Script:
You will hear a conversation between an English teacher, called Paul and a former student of his course, Kira.
PAUL: Hello, Kira, how are you?
KIRA: Fine thanks, Paul, how are you?
PAUL: Well, thanks. It’s good to see you. It must be twelve months since you did our course?
KIRA: That’s right. It’s nice to come back and say hello.
PAUL: What course did you enrol in?
KIRA: Actually, I went straight into third year Pharmacy. They credited me with two years, which probably made it more difficult for me.
PAUL: On the other hand, you were lucky to be granted credits. Is that why you chose the course?
KIRA: Yes. And, as I’d already finished a course in it in my country, I thought it would be easier if I studied something I already knew.
PAUL: I didn’t realise you went into third year. I thought you started in first year. No wonder it was so hard! And what do you think is one of the big differences between studying at a university here and studying in your country?
KIRA: Well, I’ve found it very difficult to write assignments, because I wasn’t familiar with that aspect of the system here. The main problem is that the lecturers expect you to be critical. That made me feel really terrible.
I thought “How can I possibly do it? How can I comment on someone else’s research when they probably spent five years doing it?” I think a lot of people who come from overseas countries have similar problems. But after a while it became easier for me. People expect you to have problems with the process of reading and writing but, in fact, it is more a question of altering your viewpoint towards academic study.