The British educational system is rather confusing, but in broad terms it's a 6-7-3 system (six years of primary school, seven years of intermediate school, and three years of university), whereas the ROC's is 6-6-4. Especially remarkable is that while intermediate education continues to the age of eighteen, compulsory education ends at sixteen. The age of sixteen is thus a watershed--those with the ambition to pursue a higher education may go on to take university access courses, while the rest either end their schooling or go to vocational school.

"There are all kinds of access courses, and they're very specialized," says Albert Lee, executive director of the Education Foundation of Europe, who himself has studied in England. "The specialized knowledge you gain there in a year is com parable to that of a college graduate on Taiwan."

Due to the elitist approach of British universities, the question of a student "being academic material" is decided early in intermediate school, and a university education is aimed at strengthening independent thinking. Anyone who goes to a British university under the illusion that "if they only study three years, how good can they be?" is in for a rude awakening.

"Whether it's language skills, logical thinking, study attitudes, or specialized knowledge--arm yourself thoroughly before you go!" is the advice of one Chinese student who graduated from Leeds University.

In fact, in Britain "choosing a department is more important than choosing a school," Li says.

There are all kinds of colleges and institutes in Britain, some of them equivalent to cram schools on Taiwan, and if you don't know the system you may be misled. But as long as you see the word university you can relax. All 46 of the country's universities have been granted the "royal seal," and except for Birmingham University, a two-year school, all are publicly operated, all have the same tuition, and all are equal in level, although each has its special characteristics.

Selecting the right department is important because switching is difficult. The British don't use the credit system, so there is no way to transfer credits. If you study for two or three years and feel you picked the wrong field, the only thing you can do is reapply and start all over.

Universities in Europe are generally free, but not in Britain, where the policy is to charge foreign students more (two to five times more than British students, depending on the curriculum). A year's study costs about ￡10,000 (half and half for tuition and living expenses), which works out to around NT$500,000, or US$18,000--not exactly cheap!

"You can't work and you can't get a scholarship, so you'd better be sure you save up enough before you go!" advises Ch'en Tzu-ch'uang, a student at London University. He adds another word of caution: Students who go to the U.S. can save up for a year and count on "something turning up" later, but if you go to Britain with that idea, you'll wind up a dropout on the plane back.

"Since university students belong to the elite, they aren't encouraged to waste time by working," points out Yang Ying, an expert in British higher education. Even though there are three months of summer vacation and two or three weeks of vacation in each of the year's three academic terms, students use the time for studying or for travel to broaden their horizons and not for working.

That scholarships are scarce is understandable. Although Britain's economy has picked up in recent years, the country still can't compare with "upstart tycoons" like the U.S. and Japan. The Thatcher government has repeatedly cut educational expenditures, and its recent move to turn student "grants" into "loans" drew howls of protest. In this situation, the chance of foreign students (especially non-Europeans) getting a piece of the pie is slim indeed.

Students accustomed to dreaming of blue skies and sunbathed beaches in the U.S. find a completely different experience awaiting them in Great Britain. Except for the burgeoning high-rises in London's West End, the rest of the city can best be characterized as "first-class historical relics"--ideally suited for nostalgic musing on the past but rather less charming when viewed under gloomy skies during a winter work stoppage (when strikes are more effective) or a breakdown in tired old equipment.

"The U.S. is a melting pot, where you bump into foreigners wherever you go. Racial differences are perhaps unavoidable, but discrimination and xenophobia are really not worth mentioning," says Yang Ying, comparing the two countries. "But the English are conservative, they still have a rather strong sense of imperialism and class, and the whole social atmosphere is not very friendly toward foreigners."

With chronic unemployment and not enough work to go around, immigration restrictions are severe and few overseas students have the chance to find a job in Britain after graduation and live there. On the other hand, "salaries in England aren't particularly high, prices are steep, taxes are heavy (25 to 30 percent), and the creature comforts don't compare with Taiwan's--so why stay there?" Yang Ying concludes.

[Picture Caption]

This young man passed the high school examsand the oral exam last year, squeezing through Oxford's narrow door.

Besides accompanying one's husband and teaching the children, one must adapt to the lack of material things and to monotonous days. The wife of an overseas student is not an easy role to play.

Long seeped in a wonderful cultural environment, even the primary and high school students in the town of Oxford have a civilized look.

Oxford's Ashmoleas Museum carries a great reputation. It is the best lecture hall for students of the arts departments.

Popular religion on Taiwan is rich in color. Shown is a Taoist priest performing a ceremony in Yu-ti Temple, Tainan.

Mrs. van der Loon comes from an old Dutch family. She is fluent in Japanese and a good helper for her husband in his work as well as at home. The couple were photographed in front of their home.