The Scottish Degree

Studying for a degree in Scotland works in a slightly different way to elsewhere, and for good reason. In this episode, we look at the academic side of your time in Aberdeen – meeting current students to find out what university work is really like, and how you can get the most from the unique Scottish degree system. 

What is Find Your True North?

Find Your True North is the podcast for new students at the University of Aberdeen. Starting university is such an exciting time, but there’s a lot to take in! From settling into university life, to making friends, accessing help and support, and also getting to know the city of Aberdeen.

In this podcast, we meet current students at the University of Aberdeen, get the lowdown on what it’s really like from day one, and pick up some tips and advice to make your time in Aberdeen as amazing as it should be.

Episode 4 – The Scottish Degree
This is Find Your True North, a podcast from the University of Aberdeen. Episode four The Scottish Degree.

CLIP
A lot to experience and it's so exciting. If you surround yourself with good people, you're gonna enjoy. Aberdeen has a lot to offer. I kind of obviously expected to grow up a bit, but I didn't expect to kind of become so independent.

NOUR
I'm Nour and welcome back to Find Your True North. Across the series, we're looking at life as a student in Aberdeen, what it's like on day one when you arrive, what the city is like as a place to live, and also how to get help when you need it. But in this episode, we're going to look more at the academic side of your time here, the work involved and how you do things differently in Scotland. In the first one to two years, students will be studying multiple subjects before they then specialise much more. Like every university in Scotland, your degree lasts four years, not three as in England. And there's a great reason for that, something that makes studying in Scotland a little bit more special. So in this episode, we'll look at this along with all the other aspects of the academic side of uni. I met with Jonathan Dora, the vice president for communities at the University of Aberdeen's Su, and we talked through the uni work, the help available with it, and any tips he'd give to new students starting at the university.

Hello, Jonathan. Before we start, tell me about your role as a sabbatical officer at the Student Union and what does it involve?

JONATHAN
Thanks so much. Yeah, so I'm Jonathan, I'm the vice president for communities at the Students Union this year. It's an elected role that I stood for election in my fourth year of study. And now I work full time for a year representing students at the university in committees, bringing student experience to the university, but also within the student union. I run events every second week. I run a community café and free foods to our student body. But as well, when external organizations get in touch with us, for example, new e-bikes are coming to the city this summer, and we were really excited to be part of helping plan where the stations would be placed in the campus and at Hillhead, our student village. So if you're coming to Aberdeen this year, there should be new e-bikes around the city.

NOUR
Well, first of all, I want to give you a massive applause on the community kitchens. I love it. The food is always great, the company is perfect, and I love getting to know new people while having a nice meal, of course. But in this episode, we're kind of looking at the Scottish degree in general, and the degree in Scotland is different to the rest of the UK, isn't it?

JONATHAN
Yes it is. And so here in Scotland a degree is usually four years, which is a little longer than what you might get in England with three years. But it's four years because it's special in that the first two years here at Aberdeen in Scotland, you can pick a whole range of elective courses. For example, I came to start at the University of Aberdeen in twenty twenty one, and I was studying politics and international relations, which is a single honours degree. However, when I came on campus and I was looking for the course guide, I was able to pick up Swedish language and a film studies course and an anthropology course, as well as different sociology courses. And throughout my first year there and my second year in my elective slots. So I was able to graduate with politics and international relations with a sustained study of Swedish. Picking up a language for me was such a fun way of developing my skills further in communication, but also looking internationally. And then I went and did a study exchange in Finland as well. So I really do credit my huge, unique experience to the flexibility of the Scottish degree programme.

NOUR
I did a politics degree and I did anthropology on the side, and I had the same experience. I didn't even know what anthropology was. I was so confused as to what it even meant, but it turned out to be one of my favourite courses. So it's kind of great the flexibility that you get.
It's so unique, isn't it? Because we can we can come here studying one thing that we think we liked at school. But then if you pick up, you know, two years of a module in your first, second year, you can then change it into your degree. You can do something with that new subject. So it's so flexible. And that actually takes me to my second point because I remember when I first joined the uni, I actually did a law degree and I realised it wasn't for me. And because the Scottish degree so flexible, I was very easy for me to move to a politics degree. And so do you think it gives people more time to figure out what they want to do when they kind of study at uni?

