US vs UK University - Academic Life | The Study Abroad Series #2
UK VS USA – ACADEMIC LIFE
A few weeks ago I did a poll on my Instagram Stories asking what people would prefer to read about studying abroad next, and a post comparing the UK and US's university/education system came out top. I could honestly talk about this topic for days and the differences were a real challenge to begin with. I probably couldn't even tell you which I prefer because there are definitely advantages and disadvantages to both.
Teaching/ Learning Style
Like for most people, my first year of university in the UK was very lectures-focused. I only had 8 hours of contact time a week and only 2 of them were seminars. For the most part at home you could just turn up and sit there, make notes if you wanted, and then leave again. Apart from the the one 5 minute presentation we had to prepare for at home, I did not have one piece of homework other than essays all year, and I was definitely not as dedicated to the reading lists as I probably should have been. This year my work ethic has totally changed, and it's definitely the US style of university teaching that has forced it to. To describe it most simply, my US classes are very much like school classes - which is definitely not just a bad thing. The first thing which is different, is that they're actually called classes - and although I initially tried to resist this, I now use this term all the time. My classes this semester average at around 30 students in size, and they are quite discussion based and so I have to keep up with the readings in order to participate and to make sure I understand what is going on. Also, this semester I have pop quizzes in 3/4 of my classes, and so I really have to do the readings even more than last semester so that I don't lose marks. Overall the work is a lot less independent here - but I honestly don't mind this because I appreciate the extra guidance and support and have really improved some of my academic skills because of this. The professors here are also very approachable and have regular office hours that I happily go to quite often - much more than I ever did at home. Some of my professors even read through essays before handing them in which is so amazing and has definitely helped my grades.
Another thing to note is that the semester dates are totally different. Here I have 2 semesters; August - December, January - May; at home it would be 2x 10 week semesters and then about 8 weeks for the third. I'm not so keen on the length of the semesters - but they did have breaks so not all that bad - but I really like the idea that the classes are totally separate and so last semester I did 4 classes and 50% of my overall year grade, which takes off a lot of pressure for this semester. It was also really nice to have completely new and different classes this semester - although they have been so much harder which makes me miss my classes from last semester!!!
Another thing to note is that the semester dates are totally different. Here I have 2 semesters; August - December, January - May; at home it would be 2x 10 week semesters and then about 8 weeks for the third. I'm not so keen on the length of the semesters - but they did have breaks so not all that bad - but I really like the idea that the classes are totally separate and so last semester I did 4 classes and 50% of my overall year grade, which takes off a lot of pressure for this semester. It was also really nice to have completely new and different classes this semester - although they have been so much harder which makes me miss my classes from last semester!!!
Assessment
The most obvious difference between university in the US and at home is the way in which you're assessed. Last year was basically 60% on final exams and 40% essays for me, whereas here I'm often marked on attendance, participation, quizzes and presentation too. As an example, here's a breakdown of my classes this semester:
Class 1: 20% paper 1, 20% paper 2, 30% final exam, 30% quizzes
Class 2: 20% exam 1, 20% exam 2, 25% exam 3, 10% paper 1, 10% paper 2, 15% pop quizzes
Class 3: 20% exam 1, 20% final exam, 25% research paper, 15% participation, 10% attendance, 10% presentation
Class 4: 30% homework assignments, 30% in class assignments, 30% final exam, 10% participation (for this class I have 1-2 2 page homework assignments every week)
(and you kind of have to divide all the above in half because thats only half of my year)
As you can see they are all quite different, which is because Professors here have a lot of (maybe all?) freedom to decide how they want to do their classes, whereas I'm not sure if it's like this at home- I think maybe each department sets assessment structure/criteria. There's definitely things I like and things I don't like about the American way of assessment - it's so much less stress not having mostly your entire grade dependent on one final exam, but it does mean you have to work a heck of a lot harder throughout the entire semester.
In some respect, having 30% of your grade based on quizzes is good when you're doing really well in them, but I personally don't think a quiz grade really reflects how you're doing in that class. At the start of the semester I was doing so so badly on the quizzes for one of my classes which felt awful - and when 30% of your grade is based on quiz performance, it's very stressful and I literally dreaded every class - I've got better at them now but I still stress about that one class all the time.
They also absolutely love multiple choice here too which I HATE!!! I always overthink the question and answer and theres always a trick answer too - again I don't see how a multiple choice quiz reflects your intelligence at all - but hey ho, they're great when you do really well in them haha!!!
I'm also not that keen on being graded on participation; at school I was always the one with their hand up and speaking, but not so much at university. I hate being wrong so refrain from speaking and in the beginning I honestly hated speaking because everyone would stare because of my accent! I've definitely got more confident in my classes as the semester has progressed, which makes sense, but I still don't participate anywhere near the amount of other American students.
The essay style here is really quite different too. At home we would basically be given a question to answer, but I've only had that for one of my papers here so far. Here they often give you a brief and you have the freedom to choose whatever you want to write about, as long as it fits that brief. They're also much longer than mine were last year at home - last semester I did a 17 page paper (they mostly measure by pages not word count) which is way more than I ever did at home.
