Undergraduate Report of Bangor University (B.U.). Essay

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to obtain a view of the students who are already enrolled at Bangor University (B.U.). This is concerning their study experience at the University.

The findings of this study will be a useful aid in the future admission of other students. The new students would have acquired enough information concerning the study at the University.

The report will help students to understand the purpose and their presence in the University. They will obtain enough information of what is required of them in their studies. Is important for them, to have knowledge about the University in advance, this should be before their admission.

This report gives some information from three main areas: exams, presentation, and writing by asking students who are already studied for 1^st year about their study experience in the University during their studies.

A questionnaire has been used in data collection as a methodology of data collection. Samples were taken randomly from the 1^st year students who have completed the first year of their studies. The results are tabulated and bar graph has been used for analysis. There are some recommendations which have been made following the analyzed data.

Introduction

In this report the focus is in finding out about the life at the B.U. and how the students relate to the academic life in the University. There are many areas in the University which can affect the general life and the academic life of a student.

Bangor is a great University and is found all over the city. Most parts are within and you can walk from one place to the other. Each department has a library which has a connection to it, computer equipment and the facilities and a general room. There are different halls. Some are new while others are old. Some of the halls which are old are good because they have bid rooms.

First years must get a place and it is not unusual for 2nd and 3rd years to be able to stay in halls if they want to. All the rooms are single-roomed; some have data-points and showers whilst others have facilities common. The main site has computer rooms for the whole site, whilst the other halls have a few computers in the hall itself (Goodson and Sikes 2001).

The course is of great value even if a lot of effort is needed especially at the end of the term. Outside of lectures there are Practical work which has to be done and write up and tutorials to go through questions in smaller groups (Elgersman 2005).
The exams are not too long, shorter than some of the A-level ones. Most sports are catered to, and many are more sedate ranging from Drama to Beer drinking.

The countryside has a very great aesthetic value and the snow crowns it all. This does give Bangor its only drawback: the number of hills. Though, it is a brilliant place to study (Fitzpatrick 2011).

Having have given that small detail about the University, I can say that the main reason for doing this study is to provide enough information which will be useful to the incoming students both from within the country and for the international students.

Aim

The objective of this study is to make a study on the students’ views about B.U. These are those who have at least completed their 1^st year, concerning study and general life at the university. The report look at the views of the students and this information is then analyzed to get the overall view of the students about their study life at Bangor University.

Methodology of the study

This study has been done using the questionnaires. Some samples have been collected to be used in the study.

Random samples were collected from the students who have completed their 1^st year of study at the University. This was a target group because being a bit new in the University, this group of students could be having keen interest in knowing more about the University hence the could in a better position to provide reliable information (Scee 2010).

The random sampling was done to avoid collection of biased data. The data collection was carried out inside the B.U. This is because most of the 1^st year students reside within the University and this could make data collection much easier hence saving on the time and the cost of data collection.

Some questions were used in order to obtain accurate and reliable information. The number of the students who gave information on the questionnaire was 10 and was samples randomly (McBride 1996).

Results

All the 10 students gave some general comment about the studies and life at B.U. concerning the exams, presentation and writing, general comments were good average and bad.

The number and the general response are given in form of a table in order to make an easy analysis of the general response.

The general responses to the exam, presentation and writing questions is given in the table below

Analysis

This was analyzed using a graph as shown below.

In the exams part, about half of the students sampled feel that the exams are good. On average stand were about 40% and only few thought that exams are bad or hard. Many students sampled felt that presentations were good. About 25% thought that the presentations were average and only 5% did not like the presentations.

Many students like the writing work and very few are on average or think the writing work is not good. Comparing the exams, presentations and the writing work, many students felt that the writing work is good followed by the presentations and then the exams (Curran 1984).

Discussion

It is evident that many students at the University do not like exams very much. They prefer writing work and presentations. This could be due to the fact that most students don’t take enough time to prepare for the exams hence developing that negative attitude towards the exams.

Hence it is very important for any student considering joining B.U. to learn to plan their time well so that they could have enough time for the exams preparation.

Presentations are liked by many students. This could be due to adequate computer facilities in the University hence the students don’t find it difficult to prepare for their presentations. This is a very important source of information for the incoming students. They don’t have to worry about the accessibility to the computer facilities because the resource is well established at the B.U.

Writing is rated very high compared to the exams and the presentations. This could be due to many reference materials which are at the University library. The new students and those purposing to come to the University should be aware of the good study materials at the University which can be utilized.

