— Hello, Mike! Did you manage to enter the University of York?

— Well, I took advantage of this wonderful opportunity and then was admitted. I see I didn’t waste my time cramming for the examinations, and now I have the advantage of being a student of this University due to the scholarship I have won.

— That’s great! I read some reference-book, in fact, there’s a wide range of subjects included into the curriculum. Is it some special or common curriculum?

— Well you see, as far as I understood, there are some subjects that form a foundation course, i.e. they are compulsory, besides there are also not-compulsory subjects, so that you can choose them yourself, they are called “optional” ones. They are to meet special interests of students.

— And as for the status of the University – is it a State institution?

— Yes, in a way, but it has also privately run funds, but all the same LEA and State Education Authorities prescribe curricula of textbooks, provide and maintain buildings, supply equipment, provide grants and so on. Among the staff there are a lot of famous scholars.

— What did you need to enter it except the results of GCSE?

— I took some special exams and tests to detect my vocational bias and aptitude. There were also several intelligence tests with a time limit. I had to sit up for the exams rather long, because there are some special features about them.

— Well, I see that the requirements are rather high and you really had to take some pains to make a success of the whole business. It was backbreaking work.

 

— I really displayed enthusiasm about it. Sometimes I was about to lose my temper, but fortunately my parents backed me. So I tried to be decent and not to show my quick temper when something didn’t play into my hands, because I understood it was up to me to find some way out, and feeling angry and frustrated sometimes was absolutely of no use. Due to my hard work I managed to do everything properly.