JONATHAN
Absolutely. Thinking back to me at school, I really didn't really know what to do. I was coursing through that prospectus and this course looked vaguely interesting. But yeah, absolutely. And here at Aberdeen, there's like lots of different support services and engaging with a personal tutor. So when you come to, when you come to university, you get partnered with a lecturer or academic who will become your personal tutor. And they have so much more knowledge and wisdom to support you through these different conversations. And just for a chat, if you want to know which courses to pick, which courses work well, absolutely. Get in touch with your personal tutor.

NOUR
One hundred percent. They've they've been amazing in supporting all their kind of students. Now, when you start your degree here, I know it's a huge jump from school to university. How much work do students actually have to do in their first year of uni?

JONATHAN
So university is definitely, um, sort of talked about as huge piece of independent learning and independent study. And those are important skills. And it definitely is something that you come out of university and you're like, proud of how I can study independently. But when you're at university, it's not the Wild West. Don't worry about it. Every lecturer, your courses know that you've come from high school, you've come from before, and you're coming in to start. So don't worry, it's not dissertation first term. Um, I remember my courses being really accessible at that time. Lots of different group assignments and different modes of assessment. It wasn't all a final exam. There was different essays and different things, but they're not like huge essays. It was really approachable. And also you have tutorial time with your tutors where you can discuss any questions that you have. You can discuss your essay questions. And also there's office hours for the academics and your lecturers. So it's very, very approachable. And the workload really isn't that bad here in Scotland. In schools you have advanced Highers in S6 and I'd say the university level first year is very similar to that. So it's not it's not too daunting.

NOUR
Another new aspect of studying at the university compared to being in a classroom is a lecture. And most people listening to this will have never been in a lecture before. Can you let us know what they're like and how do they actually work?

JONATHAN
So a lecture might feel a bit daunting. A lecture theatre is just like a big auditorium, or it could be a small auditorium depending on what courses you're on. But basically you all sort of come in and sit in a hall and you get your books out and you've got your sort of desk in front of you, and then you'll have a lecturer standing at the front of the room and usually with a PowerPoint or something, talking about the piece of learning or the theories or whatever they're trying to talk to you about. I think classrooms in school are a bit kind of lectures, but on a much smaller scale. And I think some students are like, oh no, I'm going into a lecture hall. It's going to be massive. What if I don't do this? What if I do this? What if they ask me something? And I don't know? And I think it's important to let first years know that lecturers are literally just classrooms on sometimes a bigger scale. There's a teacher there giving you information, and all you have to do is kind of listen, try to focus and retain as much information as you possibly can. Yeah, it's a great place of sharing knowledge, you know.

NOUR
Exactly. At the end of the week, you always think, wow, I've learned so much. And as you work through the first year of your degree, what support is there to help? If you have any academic issues or are worrying about any kind of workload you have?

JONATHAN
So we already mentioned the personal tutors. Beyond that, you also have the academic writing and support service at University of Aberdeen. Exactly. So when you start in first year part of your orientation or onboarding, if you're doing like a sort of essay based subject, you might be doing a sort of assessment to see where your academic writing is at, and that will then let the support services know if you need any support in doing academic writing or academic English. Beyond that, the Student Learning Service is there to help anyone who has any additional support that they need with their writing or their academic services, but it's also available for anyone to to reach out to. I think it's really open. It's support, easy to access. Or do students have to actively seek it out? So there's different ways to access support. You can go through your personal tutor who can sort of help as almost as an advocate on your on your side there, you can go through the university's website, or you can reach out to the teaching team within your school, both in person, you know, at their office hours after a lecture, or just send them an email.

