DOCSLIB.ORG

University of Durham 2019-2020 PREPARATION Exchange Application Process I Originally Applied for the University of Edinburgh and Put Durham As Me Second Choice

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
University of Durham 2019-2020 PREPARATION Exchange Application Process I Originally Applied for the University of Edinburgh and Put Durham As Me Second Choice University of Durham 2019-2020 PREPARATION exchange application process I originally applied for the University of Edinburgh and put Durham as me second choice. The documents needed were the same for both and fairly straightforward. At first there seem to be many requirements but they are clearly set out on the UU site and the international office is also helpful in answering any questions. It is important to keep an eye on all the deadlines and the emails telling you the requirements. counselling & support at Utrecht University The international office at the UU is very helpful, both in person and via email when you have any questions or struggles regarding the exchange process. They reply quickly and friendly and help make the process less stressful. academic preparation I did not have any academic preparation before coming to Durham. I did go in my fourth year which meant that I had already finished all my courses at the UU and therefore felt adequately prepared to follow courses at Durham University. language preparation I did not have any language preparation. At the UU there are a few courses that were taught in English and I had no trouble with studying in English for those courses so I did not feel I needed any more preparation. My level of English was pretty good, as is that of most Dutch students. There were many internaitonal students whose English was at a very basic level and they managed fine. The professors and students are very understanding of international students possibly struggling with English so you do not need to worry about this. finances England is definitely more expensive than the Netherlands, but Durham does not have the same prices as for example London. Durham is more like a town or really small city and therefore prices are not too bad. Housing is however generally more expensive in Durham than it is in the Netherlands, especially if you want to be in a location that is not too far away from the campus and city centre. When doing many of the activities and travelling around a lot you may find that the loans and grant may not be enough so you do need to keep an eye on that. (interrupted) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD welcome & orientation programme The Durham Students' Union (DSU) organises some events for internationals the week before the academic commitments start. This week is also freshers week, which is organised by the colleges. Durham has 16 (soon 17) colleges and you will get allocated to one as an Erasmus student. I would really recommend attending this week and going to activities from both your college as for international students. This is a good way to meet Erasmus students and other students at Durham. study programme (content and organisational issues) In Durham you follow 6 (or more, depending on the ECTS for the module) modules throughout the entire year. You can choose some modules before coming to Durham and will get a provisional acceptance or rejection on whether you can take these modules. This was a bit confusing and one module of mine got rejected with the message that Erasmus students could not take these, but a couple of other Erasmus students did get this module accepted. When you are in Durham you can meet up with the department and sort out your modules with them and make sure that none of them overlap, so you do not need to worry to much about this before arriving in Durham. Just make sure you know which modules you want to follow before going to your deparment meetings. academic quality of education activities The quality of education is very high at Durham. It is the university that people who did not get into Oxford or Cambridge go to (this is a stereotype of the Durham students, but actually true for a lot of them). This means that education is taken very serious by most student which creates an atmosphere where the students work very hard and are very motivated. I took 4 third year law modules and 2 first year psychology modules. In both of these departments the professors were knowledgeable and passionate about their subject. They also provided extra reading and information on extra talks if you wanted to learn more about certain specific subjects. transfer of credits Due to the coronavirus the grading is taking longer than it would usually take. I finished my last exam on June fourth and grading will hopefully be done halfway through July. This means that I do not yet know if my credits will be transferred. You just need to make sure you follow enough modules and that you end up with 60 ECTS that should be transferrable. CORONAVIRUS CONSEQUENCES support guidance of host university Durham University sent a lot of updates by email at the start of the pandemic. They gave all the information they could on what the consequences would be for our final lectures and what would happen to our exams. In information about exams and mitigating circumstances they did however forget about Eramus students and did not mention how the coronavirus would impact our grades. I left Durham at the end of March but international and Erasmus students that styaed in Durham were in contact with the University and were supported by them. support guidance of home university The international office at the UU sent out emails halfway through March contacting all students on exchange advising them to return home and asking to let them know whether we had