Читать книгу How to Succeed At University--Canadian Edition - Danton O'Day - Страница 16

Right now we should consider just what a university is: What does it consist of? How does it function? What is it going to do for you?

Did You Know?

Over 1.1 million students were enrolled in Canadian universities during the 2008/2009 academic year.¹

In Canada, postsecondary institutions with a primary academic focus are called universities while those with a more practical focus are called colleges. Universities usually require higher academic standings in high school than colleges. Similarly, universities typically offer Bachelor’s, Master’s and often Ph.D. degrees while colleges typically offer certificates and diplomas. But this is changing and the lines between universities and colleges get less distinct with each passing year. (In the United States the term “college” often refers to an institution that offers only a two-year Associate of Arts degree [junior colleges] as well as one that offers a four-year Bachelor’s degree program, while a full-fledged university offers Bachelor’s degrees and advanced degrees.) Within each university there may be constituent “colleges” but these are university colleges and offer university degrees. Within the university, each “college” is usually a self-governing educational unit and usually has programs that make it unique.

Depending on the university, the complexity and diversity of the curricula will vary considerably. Thus some places will offer Bachelor of Arts and/or Bachelor of Science degrees in a limited number of disciplines while other, larger institutions will offer almost the whole gamut of possible programs. If you have any questions about the offerings at various Canadian universities, look up their websites. If you have long-term academic ambitions, universities that offer Master’s and Ph.D. programs may hold more appeal for you. In addition, the presence of graduate students working towards their Master’s or Ph.D.’s provides the university with a large source of qualified teaching assistants, laboratory demonstrators, tutorial leaders, etc., in addition to the full-time faculty. Another advantage of an institution that is training postgraduate students is that it will be more in the mainstream of what is happening in your area of study: It has to be in order to survive in the competitive academic world.