Three weeks from today, I will be home sleeping in my own bed with a comforter and no more flannel sheet to keep me warm. It sounds amazing! I have spent the past week just revising all the time. I figured now might be a good time to write a blog about the UK school system vs. US school system. I'm talking about University, I don't know much about primary school and secondary schools for the UK. I wrote one on this before, but it definitely got deleted because of my own stupidity.
In the US system (based off of New Paltz), classes begin in late August/early September. All the classes are one semester long, meet 1-3 days of week depending on the amount of time the class is and the credit. Classes are usually an hour 50 minutes or something like 2 hours and 40 minutes. You are expected to participate in class, depending on the class, if you don't in may affect your grade but usually doesn't. In the fall, we have random days off and in the spring have a week long spring break. We finish classes, have like a 3 day break before finals begin which last a week. Something like that. And there are 4 years before you go off to grad school, if you do.
Now the UK system (based off of Cardiff), I am pretty sure the fall is the same but this is how my semester went. We had 11 weeks of classes and depending on your major, half way through you had "reading week" where you didn't have to go to class are expected to do work. Depending on your major, classes, or lectures meet once a week for 50 minutes and every other week (4 sessions total) you have a seminar. From my experience, you aren't expected to talk in the lecture. Many people don't even ask questions. The seminar you are expected to talk. Usually you have work due for the seminar. In math, you meet twice a week for 50 minutes and every other week for a third class where coursework is due. In total there is like 4 things of coursework due. You have 2 weeks for Easter break, 1 revision week, (so basically 3 weeks of spring break). The finals are spread out across a month long time frame.
Maybe it's because I don't really like change and I stick to the things I am used to, but I prefer the US system better. It could be the fact that I'm in a different country, but I have more difficulty focusing on my work while I am here. I also would rather spend more time in class where I can ask my professor questions if I don't understand and we can work on a topic for a little more time. And EXAMPLES, actually working through examples in class. I'm also so sick of studying. It doesn't help that everyone from home is starting their summer and I haven't even had my first exam.
Anyways, on the bright side?, my first exam is a week from tomorrow. I then have 5 days before my next one. So, I should get back to studying. Especially since I woke up around 12:30pm and haven't done any.
It's not really "random" days off in the Spring so much as it is holidays, mostly ones celebrated by the Jewish faith.
ReplyDeleteClasses are also generally an hour and 15 minutes at New Paltz :P
True to both. I don't know why I thought they were an hour and 50 minutes.
ReplyDelete