The exams, presentations and writing are the different parts in learning which all students must be involved in. Hence all the students have a part to play in striving to have a positive attitude towards learning. This information should be clear enough to all the incoming students so that they should set their attitude right from the very beginning of their studies. And this will be well reflected in the exams taken and in the assignments.

In this discussion is important to give a brief history of the university which will be a very useful piece of information for the new students at B.U.

The University of Bangor was established in the 19^th century. This was meant to offer higher education in Bangor. Currently there are many students and teaching and other members of the University staff. Dr David Roberts said: “It records the highs and lows, the successes and crises, the achievements and challenges in the University’s history (Fitzpatrick 2011).

The University of Bangor has many opportunities which can be exploited by the students and the aspiring students. Academic life can be hard average or difficult to students. This will be determined by the organization of the student and time management. There are many exams, Presentations and assignments which are to be done by the students (Gyorgy 1998).

Recommendation

Before coming to the University I would recommend the new students to:

• Know about the student life and accommodation in the University
• Be aware of the assignment deadlines and how they should meet them
• Know the time they are supposed to meet their tutors and attending the lectures
• Know how to deal with the exams pressure and be able to organize themselves well
• To be aware of the examination schedule and how teachings are conducted
• What is expected of every student concerning the academics
• The history of the B.U and administration of the University
• What are the major factors which lead students to have attitude towards exams
• Be aware of the University location in the city and the surrounding environment (Roberts 2004).

Conclusion

In conclusion we can say that the students at Bangor University have different views concerning the academic life at the University. There are those who like or dislike the exams. There are those who like the presentations more than writing the assignments. Therefore this study has been effectively done. It has shown the different aspects of academic life at Bangor University.

This information is very vital to the students who in one way or the other are considering pursuing their studies at the University. They will have a general knowledge of what they expect to see at B.U and what will be expected of them. The new students will therefore not waste any of their precious time so as to avoid a great rush in exam preparation and the pressure which cones with the exams.

For a well organized and a focused student, life at B.U can be very comfortable and the students can achieve their set goals without much struggle. B.U can provide a very suitable studying environment for both local and the international students. In case of any difficulties in the revision for the exams, students can consult the teaching staff. There is great assistance which can be offered to them hence there will be reduced negativity in studies.

Reference List

Curran, M., 1984. Antiphonary of Bangor and the Early Irish Monastic Liturgy. Dublin: Irish Academic.

Elgersman, L., 2005. Black Bangor: African Americans in a Maine Community, 1880- 1950. Durham: University of New Hampshire Press.

Fitzpatrick, J., 2011. A History Based on the Life of an Academic Librarian. New York: Kindle Edition.

Goodson, I.F. and Sikes, P., 2001. Life History Research in Educational Settings: Learning from Lives. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Gyorgy, P., 1998. Academia and State Socialism: Essays on the Political History of Academic Life in. Post-1945 Hungary and East Central Europe. New York: Highland Lakes.

McBride, J., 1996. The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother. New York: Riverhead Books.

Roberts, B., 2004. Bangor University, A study of the University. New York: Kindle Edition.

Scee, K., 2010. Bangor City on the Penobscot, a Comprehensive History of Bangor. Bangor: The History Press.

Appendix

The questionnaire appeared as shown below

QUESTIONNAIRE

This questionnaire is being used to collect information for a report on the student academic experience of undergraduate students at Bangor University.

What Subject Degree are you studying at BU? ……………………………………………………….

What year of your course are you in? ……………………………………………………….

Which country do you come from? ……………………………………………………….

Part One (Exams)

1. How much percentage of course grade is the exams?
2. How many exams is there a term?
3. What types of exams do you do? For example: presentation or timed essay exam.

Please explain _____________________________ (please write down)

1. For what reasons could you fail the exams?
2. If you fail the exams then what happens next?
3. Have you ever missed an exam?
4. If students miss an exam what should they do?

Part Two (Presentation)

1. Is giving presentations necessary on this course?
2. How many presentations in a term?
3. How long is each presentation?
4. How important is presentations for assessment?
5. What kind of presentation do students do?

□in group □alone □others__________________ (please write down)

Part Three (Writing)

1. What types of writing is important in 1^st year?
   □Report □ Essay □ e-mail □others ___________________(please write down)
2. How long are the essays in 1^st year?
3. How often must you use your e-mail to contact your tutor?
   □everyday □once a week □when I have homework
   □others_____________________ (please write down)
4. How often do you have essay homework?
   □once a week □1-3 a month □others___________________ (please write down)
5. How long to complete your essay? ________________________ (please write down)