Compared with other UK institutions, Bristol is largely residential. The philosophy and approach to education in British universities is very different from the U.S. system. British students specialize in a specific subject or two rather than study a wide range of subjects as in the U.S. university system. In the British system, a greater emphasis is placed on independent study. Very often there is not a detailed schedule and syllabus, as one would expect in the U.S. system, but rather a reading list from which it becomes the student's responsibility to choose what to read.
Coursework consists of approx.
Generally 30-50 students are in lectures which meet several times a week. The tutorial is the traditional strength of the British university system. Participation in the tutorial is very important. UR exchange students have access to all of the University's facilities including the library and computing service, as well as the many student union organizations. As in this case of work completed at UR, students are advised to keep either hard copies or a disk copy of all of their work for future reference and for the rare instance when their work is misplaced.