Normally a student must attend a certain number of courses in order to graduate, and each course that he attends gives him a credit, which he may count towards a degree. In many American universities the total work for a degree consists of thirty-six courses each lasting for one semester. A typical course consists of three classes per week for fifteen weeks; while attending a university a student will probably attend four or five courses during each semester. Normally a university student would expect to take four years attending two semesters each year. It is possible for a student to move between one university and another during his degree course, though this is not in fact done as a regular practice.
For every course that he follows a student is given a grade, which is recorded, and the record is available for the student to show to prospective employers. All this imposes a constant pressure and strain of work, but in spite of this some students still find time for participation in student affairs. Elections to positions in student organizations arouse much enthusiasm. Students who advise the academic authorities usually perform the effective work of maintaining discipline. Any student who is thought to have broken the rules, for example, by cheating has to appear before a student court. With the enormous numbers of students, the operation of the system does involve a certain amount of activity. A student who has held one of these positions of authority is much respected and it will be of benefit to him later in this career.
对于每一门课程都有分数的学生,而且要被记录存档,这可以用来提供给将来学生的老板们。所有这些都施加了一定的压力,尽管如此,有些学生还能找到时间来参与学生活动。在学生组织中的有效工作引起极大地热情。同学通常建议学校有效的维持纪律。如果学生被认为违反了规则,例如在学生法庭之前说谎。由于学生的数量巨大，整个活动的组织需要大量的活动。如果一个学生成功举办了一个这样活动将备受敬重并对他以后的职业生涯产生诸多益处。
