeven en researchen voor weinig geld.
Professor: Those who have managed to battle the bog of the bachelor's without imbibing too often, manage the misery of the master's without going mad, do (and finish!) the doctorate, get results in researches, publish papers, and teach terrifically, all for a good number of years, may finally see their hard labour recognized by a University and call themselves (and have themselves called!) professor from then on.
It's kind of a big deal, and that's why those good enough to get a professiorate (that's a word, whether or not my spell check recognizes it) may put the title 'professor' before all their other titles and keep it until they die (though after retirement it becomes 'professor emeritus').
Een professor is iemand die na een paar jaar zonder gek te worden door de universiteit wordt beloond met een professorschap; daarna mogen ze de professor-titel voeren vóór alle andere titels en die houden ze tot ze doodgaan (na pensioen wordt het wel 'professor emeritus' en als je Diederik Stapelt raak je alsnog je titels kwijt).
TA/RA: Teaching assistant or research assistant; anyone who isn't a full teacher or researcher on a project but is nevertheless responsible for carrying out the same tasks as anyone who is. Can also be called an intern and then be forced to write a complete thing and still be second author.
Een TA of RA is een 'teaching' or 'research' assistent, die niet volledig leraar of research is maar toch dezelfde taken moet uitvoeren. Kan ook stagiair worden genoemd.
Author: Someone who wrote something; order of names is important, because when there's a load of authors it becomes 'first name et al.', in which 'et al.' is short for et alii, which is Latin for 'and the rest'. Illustration: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=562
De auteur is de schrijver van iets, en de volgorde van de namen is belangrijk, omdat als er veel schrijvers zijn het 'eerst naam et al.' wordt, waarin 'et al.' et alii betekend, wat Latijn is voor 'en de rest'. Zie ook bovenstaande illustratie.
Don: Someone important at some old British unis, like Oxford and Cambridge.
Een Don is iemand belangrijk aan oude Britse unis zoals Oxford en Cambridge.
Fellow: Another name for an instructor at some old British unis.
Fellow is een andere naam voor leraren en lectoren aan oude Britse unis.
Uni: Short for university.
Uni is een afkorting voor universiteit.
Oxbridge: Portmanteau of 'Oxford' and 'Cambridge', often used to indicate all supposedly elitist older British unis.
Oxbridge is een samenvoeging van 'Oxford' en 'Cambridge', wordt vaak gebruikt om alle zogenaamd elite universiteiten in Groot-Brittannië aan te duiden.
Russell Group: Group of 24 British unis which lobby for better things for unis.
1994 Group: Second most important uni lobby group.
De Russell en 1994 Group zijn beide lobby groepen voor universiteiten in GB.
Campus: Confusingly, both just the location of the university buildings and of that plus university-owned housing, but can also be housing alone.
Een campus is zowel de locaties van de universiteitsgebouwen als de woningen die de universiteit aan studenten verhuurt.
Funding: Money to do research. Sometimes also available to PhD-students so they can actually find that new bit of info.
Funding is geld om research te doen, wordt soms ook aan PhD-studenten verstrekt zodat ze ook daadwerkelijk nieuwe info kunnen vinden.
Conference/Symposium: A few days so you can meet other academics in your field and listen to their research, while you present your own. Also a very good excuse to travel abroad for a few days and see something of the world/drink.
Een conferentie of symposium is een paar dagen waar je andere academici kunt ontmoeten en naar presentaties luistert (en soms ook zelf presenteert). Ook een goed excuus om naar het buitenland af te reizen en iets van de wereld te zien/te drinken.
(Wine) Reception: Academic afterparty, means free food and free alcohol, plus a chance to mingle without having to look (too) serious.
(Wijn) Receptie: Een academische afterparty, wat gratis voedsel en gratis alcohol betekend, plus een mogelijkheid om te kletsen zonder al te serieus te hoeven doen.
Department/Faculty: Section of the uni devoted to a particular field.
Departement/Faculteit: Deel van de uni specifiek op een bepaalde discipline gericht.
College: In Oxbridge terms, a separate unity comprising a number of fields of study, though still part of the greater Uni of Oxbridge; in terms of other unis, the collection of all Departments in a direction (e.g. College of Social Sciences).
Het college is een verzameling departementen binnen een bepaalde richting, zoals het College van de Sociale Wetenschappen.
More academese Meer Academees: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=405
Public Transport (23 June 2013)
One of my friends from London came up to Leicester earlier this week, and I joined her on the trip back to London to see another friend in Oxford a few days later, and then travel up to Leicester again - and I realised that I haven't written yet about the How To of English Public Transport (though I suppose it is generally applicable to Wales, Scotland and NI also). So here goes.