NOUR
What would you say to someone who's nervous about asking for help? Because, you know, first years are usually kind of scared to make the first move on many occasions

JONATHAN
I totally understand that. I was I was definitely very nervous, but my piece of advice would be to when lecturers, when your personal tutor reaches out to meet you, go and meet them like they want to get to know you. They want to support you. They're not really looking for anything. They just want to be able to help you. And once you've touched base with that person and you've made that connection, it's so much easier down the line. You know, if you have any extenuating circumstances or anything that you need to sort of bring down, then they'll be like, ah, I know Jonathan. I'll help him with this one because they're there to support all the time, but it's so much easier once you've already made that connection.

NOUR
Exactly. And I think our staff and lecturers are quite approachable. Um, if you had to describe the Scottish degree in one sentence, what would you say?

JONATHAN
If I was to describe the Scottish degree system in one sentence, it would be flexible to more ideas than you would have thought possible when you applied. Everyone. All minds and intellects. And I'm so excited. If you're a first year student thinking about Aberdeen, please go for it. We have such a beautiful ancient campus and the Scottish degree system makes it so much more flexible. Makes the decision easier.

NOUR
Fantastic. Well, it's been lovely having you on here, Jonathan. Um, you've given us lots to think about and I feel a huge load of stress come off me. If I were to be a first year student. So thank you for this.

GERRY
Hi there. My name is Gerry and I am a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Aberdeen, and I've also previously worked in university admissions. The four year degree gives you two years to settle into your academic discipline, and that allows you to develop practical skills alongside your academic skills. Like you might want to do a series of language courses, for example. It also allows you to engage in extracurricular activities at university. So university isn't just about studying, it's also about getting involved in the other activities on campus. And last but not least, it gives you time to sort of reflect on your progress, think about what you want to do and how you might achieve that, and to develop as a person.

NOUR
So in this episode of Find Your True North, we're looking at the academic side of uni, finding out what it's like when you step up into university work and also getting some tips and advice to help you through your degree. As we've touched on, it's a very different degree here in Scotland because it's four years long, and that gives you an extra year of opportunities to help refine and develop the direction you want to go in. How does all this work exactly? Well, let's hear from Steve Tucker. Steve is the dean for quality assurance and quality enhancement here at the University of Aberdeen. I sat down with Steve to talk to the Scottish degree from an academic perspective, what the benefits are of having that extra year and how students change and develop as they work through their degree.

So Steve, it's lovely having you on here with us today. In this episode, we're looking at the Scottish degree. Can you explain the difference?

STEVE
Yeah. So Scottish degrees are typically four years in length for an honours degree. And with that I think it brings in quite a lot of additional breadth and flexibility. So in the first one to two years, students will be exploring and studying multiple subjects before they then kind of specialize much more. So it doesn't immediately lock you into a single subject. It allows you to explore your interests, discover maybe what those interests specifically are before you then commit to studying them at years three and four. And I think with that, it buys students a little bit more time in Scotland to really find their area of interest before they commit to doing that specific discipline.

NOUR
I agree, I think students become more well-rounded because of this kind of style of teaching. Do you find that people start a degree with one subject in mind, and then they kind of change over time?

STEVE
Yeah, that that often happens. And, you know, that's built into our structures here at the University of Aberdeen, where there is that flexibility that allows students to change direction if and when they discover a new interest or an area of strength that they might want to explore at higher level. There's lots of opportunity and flexibility within our degree program structures that mean you can switch subjects, you can combine disciplines, you can refine your areas of specialism. And often I would view changing direction as, as a strength and a success because it shows that students are able to make informed choices that are based not on what they've read in a prospectus, but on the real experience of studying that subject area.

NOUR
Do students sometimes discover subjects they've never studied before because I remember I mean, I'm a politics student, and I discovered anthropology and I had no clue what anthropology was. And but I just threw myself at it because I wanted to find out what it really was. So does that happen often?

STEVE
Yeah. It does, it happens. It happens really quite frequently. Um, and, and I think, you know, that does show an inquisitive nature within the students that we would encourage. And, um, you know, that's a strength that can then be taken onwards through the rest of the degree, but then onwards into professional life beyond the end of the degree as well.