returned home. It was nice to be in contact with the international office and to have them keep an eye on where all the students currently were staying and making sure everyone was okay. online offer and quality of digital courses At Durham University the second term ends 20 March, which happened to be around the same time the UK started the lockdown. The UK did not lockdown until very late which meant that I was able to follow almost all my courses till the end of second term. A couple of the final lectures did not happen in person but were put online and were of the same quality as the normal lectures would be. the final, third, term at Durham University consists mostly of studying for and making exams. I had a couple of revision lectures that were given online and were very well done with them being given live with the possibility of asking questions. Afterwards they were uploaded so that people in different timezones could watch them if they could not do so live. suggestions/tips on digital exchange I was lucky to have been able to get almost all of my lectures in person. The professors kept us updates on whether we would have lectures and when they were given online would send reminders on the online lectures happening. It took Durham University a long time to decide on how they were gonna do their exams which was a bit annoying and stressful, especially for international students who did not know if they would be able to return to Durham after going home to their family. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes! I would absolutely recommend Durham to others! The university is internationally high ranking so you will receive good education and the student life is amazing. The collegiate system means that there is so much to do and everyone is involved. There are tons of societies and if you don't find any at your college, the DSU has even more. The city is small and historic, which I really enjoyed; you'll run into people you know all the time and it feels very cozy. Even though it is a small city there is tons to do: from the worst nightclub in Europe to the most beautiful nature to hike around. do you have any additional advice or comments? Try out as many possible activities and societies as you can during freshers week. Most societies organise taster sessions that you can sign up for during freshers week, which means that you can try out societies for free! Get involved in a sport society as well, as that is a big thing here: no one has classes Wednesday afternoon because that time is reserved for sports. 2018-2019 PREPARATION exchange application process The exchange application process can seem a bit extensive at first, but if you keep reading and checking your emails carefully you won't miss out on any specific deadlines for the application process. After having completed all the required documents at Utrecht University, you will then soon receive emails from the International Office at Durham University, who are very willing to help you in case of any difficulties. I have sent them several emails during my application process, and their replies have been very useful. counselling & support at Utrecht University If you struggle with anything before your period abrod, contacting the International Office at UU is extremely helpful and will very often reply to you quickly after your initial message. Especially around important deadlines, you can contact them at any moment and they will come back to you very soon. academic preparation I have had no academic preparation before going to Durham University, and this turned out to be just fine. Albeit you might feel somewhat anxious in the beginning as you are unsure about the academic level abroad, you don’t have to worry. language preparation Similar to academic preparation, I have had no language preparation before going to the UK.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Download This PDF File
    Leah Tether and Laura Chuhan Campbell Early Book Collections and Modern Audiences: Harnessing the Identity/ies of Book Collections as Collective Resources This article summarizes and contextualizes the discussions of a workshop held at Durham University in November 2018. In this workshop, participants (includ- ing academics, students, independent scholars, special and rare books librarians, and archivists) discussed the notion of the collection (that is, the identity of collection as a whole, rather than just its constituent parts), and its potential to serve as a means of engaging both scholarly and public audiences with early book cultures. This study sets out a series of considerations and questions that might be used when tackling such special collections engagement projects, including ones involving more modern collections than the case studies examined here. In November 2018, the Institute for Medieval and Early Modern Studies at Durham University kindly funded a workshop to investigate the ways in which contemporary audiences have been, are being, and can become engaged with medieval and early- modern book culture through the provision and distribution of key resources. These resources range from published books to digital artefacts and editions; from replica teaching kits—such as scriptorium suitcases—to physical archives and repositories.1 The aim of the workshop, which was led by one of this article’s two authors (Leah Tether), was to build a picture of best practice to inform the teaching and commu- 1. The authors are grateful to Durham’s Institute for Medieval and Early Modern Studies for fund- ing the workshop, and to the administrators of the Residential Research Library Fellowships (jointly organized by Ushaw College and Durham University) that enabled Leah Tether to spend time in Durham in November 2018.
