After about five months of not being in classes (they finished in April at UR) I was so ready to start them today. Although my first and only class of the day on Mondays is at 1pm, I set an alarm for 9am, determined to start my day off well and to try to establish a somewhat normal sleep schedule. After getting up, showering, making breakfast, replying to a multitude of emails, picking out the perfect first day of classes outfit, putting on actual makeup (yes, I FINALLY bought makeup and wore it for the first time in I honestly can't remember how long), it was time for class. I walked to my classroom to find the room completely empty and pitch black. I double checked that I had the right classroom and that I had the right time for class. When I realized that I did, I walked to the Language Learning departmental office to ask if my class had been moved or something. Nope. They just decided that language classes would start the week of October 4th, instead of giving off for reading week (our only time off this term). Not. Cool. Not only do I literally have NOTHING productive to do all day, but now I have class during the week I was supposed to have off, but c'est la vie I suppose.
This little incident however is one of many that has demonstrated the differences between the American and British university systems. For one, American university students know much earlier where they will be attending school. Application deadlines are often at the end of December, or maybe the beginning of January, preceding the fall they wish to attend school. In Britain, students do not know where they will be attending school until very close to the date that they arrive. In general, their application process is much different as well. They apply to schools and rank them in order of preference. When they get accepted to university, they are accepted to only one, unlike in America, where students can be accepted to multiple universities and have a choice about where to attend. When British students apply, they must know specifically to which program they wish to apply, whereas many American students can go in as undecided majors. British students actually begin specializing in "college" which is their equivalent of the last couple of years of high school. In fact, the British course of study is much more specialized as well. Whereas at most American universities, especially smaller liberal arts colleges like Richmond, students must take classes in history, English, foreign language, math, science, and other fields, British university students take only classes in their selected major. Every course that they will take from the first day to the last day is predetermined.
Although I cannot speak from personal experience with classes yet, apparently British classes are much more focused on independent learning. There is much less time spent in the classroom. Some students have only four hours of class per week (yes, four hours per week, not per day). Unfortunately, that is not true for science students with labs. :/ Here, students are tested less frequently and are expected to keep up with the work on their own. This concept was particularly daunting to me, but a study abroad officer at QMUL said that Americans who keep up their usual American study habits typically score in the top fifteen percent of the university. I hope that's true!
Exams are much different here as well. Course grades are mostly determined by the final exam. Very few courses include other assessments. For some people this means slacking all semester and then cramming for finals. Hopefully for me it means I can be disciplined enough to keep up with my work throughout the term. Exams are given in the spring, at the end of the academic year, for both fall and spring term classes. This means that because I leave in December, I will have to be assessed alternatively. Wish me luck!
In general, university administration is much different as well. Here, to find out what time a class was given, I had to physically walk to the department, "queue" for quite a while, and then ask the question for about thirty seconds. In Richmond, I would just check online. If there was any other doubt, I could send an email and a professor would reply. Not here. You must actually wait in line during a very brief window of office hours and ask. This makes the entire registration process very difficult. In most American universities, students can take a wide range of classes and often register for them online, usually the semester before they plan to take those classes. Here however, students are assigned courses based on their major. Study abroad students who do not have to follow a typical major can pick from certain classes, but must hope that the times do not clash, because timetables are not available.
To me, the most baffling part of the British education system is "enrollment." I hardly even understand what it is. Didn't I enroll when I accepted my offer to come to the school? Apparently not, which is why I had to stand in a queue for several hours to give them basic info like my name and where I live. Shouldn't the school know that already? Didn't I write that on my application? Hmm.
Now enrollment is not to be confused with registration, which is the process of actually registering for classes. I was asked to select my classes a couple of months ago... then told which ones did and did not have room for me, so that I could make a final selection out of the classes that had room. Hmm. I would have thought that was registration? I don't even think that I am still registered for classes, as none of mine have shown up yet online... which is probably why I didn't know that my Spanish class was cancelled today anyway.
But I digress. I am so looking forward to experiencing my British classes and I am really hoping that when I wake up tomorrow morning to go to Animal Physiology, that I actually have class. Although another day off to shop in London wouldn't be so bad I suppose. :)
xoxo
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