Most overseas programs have educational systems that
are quite different from the system in the States. This could mean:
-
Your classes are very large. For example, some
classes at German universities may have 1,000 students in them. Since
typically no one keeps attendance, students come and go as they please,
and the professor will probably not know your name.
-
You have very little guidance in your classes.
Unlike the U.S. system where students are given regular homework
assignments, you may be given a reading list at the beginning of the
semester, and that is it. It is up to you to make sure that you read all
the material.
-
Instead of numerous quizzes and tests, you are given
one comprehensive exam at the end of the term or year.
-
There are no regularly scheduled office hours. At
some universities, there is a shortage of rooms. Professors are not given
offices and when they finish teaching, they go home.
-
Communication between professor and student may be
quite different. For example, in France professors can be very frank with
their students. When a student entered a class thinking her spoken French
was excellent, the professor turned to her and said, “Your French
stinks!”
-
Some classes may have strict attendance policies that
penalize a student’s grade for each unexcused absence.
So, what’s a person to do?
Read!
Don’t ignore those reading assignments until a
week
before the exams!
Don’t skip class! As a U.S. student in a foreign educational
system, you are at a disadvantage over your fellow peers. They have had a
lifetime of learning the ins and outs of the system; you haven’t.
Do not return to the U.S. unless you have taken all the
required exams. If you don’t take your exams, you will fail your
courses!
If you have trouble in class, make it your mission in
life to get help from your fellow peers. Not only will you stay on top of
your subjects, you’ll have the chance to get to know other students.
If you
are having serious trouble with a class, don’t let it slide. Seek the
assistance of your on-site coordinator or staff at the institution’s
International Office. If these individuals are unable to help you, contact
the Study Abroad Office by email:
abroad@uidaho.edu.
Academic problems are always more
difficult to resolve
after
the fact than when they are actually occurring!
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