    [Show full text]
  • Kathryn Nave Email: [email protected] Twitter: @Kathrynnave Address: 16/5 Spottiswoode St, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK EH9 1ER Profile
    Phone: 07932635413 Kathryn Nave Email: [email protected] Twitter: @KathrynNave Address: 16/5 Spottiswoode St, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK EH9 1ER Profile I am currently a PhD student on philosopher, Andy Clark's European Research Council- funded project 'Expecting Ourselves', which aims to investigate the nature of conscious experience in the predictive brain. I addition to research for my own thesis on integrating Husserlian phenomenology & predictive processing, I’m working with other members of the team, led by psychologist, David Carmel, on designing and implementing a series of experiments. These involve the use of TMS, eye-tracking and binocular rivalry, to test the relationship between prediction and conscious awareness. Previous Experience Grant writing and editing — 2016 - Present Assisting a senior lecturer at Imperial College London with grant applications for the development of a non-invasive ultrasound surgery system to deliver drugs across the Blood Brain Barrier. I have worked on applications to Alzheimer’s Research UK, the European Research Council, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The first application was recently awarded a grant of up to £250,000 after having been rejected at triage in its previous form, and the lead applicant described my work as, “critical in making the application successful” Contributing Editor, WIRED Magazine — 2014 - Present. Regularly write 4,000+ word features on topics ranging from genomic medicine, asteroid mining, and livestreaming, to the how the neuroscience of multisensory integration can inform the creation of richer virtual realities. Often cover in the various section editors’ absences. This has included overseeing the production of a feature package on cybersecurity while the Deputy Editor was on sabbatical, editing a supplement on the future of mobility, putting together a complete issue of the 22-page front section, and editing two magazine sections simultaneously.
    [Show full text]
  • S, Tefania Simion
    S, tefania Simion Email: [email protected], Updated October 2020 [email protected] Website: www.stefaniasimion.com FIELDS OF Economics of Education, Gender Economics, Labour Economics, INTERESTS WORK Lecturer, School of Economics, University of Bristol, 2019-present EXPERIENCE Senior Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Edinburgh 2016-2019 EDUCATION PhD Economics, Queen Mary University of London 2012-2017 MSc Economics, Barcelona Graduate School of Economics 2011-2012 MA(Hons) Economics, University of Edinburgh 2007-2011 PUBLICATIONS Charging for Higher Education: Estimating the Impact on Inequality and Student Outcomes (with G. Azmat) - The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, Accepted. WORKING Pay Transparency and Cracks in the Glass Ceiling (with E. Duchini and A. Turrell), CAGE PAPERS working paper, no. 482 & RESEARCH IN PROGRESS Demographic Bulges and Labour Market Outcomes The Internationalisation of British Universities: a Dividend or a Deterrent? Are Girls Always More Likely to Give up? Evidence from a Natural Experiment with Low- Achieving Students (with A. Bizopoulou and R. Megalokonomou) Fluid Intelligence, Crystallised Intelligence and Financial Decisions (with T. Sulka) Gender Differences in Negative Exam Marking (with G. Azmat and M. Guell) UG TEACHING Lecturer and Course Organiser Econometrics 1, University of Bristol 2019-present Economics of Education, University of Edinburgh 2017-2019 Economics UG Dissertation Coordinator, University of Edinburgh 2017-2019 Intermediate Econometrics,
