Hello!
So this Sunday I went to...
QUAD DAY.
It's basically a mahoosive freshers fair with all the societies booth's trying to recruit you for things. Of course in my usual intrigued fashion I signed up for only about... a billion things! I'm now paying the price trying to decide which ones to actually do! I signed up for practically everything from clay-pigeon shooting (I hear your screams, but I've actually done it before and not killed anybody believe it or not!) to a life drawing class with everything in between! I feel like I should do one recreational one, one academic'ish one and a volunteering one; but there are just so many options for each of those categories.
*Note America probably isn't an easy place for indecisive people!
Anyway, I'm nearly at the end of my first week of 'school' it's strange to say that, I keep saying uni and people don't get what I mean!
It's gone well. It's gone really well actually.
It feels weird at times thinking I have actually started back at university and it's August?!
Of course as usual what comes with a new term includes hand aches from forgetting how to write and squinting from trying to concentrate when tired; but amongst all those usual habits of mine, lectures (if I can even call them that!) have gone wonderfully well.
I'm taking four courses here, (courses means modules!) two language ones and two literature ones, they're all very interesting and different, I like the diversity!
So far technically I have only been to lectures, the reason I'm tentative to call them that, is that they are actually quite small! Nothing in comparison to my Biology lectures last year at Liverpool with over 300 people in one room! For once, America is actually smaller than England in something! Go team GB.
One of my language classes is actually in what feels like a classroom with those American style chairs with the fold down desk things. My first day I didn't realise the desk bit folded up and down, so I proceeded to try and squeeze into it through the gap. I've now lost count the amount of times I've embarrassed myself, but hey! It's quite an interesting dynamic in that 'lecture' because you can move the chairs round and people tend to ask the lecturer more questions, in fact, in general there is definitely more active participation rather than just listening to a lecture like at home. You actually get marked on your participation! It is challenging, but once you get over people turning around to see who the Brit is, it's okay!
The other courses do have more of a lecture'y feel to them though, one great positive is that the chairs are like Odeon cinema chairs, so comfy and with another side table thing! (No popcorn though!)
Already I've had a load of readings and a 'response paper' to do.
The American system is a lot different.
It's more frequent with assessments in lots of different forms eventually I will have completed: response papers, projects, take-home exams, mid-terms, discussions and so on! There are so many different styles, once you've got to grips with what each means and what's expected of you from each, it really works well; it gives you a range of different approaches so it's not heavily weighted on one exam or one style. It'll definitely take some getting used to and a lot of diary planning will be needed, but I'm hoping these regular 'homeworks' as they call it, will get me into a good routine for when I come home! (Hoping being the operative word there!)
I figured out the library today, the undergraduate library is UNDERGROUND (although there are windows still?!) and there is a tunnel connecting the main library with the undergraduate one, can this university get any cooler I hear you say, I don't know, quite possibly! Sometimes I feel like I'm at Hogwarts and I love it.
That's all for now about education'y things. I've got to submit my paper. (#soamerican)
Cheryl
P.s New lesson learnt today, coupons are a big deal here, you can get some amazing deals!
So this Sunday I went to...
QUAD DAY.
It's basically a mahoosive freshers fair with all the societies booth's trying to recruit you for things. Of course in my usual intrigued fashion I signed up for only about... a billion things! I'm now paying the price trying to decide which ones to actually do! I signed up for practically everything from clay-pigeon shooting (I hear your screams, but I've actually done it before and not killed anybody believe it or not!) to a life drawing class with everything in between! I feel like I should do one recreational one, one academic'ish one and a volunteering one; but there are just so many options for each of those categories.
*Note America probably isn't an easy place for indecisive people!
Anyway, I'm nearly at the end of my first week of 'school' it's strange to say that, I keep saying uni and people don't get what I mean!
It's gone well. It's gone really well actually.
It feels weird at times thinking I have actually started back at university and it's August?!
Of course as usual what comes with a new term includes hand aches from forgetting how to write and squinting from trying to concentrate when tired; but amongst all those usual habits of mine, lectures (if I can even call them that!) have gone wonderfully well.
I'm taking four courses here, (courses means modules!) two language ones and two literature ones, they're all very interesting and different, I like the diversity!
So far technically I have only been to lectures, the reason I'm tentative to call them that, is that they are actually quite small! Nothing in comparison to my Biology lectures last year at Liverpool with over 300 people in one room! For once, America is actually smaller than England in something! Go team GB.
One of my language classes is actually in what feels like a classroom with those American style chairs with the fold down desk things. My first day I didn't realise the desk bit folded up and down, so I proceeded to try and squeeze into it through the gap. I've now lost count the amount of times I've embarrassed myself, but hey! It's quite an interesting dynamic in that 'lecture' because you can move the chairs round and people tend to ask the lecturer more questions, in fact, in general there is definitely more active participation rather than just listening to a lecture like at home. You actually get marked on your participation! It is challenging, but once you get over people turning around to see who the Brit is, it's okay!
The other courses do have more of a lecture'y feel to them though, one great positive is that the chairs are like Odeon cinema chairs, so comfy and with another side table thing! (No popcorn though!)
Already I've had a load of readings and a 'response paper' to do.
The American system is a lot different.
It's more frequent with assessments in lots of different forms eventually I will have completed: response papers, projects, take-home exams, mid-terms, discussions and so on! There are so many different styles, once you've got to grips with what each means and what's expected of you from each, it really works well; it gives you a range of different approaches so it's not heavily weighted on one exam or one style. It'll definitely take some getting used to and a lot of diary planning will be needed, but I'm hoping these regular 'homeworks' as they call it, will get me into a good routine for when I come home! (Hoping being the operative word there!)
I figured out the library today, the undergraduate library is UNDERGROUND (although there are windows still?!) and there is a tunnel connecting the main library with the undergraduate one, can this university get any cooler I hear you say, I don't know, quite possibly! Sometimes I feel like I'm at Hogwarts and I love it.
That's all for now about education'y things. I've got to submit my paper. (#soamerican)
Cheryl
P.s New lesson learnt today, coupons are a big deal here, you can get some amazing deals!
Coupons are a BIG deal :-) L
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