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5. University Classes

B) Grades in Class

Talking about grades is all dependent on if you open up about these things or not. I know some people are very secretive about their grades, and others like me freely talk about grades. So make sure you are close friends with the person you are talking to about grades.

Grades are different depending on school. Some schools give letter grades that translates into number grade. Other schools strictly give number grades only. The difference is in letter grades, you cannot get a 3.5. You either get a B+, which is a 3.3, or an A- which is a 3.7. However, in number grades, the instructor can give a 3.4, 3.5, or 3.6.

"What did you get in English?" If you are talking about the subject, you do not need to say grade. But if not, you can ask, "What grade did you get in English?"
"I can't believe I got a 3.1 in biology. What did you get?"
"How was your GPA this semester?" GPA stands for Grade Point Average.
"How were your grades this quarter?"
"Did you do well this semester?"
"Did you screw up your grades this semester?"
"What was the lowest grade you ever got?"
"What is your overall GPA?"
"How are your grades?"
"What's your accum?" This is short for accumulated. This is asking what your overall GPA is.

I'll give examples for both specific and general answers.

"In English, I got a B+."
"I got a 2.9 in English."
"I did similar to you."
"I got a 3.4 this semester."
"If I didn't get the C+ in Biology, my GPA would have been awesome this semester."
"My grades were ok."
"I did average this quarter."
"My accum is 3.6 right now. I really want to get over 3.75."
"My overall GPA is 2.94. I need to get a 3.4 next semester to bring my GPA above 3.0."
"My GPA sucks."
"I did pretty good this semester." Although grammatically this is incorrect, spoken English allows such errors. If you want to be grammatically perfect, you will need to say, "I did pretty well this semester."

5. University Classes

In this lesson, we are going to learn about the terminologies you need to know when you talk about classes with your peers.

There are several sections I will break this up into:
A) Registering for classes
B) Grades in class
C) Professors and different curriculum
D) Dropping out/Withdrawal

A) Registering for Classes

Questions

"Did you register yet?"
"When do you register for classes?"
"When does registration start for next semester?"
"How do you register for classes?"
"Where is the registration office?"

"What classes are you registering for?"
"What classes are you going to take?"
"What classes do you want to take?"

Ways to answer these questions

"I haven't registered yet."
"I register next Tuesday."
"Registration starts 4 weeks before the next semester."
"You register on-line. Go to the website, and click on register."
"The registration office is in Schmidt Hall. That's right across the street from the statue."

"I'm not worried about getting into psychology 101, but I think the physics class will be full by the time I register."
"If all things go well, I plan on registering for English composition, chemistry, and calculus."
"I really want to take computer programming, but I'll have to see if it is full or not."

Regular comments about registering

"I hate registering for classes. All the classes I want to take are always full."
"Being a sophomore sucks because we register last."
"Seniors have the first pick so registering is easy for them."
"If I get all the classes I want to take, I'll be so happy."
"Registration was great this time. I got all the classes I wanted."
"Registering for classes is such a big headache."

4. University Life - Interactive Practice

1
A: "Hi. My name is Mark."
B: "Mark? I'm Bill. Glad to meet you."
A: "Yeah. So where are you from?"
B: "I'm from Houston Texas."
A: "Oh... I'm from Southern California."
B: "There must be a lot of cute girls over there huh?"
A: "Hell yeah. But most of them are hoochies."
B: "That sucks. So, what year are you?"
A: "I'm a freshman."
B: "This is my first year too."
A: "So what made you decide to come to California for school? I hear Austin is a good school."
B: "It's aright, but I think Berkeley is better."
A: "So is this where you wanted to come?"
B: "To tell you the truth, I wanted to go to Stanford. I made it on the waiting list, but ninety nine percent of the people accepted to Stanford go there. Like, who wouldn't right?"
A: "Very true. But this is still a good school."
B: "I'm not complaining. I just know that I wanted to come to California. Texas is cool and all, but I wanted to experience different things."
A: "That's good. Do you know what you plan on majoring in?"
B: "I was thinking about political science, but now I'm leaning towards English literature. How about you?"
A: "I plan on majoring in double E."
B: "Do you know where the Smith building is? I have to pick up the syllabus for my psychology class. I missed the first day."
A: "That's a great start. It's over there by the library."
B: "It was nice meeting you."
A: "Yeah. We should hang out later."
B: "Cool. I'll see you tomorrow in class then."
A: "Aright. Later."