    [Show full text]
  • 1 David James Wallace
    DAVID JAMES WALLACE Personal Data Born 7th October 1945, Hawick, Scotland. Married to Elizabeth; one daughter, Sara. 19, Buckingham Terrace, Edinburgh EH3 4AD [email protected] Previous employment Oct 2006 – Sep 2014 Master, Churchill College, Cambridge Oct 2006 – Sep 2011 Director, Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences; and NM Rothschild & Sons Professor of Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge Jan 1994 – Dec 2005 Vice-Chancellor, Loughborough University Apr 2000 – May 2004 Non-executive director, Taylor & Francis Group plc Oct 2001 - Feb 2004 Non-executive director, UK e-Universities Worldwide Ltd July 1999 - June 2001 Non-executive director, The Scottish Life Assurance Company Oct 1979 - Dec 1993 Tait Professor of Mathematical Physics, University of Edinburgh Oct 1978 - Sep 1979 Reader, Department of Physics, University of Southampton Oct 1972 - Sep l978 Lecturer, as above Sep 1970 - July 1972 Harkness Fellow, Department of Physics, Princeton University Qualifications and Registrations Nov 1995 - Nov 1997 Institute of Directors, Diploma in Company Direction 1994 Engineering Council, Chartered Engineer 1993 Institute of Physics, Chartered Physicist Oct 1967 - Aug 1970 University of Edinburgh, Ph.D. Thesis on Applications of Current Algebras and Chiral Symmetry Breaking Oct 1963 - June 1967 University of Edinburgh, B.Sc. with First Class Honours in Mathematical Physics Distinctions Honorary Vice-President for Life, Churchill College Association 2014 Named Lecture in Mathematics “Sir David Wallace”, Loughborough
    [Show full text]
  • University of Glasgow College of Arts Minute of College Council Meeting
    University of Glasgow College of Arts Minute of College Council Meeting held on Wednesday 25 February 2015 at 2pm in the Senate Room Convenor: Prof Robby Ó Maolalaigh, Head of College and VP - Arts Present: Prof Lynn Abrams; Dr Sean Adams; Dr Marc Alexander; Dr Wendy Alexander; Ms Liz Broe; Prof Dauvit Broun; Dr Barbara Burns; Prof Gerry Carruthers; Prof Thomas Clancy; Dr Ben Colburn; Prof Kathryn Crameri; Dr Jan Culik; Dr Felicity Donohoe; Ms Ann Gow; Prof Laurence Grove; Dr Jeremy Huggett; Prof Karen Lury; Ms Meg MacDonald; Dr Pauline Mackay; Prof Fiona MacPherson; Dr Catherine Martin; Mrs Pauline McLachlan; Dr Penny Morris; Prof Thomas Munck; Mr Michael Murray; Dr Eanna O’Ceallachain; Dr Costas Panayotakis; Ms Adele Redhead; Dr Fraser Rowan; Prof Philip Schlesinger; Ms Gillian Shaw; Dr Jennifer Smith; Prof Jeremy Smith; Dr Don Spaeth; Dr Helen Stoddart; Ms Val Stringfellow; Prof Michael Syrotinski; Ms Katrin Uhlig Apologies: Mrs Susan Macallan; Miss Laura McGarry; Mrs Jane Neil The Convenor opened the meeting of College Council by asking colleagues to observe a minute’s silence in recognition of the death, on 14 February 2015, of Prof (Emeritus) Cathair ('Cathal') Ó Dochartaigh. Prof Ó Dochartaigh was Prof of Celtic here at Glasgow from 1996- 2004 and laid the foundations for today’s subject area of Celtic and Gaelic. COAC/2014/22 Welcome The Convenor welcomed Dr Penny Morris who was attending her first meeting of College Council as the newly appointed College International Lead. Dr Felicity Donohoe was also welcomed to her first meeting of College Council following her recent appointment as University Teacher in History.