NOUR
And so how does it actually practically work? So how do students keep track of what options are open to them?

STEVE
So our structure is, is one where you pick multiple courses in the early years. So you would have, you know, your first term courses followed by your second term courses. And as you go through the first term, there is the option to change and fine tune what you're intending to do in the second term. But it also means that you can pick and choose from optional subjects, elective subjects that really fit your interests, or fit course descriptions that you read and you really like the sound of as you move through first year into second year, that degree of flexibility and choice continues. And you'll make a more informed choice about the specific area you're going to specialize in by the time you enter year three. Now, in terms of support available for that. You will have a personal tutor who you can discuss your options with, and that personal tutor will be assigned to you for the duration of your studies here. So you really get to know that member of academic staff. But at the same time, we have multiple other support mechanisms in place. You can talk to your course coordinators, you can contact the staff involved in teaching and delivering the courses, or indeed any staff within the school that you're interested in studying in. So there is structure behind the flexibility, but it's about making sure that those options are fully communicated to students and that students are informed about what options they have and when to make the appropriate choices, etc..

NOUR
That sounds so fantastic. Now, one of the differences you see from school to university is that it's a very different teaching style from lectures. As a lecturer yourself, how do you support new students?

STEVE
And so we do lots and lots in terms of induction activities, right from the very first day of term, which starts normally the week before the actual teaching does. We have induction events, and it's all about trying to build a community and recognizing the people that are doing the same subject or similar subjects to yourself. And I think there's a certain strength comes with belonging in that sense of belonging to a community and to an academic structure like a school. And by building that sense of community and belonging, I think that feeds into building students confidence. I would say in terms of the transition from school, we make sure that we are approachable and that we're on hand when and if students need any support, and we give them lots of advice in the first few weeks of that first term around the types of good habits to get into. So it's about, you know, really thinking about independent learning. It's about building confidence. It's about being organised and, and structuring things in a certain way so that you can make the most of your time in lectures, in tutorials, in practical sessions, etc., to get the most out of them. I think the key difference, though, is that there's more independence in terms of the learning style. So you will be given assignments and things in class that you then have to go maybe to the library, and you'll actually have to set aside some time to sit down and work through that. And really, that's a good habit to get into not only for the remainder of your studies, but then for what you go on and do beyond university.

NOUR
I know that people do worry about the step up to university and the work that comes with that. If someone's listening to this and are worried about the work or they've started and are a little lost with it, what do you think they should do?

STEVE
Well, first of all, I think I would say that if you are worried, that's completely normal. But please bear in mind that you're not doing this alone. And what I mean by that is that you're not doing it alone, because there'll be lots of other students who are also worried you'll go into that first class and there'll be lots of students that are worried. So you're not alone in that respect, but you're also not alone because you have those members of staff that will be teaching you, that will be organising your courses and marking your work, supporting you and helping you, and on hand to provide any additional support that you require. At the same time, we have a fantastically supportive campus here ranging all through the different professional services including student support, student learning service, etc. the library staff, even the staff that are serving you food and things at the various cafes. We're all here to support, to listen and to make you feel part of the university family here in Aberdeen. Good habits to get into would involve staying organized, attending sessions. That's really important, but probably the most important piece of advice is that if you are worried or there is something concerning you, ask for help because we are all here to help you and support you in making the most out of your time with us here at the University of Aberdeen.

NOUR
Well, fantastic Steve, that was amazing and it was lovely having you here with me today. Absolute pleasure. Thank you.

Thanks for listening to Find Your True North. That's the end of this episode. Looking at all things around the Scottish degree and what studying is really like here in Aberdeen. There's lots more information on the website if you want to find out more about anything you've heard, and if you're already here and have questions about your degree, reach out to your tutors and lecturers. They're always on hand to help answer any questions. So that's the academic side of university. Next up, the social side, a lot to experience and it's so exciting. If you surround yourself with good people, you're gonna enjoy. Aberdeen has a lot to offer. We'll talk through Aberdeen as a place to live next. Download and listen when you can.