2
A: "Hi. What's your name?"
B: "My name is Jung Min. What's your name?"
A: "My name is Jessica. It's nice to meet you."
B: "Yes. It's nice to meet you too. Are you a new student too?"
A: "No. I'm a sophomore. I take it you are a new student?"
B: "Yeah. It's pretty exciting to be here."
A: "Have fun while it lasts. The excitement wears off real quick. Especially after you see how much homework you get. Where are you from?"
B: "I'm from Korea. My parents wanted me to go to an American university, so I came here."
A: "I have never been to Korea. I've been to Japan before, but never Korea."
B: "Why were you in Japan?"
A: "My father thought it would be a good experience to take a vacation to a different country. He's so into learning about different cultures."
B: "That's pretty cool."
A: "I thought it would have been more fun if I went without my parents."
B: "Well, if you ever want to visit Korea, I would be happy to show you around."
A: "Thanks for the offer. I'll keep that in mind. Oh, the professor is coming. We'll talk more after class."
B: "Ok."

3. University Life - More Q and As

"What is an easy class to take?"
"Fishing 101 is an easy 4.0"
"I thought psychology 101 was an easy class."
"Communication is pretty easy if you're not afraid to make speeches."

"Where is the best place to hang out?"
"The best place to hang out is on the Ave."
"Currently, the bar on 4th and James is the best hangout. Everyone goes there on the weekends."

"Are you in the dormitory?"
"Yeah. I'm over at Terry Hall."
"Yes. At Buchanan Towers."
"No. I'm commuting from home."
"I have an apartment right next to school."

"Where do you live?"
"You know the McDonalds on the south side? Just 2 blocks from there."
"I live next to the west entrance. There are some apartments behind the dormitories."
"I live in the dormitory."
"I live in Seattle."

"Why did you decide to come to this school?"
"It was the most convenient."
"It was either this school or the University next to my home. I wanted to get away from home, so I came here."
"I researched a bit, and found that this school offers exactly what I am looking for."
"This is the best school that I could afford."

"Do you know where the music building is?"
"The music building is 2 buildings away from the library."
"Over by the fountain. It's the building with the round looking doors."
"I'm not sure. There are maps in the Student Union Building though."
"I think it's over in that direction, but not exactly sure."

"Where is the student union building?"
"Ah, that's what I'm looking for too."
"I was told it was right next to the east parking lot."
"It's the brick building behind the large oak tree."

Remember that when you are talking to somebody, an answer to a question is another potential topic to talk about. I'll show you an example of a conversation. Please take note that I ask questions about the answer. Look for it in the practice session.

2. University Life - Questions and Answers

"What high school did you attend?"

Before we answer this question, keep in mind that a foreigner will not be asked this question. Usually they will not ask a foreigner because they think that they will not know the high school you mention. But it is still good to know how to say such things.

"I went to Lynnwood High."
"Lynnwood High"
"I went to a high school in San Francisco."
"A high school in Olympia."

"What are you going to major in?"
"I haven't decided, but I'm leaning towards biology."
"I'm thinking about majoring in psychology."

Universities in the States are a little different than others. You don't choose your major until you are in your 3rd year. Basically, you apply to get into a major your junior year and if accepted, you have a major. If you get turned down, you have to find a different major, or spend another semester or year trying to get in. That's why you see so many people not graduate after 4 years. The problem is that they do not know what to major in.

"How many credits are you taking?"
"I'm taking eighteen credits this quarter."
"I'm only taking 10 credits this semester."
"I'm taking 20 credits this semester."

"What classes are you taking?"
"I'm taking chemistry 135, math 231, and English 101."
"This quarter I'm taking Intro to Sociology, Basics of Music Composition, and Spanish 101."

"What year are you?"
"I'm a junior."
"I'm a freshman."
"I'm a fourth year junior."
"I'm a fifth year senior."

If you wonder how you can be a fourth year junior or a fifth year senior, you must understand that the number of credits you have completed represents what level you are. So a fourth year junior is someone who has been in school for four years, but has the same credits as a junior.