    [Show full text]
  • Physics at University of Edinburgh, Scotland
    STUDY PHYSICS ABROAD JUNIOR YEAR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH Situated in a magnificent old city, the University of Edinburgh dates back to 1582. Home to an impressive castle, myriad bookstores and underground streets (‘closes’) well suited for exploring over the weekends, Edinburgh has the modern amenities of a big city like London, yet is compact enough to settle in and feel at home during a semester or year abroad. The department of Physics is housed in the James Clerk Maxwell building – conveniently located inside the building, the “The Magnet café” with a surrounding study area naturally forms the center of undergraduate Physics student life. As part of a research university which counts Charles Darwin and James Clerk Maxwell among its notable alumni, and physicist Peter Higgs (of the Higgs boson fame) among its Emeritus faculty, the department also takes its teaching mission very seriously as evidenced by its up-to-date teaching labs, small group tutorial classes and ample study space for undergraduates. The academic year at the University of Edinburgh consists of two semesters and there is very good overlap of core Physics courses with those offered at UCSB. For a semester abroad, it is recommended that you study abroad during the Fall quarter of the Junior year. This allows you to return for Winter quarter at UCSB to continue with the “B” part of multi-part core courses required for the B.S. degree such as Phys 115, and Phys 110. It is also strongly recommended that you take certain Junior year courses during your Sophomore year, in preparation for Study Abroad at Edinburgh during Junior year.
    [Show full text]
  • Student Comparison Data
    EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP SEVENTH REPORT – STUDENT DATA 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 2 2. Undergraduate entrants - Intakes........................................................................ 7 2.1 Gender .............................................................................................................. 7 2.2 Disability............................................................................................................ 7 2.3 Ethnicity............................................................................................................. 7 2.4 Age on entry...................................................................................................... 8 2.5 Previous Institution type .................................................................................... 9 3. Postgraduate Taught – Intakes.......................................................................... 10 3.1 Gender ............................................................................................................ 10 3.2 Disability.......................................................................................................... 10 3.3 Ethnicity........................................................................................................... 10 3.4 Age on entry.................................................................................................... 11 4. Postgraduate Research entrants -
    [Show full text]
  • Durham Research Online
    Durham Research Online Deposited in DRO: 08 March 2019 Version of attached le: Published Version Peer-review status of attached le: Peer-reviewed Citation for published item: Lancaster, Thomas M. and Dimitriadis, Stavros L. and Tansey, Katherine E. and Perry, Gavin and Ihssen, Niklas and Jones, Derek K. and Singh, Krish D. and Holmans, Peter and Pocklington, Andrew and Davey Smith, George and Zammit, Stan and Hall, Jeremy and O'Donovan, Michael C. and Owen, Michael J. and Linden, David E. (2019) 'Structural and functional neuroimaging of polygenic risk for schizophrenia : a recall-by-genotypebased approach.', Schizophrenia bulletin., 45 (2). pp. 405-414. Further information on publisher's website: https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sby037 Publisher's copyright statement: c The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
    [Show full text]
  • Enterprising Universities Using the Research Base to Add Value to Business
    Policy Report September 2010 Enterprising Universities Using the research base to add value to business 1100901_EnterprisingUniversities.indd00901_EnterprisingUniversities.indd A 009/09/20109/09/2010 115:025:02 The 1994 Group > The 1994 Group is established to promote excellence in university research and teaching. It represents 19 of the UK’s leading research-intensive, student focused universities. Around half of the top 20 universities in UK national league tables are members of the group. > Each member institution delivers an extremely high standard of education, demonstrating excellence in research, teaching and academic support, and provides learning in a research-rich community. > The 1994 Group counts amongst its members 12 of the top 20 universities in the Guardian University Guide 2011 league tables published on the 8th June 2010. 7 of the top 10 universities for student experience are 1994 Group Universities (2009 National Student Survey). In 17 major subject areas 1994 Group universities are the UK leaders achieving 1st place in their fi eld (THE RAE subject rankings 2008). 57% of the 1994 Group's research is rated 4* 'world- leading' or 3* 'internationally excellent' (RAE 2008, HEFCE). > The 1994 Group represents: University of Bath, Birkbeck University of London, Durham University, University of East Anglia, University of Essex, University of Exeter, Goldsmiths University of London, Institute of Education University of London, Royal Holloway University of London, Lancaster University, University of Leicester, Loughborough