Trains
Like all public transport, the trains have been privatised, meaning that there are separate companies on different bits of the English rail network. Like, when I travel to London, I travel by East Midlands, while to Stansted (and from Oxford to Birmingham and Birmingham to Leicester) I travel by CrossCountry. This means that it could get confusing to look up train times beforehand.
Thankfully, there is the National Rail website, where you can easily just do an enquiry and from there also be redirected to the company websites to book tickets. Tickets can generally be sent to any UK address (for a fee, of course), though often there is also the option of collecting them from the ticket machines at the station, which work by sticking in the card you used to book your tickets with, then typing in the booking reference; the third option, which is not widely available (CrossCountry does it, East Midlands does not), is to book an e-ticket, which simply works by emailing you your ticket, which you then of course have to print and carry with you.
Mind, trains are relatively expensive, but they are comfortable, often having the option of buying 'light refreshments' (tea, coffee, crisps) and nice seats with decent tables. Also, they often go multiple times in an hour, at least to the places you'd actually want to visit.
If you plan to travel often, it may be worthwhile to buy a 16-25 Railcard. They currently cost £30, used to be £28. You can get one by taking a passport photograph, filling out the flyer (obtainable at any railway station) and taking your passport or driver's licence to the ticket desk at a station and requesting one. What they do is give you 1/3 off on any rail ticket, and they are valid for a year. However, there's also the option of getting one for 3 years (£70), for which you can apply until the last day before you turn 24, so it'll also be valid when you're actually 26. In my case, an Off-Peak Return ticket to London can cost £56, but now I pay about £35 - so it took me three trips to London to save more than I spent on the Railcard. However, if you live in London, of course, it's not of much use unless you intend to travel to the country a lot (or are planning a rail trip that on its own already costs over £90 - like when you suddenly decide to make the 8 or so hour journey up to Scotland).
Coaches
If you're willing to spend a little more time travelling in order to spend a little less money, you may instead opt to travel by coach - long-distance bus. There's a lot going from London Victoria. You can easily book tickets via National Express, although again, these can only be delivered to UK addresses. You can often also buy tickets from the driver or at a desk at the coach station. They're good value for money.
Buses
Local transport is always a bit of a matter of getting used to, because it's somehow always different everywhere even if it isn't.
A bus can be taken by simply stating your destination to the driver and handing him the appropriate amount of cash. They don't take cards and they're not happy with you if you hand them £20 if your fee is £2.40. As there are buses where the next stop isn't announced (like, Dutch Connexxion buses go, "next stop: Renesse Transferium" - the buses I've been on in England so far don't do this), you will have to keep in mind where to stop, or miss your stop and have to walk back a bit.
But don't worry, there's a stop every few hundred metres and on a weekday, popular lines have a frequency of up to six times per hour, so if you miss your stop, you won't have to walk much further and if you miss your bus, you won't have to wait long.
Do keep in mind that the last bus usually goes around 11-ish in summer, earlier in winter.
Taxis
I love taxis, they make me feel so decadent even if they're perfectly normal at night when the buses no longer run. They'll charge night fees after midnight, but if you can share one your share won't be more than a few pounds. In any case, cheaper and better than in the Netherlands - if you catch a random taxi, do make sure it's a licensed one because they have to adhere to all sorts of standards. Black cab style taxis are usually good.
The Tube
The Tube of course is a phenomenon, and I'm far from being an expert on it as I don't live in London and my experiences on the Rotterdam subway are not comparable.
So if you intend to live in London, ask someone else about advice for the Tube.
If you intend to visit semi-regularly, you can follow my advice.
First the basics (though you should know this already anyway):
Mind the Gap.
Keep to the right on the escalators.
Use every bit of available space when it's crowded.
Don't talk to strangers.
Don't be loud.
Right, so that should make you not be too visitorly awkward. The good thing about the Tube it that every train on every line has an incredibly high frequency - however, tube trains don't run really late at night/really early in the morning, so don't miss the last tube.
You can buy tickets from the machines (just follow the instructions, they're relatively simple for us Internet-savvy people) or from the ticket desks. The machines also dispense Day Tickets, which are about £8 or so for Zones 1 and 2 (if you're visiting, you won't travel outside of these zones anyway as even Greenwich is still Zone 2) and which are valid for the entire day. If you're staying longer, it is wiser to get a multiple day Oyster card from the ticket desk - I think it's 7 days. That one works just like the ordinary OV Chipkaart, but it's, as implied, only valid for 7 days.
If you're staying even longer, contemplate getting a proper Oyster and sticking on some money, it might be cheaper. And also then, get advice from someone actually living in London.
If I think of other transport-related things, I'll modify this post.
Reader tips are appreciated too!
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