Lecturers
Posted on March 5th, 2008 by StephenJust a small note while I’m working on a larger post, which will be about some of my observations of the unique qualities of British life.
Lectures are usually quite helpful when needed, but might need a reminder for any action to take place. Back home I’d hadn’t needed to consult my lecturers much, but study abroad can bring issues like timetable clashes and subjects that assume knowledge that you may not have covered.
One lecturer understood the difficulty in taking a mainstream subject as an elective without it’s predecessors and kindly provided a bunch extra material for catching up on the class. Another was aware of timetable clashes for the exchange students in the class, and when requested ensured that any materials where made available.
Lecturers are generally approachable, and happy to answer any questions after class or in their office time. Sometimes lecturers can seem surprised to have exchange students present in their classes, but making yourself known to them is important. They will be more open to any requests you may have when they understand the situation.
March 6th, 2008 at 4:45 am
That is interesting - so do you think you need to work harder as an international students to “fill the gaps” as it were? Also, are there many differences between your lectures back home and in the UK?
Fred
March 6th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Good question Fred. It’s probably harder in two ways.
Firstly, the study abroad program I am on only transfers credit based on pass/fail. This basically means that there is no difference between receiving 40% and 90% for me. It sounds cool, but it is quite hard to stay focused and motivated on study when the main reason for studying, good grades, is removed.
Secondly, there are gaps in the content that need filling. Just how much work you put into understanding the content is up to you, but it could involve quite a bit more to be on the same level as the other students. That being said, only work from the semester should be assessed. Careful selection of subject would ensure no major problem in the work involved.
No major differences in the lectures. My subjects are quite varied about notes, some provide juicy handouts while others are quite barren. Maths on the other hand, has a lot of rushed note taking - I’m used to bound books back home with all the theory in, with space for examples that are covered in class. Lecture theaters are made for giants, with huge gaps between the seat and desk. Lectures start at 5mins past the hour, finish at 5mins to. Though some schools decide to change this, so should you take classes from multiple schools this could pose a problem. Haha, I miss the logic of uni-wide 50mins classes starting on the hour.
Hope this helps, any more questions (from anyone!) just ask