    [Show full text]
  • MALAS Handbook 20-21.Pdf
    SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING AND LANDSCAPE Master of Arts in Landscape Architecture Studies DEGREE PROGRAMME HANDBOOK 2020 - 2021 SEMESTER DATES SEMESTER 1: Monday 28 September 2020 - Friday 29 January 2021 SEMESTER 2: Monday 1 February 2021 - Friday 18 June 2021 SEMESTER 3: Monday 21 June 2021 – Friday 17 September 2021 TERM DATES Autumn: Monday 28 September 2020 - Friday 18 December 2020 Spring: Monday 11 January 2021 - Friday 26 March 2021 Summer: Monday 26 April 2021 - Friday 18 June 2021 Foreword I would like to extend a warm welcome to all who are joining the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape to undertake the MA in Landscape Architecture Studies. The MA in Landscape Architecture Studies is a one-year taught masters-level programme which provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate systematic knowledge and understanding of landscape architecture and its interface with planning and architecture. Students will develop the capacity for critical thinking about the design of place and space and gain skills to enable them to deal with complex aspects of landscape design and planning in a creative and innovative way. Through studio-based design projects, students will refine their design skills and develop the ability to critically compare and analyse landscape projects and styles. The programme has been designed for those who wish to build upon a first qualification in landscape architecture or a cognate qualification in environmental art and design, garden design etc. It has been particularly designed with international students in mind, so it diverges from the (British) Landscape Institute’s recommendations for accredited degrees (there is, for example, less emphasis upon learning about plant materials, since most students are unlikely to practice landscape architecture in the United Kingdom).
    [Show full text]
  • HW Online Student Handbook
    Heriot-Watt Online (HW Online) Student Handbook 2021/22 School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society Version 1: 12 August 2021 Version 2: 10 September 2021 PAGE NO. PART A - HW ONLINE INFORMATION A1 SUMMARY OF INFORMATION………………………………………………………………….. 3 - 6 A1.1 Significant dates in the academic year........................................................................ 3 A1.2 Significant dates for HW Online students...................................................…. 4 A1.3 Links to further information/services............................................................................ 4 A1.4 Key staff and contact details.................................................................................... 5 - 6 A2 WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………. 7 A2.1 Welcome from the Principal and Vice Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University................ 7 A2.2 COVID-19 and Responsive Blended Learning…………………………………………… 8 A2.3 Welcome from the Head of School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure & Society 8 A3 GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY AND THE SCHOOL……………………………………………………………………………………….. 9 A3.1 Heriot-Watt University................................................................................................... 9 A3.2 School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure & Energy.............................................. 9 A3.3 General aims................................................................................................................. 9 A4 HOW HW ONLINE COURSE STUDY WORKS..................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Durham University Library
    Postgraduate Training Programme 2005/06: Library Workshop 2 (Science) Discovering Databases - The Wider Electronic Environment This document provides a brief introduction to EndNote, a tool that can be used to store useful references. In addition it highlights a variety of electronic information resources that science postgraduates may find useful. Learning Outcomes After completing this workbook you should be able to: • Access Endnote • Use the Document Delivery Service • Use the catalogues of other libraries to locate useful material • Save and rerun preferred searches in Web of Science • Use the citation searching facility in Web of Science • Look up journal impact factors in Journal Citation Reports • Set up a profile on an alerting service • Make effective use of Internet gateways to find records for specific types of information • List and apply criteria for evaluating websites 1. Introduction The first workshop focused on the use of databases to identify relevant journal articles. This workbook concentrates on accessing a wider range of resources via the University Library web pages and beyond. It is important to keep a record of any references that you use in your research. You can store this kind of information electronically in a reference management database. EndNote is the reference management software supported by this University. In addition to storing references, EndNote can be used to insert citations into a word processed document and to compile a bibliography in any format that you need. This can be extremely useful when you are writing a major piece of work like a PhD thesis. It is much easier to build up your store of references as you do your research rather than waiting until you write up.
    [Show full text]