And remember, as I've already mentioned I've already completed 50% of my overall second year grade - and thankfully did really well - which helps ease the pressure slightly and gives me confidence for this semester. This part of the american system I absolutely love because I am a stresser, so anything that can help me stress even a tiny bit less helps.
Work Load
As I've already briefly mentioned, the work load here is insane. Of course I haven't experienced second year in the UK, and so it may well just be the first to second year step up, but I do find myself working until 1-2am every night and all weekend which makes me think its a little more than what I would get at home; of course at home I wouldn't get homework or quizzes to prepare for, and so I obviously wouldn't have that extra work. Also because this is all quite an adventure to me and I want to do as much travelling as I can, I have to fit all my work in around it. I haven't quite managed to improve my time-management skills quite as much as I should have, but I've got better at working harder and getting more done in shorter periods of time. Like any other student I spend far too much time procrastinating or watching Netflix, and so could be getting way more done than I am. Also I get along with my flatmates really well and so I spend so much time talking and having fun with them in the evenings and then it dawns on me how much work I actually have to do!
The semesters here are also sooo long - 18 weeks - and it's so hard to keep yourself motivated for that amount of time. We've obviously had some short breaks but I've been busy for them; not like at home where I would go home and chill out, work some shifts and not have many plans. Take this week for example; I'm on spring break and away from university for 9 days but I have an essay due the Wednesday I get back, and so I have to *somehow* find the balance and get it all done - I personally think its evil setting an essay over one week off in an 18 week semester but it still doesn't change the fact I need to get it done... I'm not stressed at all....
In some respect, having 30% of your grade based on quizzes is good when you're doing really well in them, but I personally don't think a quiz grade really reflects how you're doing in that class. At the start of the semester I was doing so so badly on the quizzes for one of my classes which felt awful - and when 30% of your grade is based on quiz performance, it's very stressful and I literally dreaded every class - I've got better at them now but I still stress about that one class all the time.
They also absolutely love multiple choice here too which I HATE!!! I always overthink the question and answer and theres always a trick answer too - again I don't see how a multiple choice quiz reflects your intelligence at all - but hey ho, they're great when you do really well in them haha!!!
I'm also not that keen on being graded on participation; at school I was always the one with their hand up and speaking, but not so much at university. I hate being wrong so refrain from speaking and in the beginning I honestly hated speaking because everyone would stare because of my accent! I've definitely got more confident in my classes as the semester has progressed, which makes sense, but I still don't participate anywhere near the amount of other American students.
The essay style here is really quite different too. At home we would basically be given a question to answer, but I've only had that for one of my papers here so far. Here they often give you a brief and you have the freedom to choose whatever you want to write about, as long as it fits that brief. They're also much longer than mine were last year at home - last semester I did a 17 page paper (they mostly measure by pages not word count) which is way more than I ever did at home.
And remember, as I've already mentioned I've already completed 50% of my overall second year grade - and thankfully did really well - which helps ease the pressure slightly and gives me confidence for this semester. This part of the american system I absolutely love because I am a stresser, so anything that can help me stress even a tiny bit less helps.
Work Load
As I've already briefly mentioned, the work load here is insane. Of course I haven't experienced second year in the UK, and so it may well just be the first to second year step up, but I do find myself working until 1-2am every night and all weekend which makes me think its a little more than what I would get at home; of course at home I wouldn't get homework or quizzes to prepare for, and so I obviously wouldn't have that extra work. Also because this is all quite an adventure to me and I want to do as much travelling as I can, I have to fit all my work in around it. I haven't quite managed to improve my time-management skills quite as much as I should have, but I've got better at working harder and getting more done in shorter periods of time. Like any other student I spend far too much time procrastinating or watching Netflix, and so could be getting way more done than I am. Also I get along with my flatmates really well and so I spend so much time talking and having fun with them in the evenings and then it dawns on me how much work I actually have to do!
The semesters here are also sooo long - 18 weeks - and it's so hard to keep yourself motivated for that amount of time. We've obviously had some short breaks but I've been busy for them; not like at home where I would go home and chill out, work some shifts and not have many plans. Take this week for example; I'm on spring break and away from university for 9 days but I have an essay due the Wednesday I get back, and so I have to *somehow* find the balance and get it all done - I personally think its evil setting an essay over one week off in an 18 week semester but it still doesn't change the fact I need to get it done... I'm not stressed at all....
I hope that has given you a bit of an insight to what university is like in the US! To begin with it really was a challenge to adjust because it really was so different - but there's definitely advantages and disadvantages to both systems! If I could have my way I would blend them both together - continuous assessment but no multiple choices, and I love how the classes completely end and are finished after each semester! On the poll I mentioned a post about tips to begin studying abroad, so I'll try to get that written and up sometime soon so it goes up in time to help people studying abroad next year!
Please #prayforelsie - and hope I get my essay done in time. It looks like its going to involve a few all nighters...
Elsie xo
Last Weeks Post: Boston and New York - 1 year on
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