Two Different Eyes See a World of Different Views

A quick drive up there will lead me to my place of study, future filled with lots of driving and even more snow. While I have already touched on the issue of snow, and the cold (it is 7C here while -10C there), there is a certain amount of difference that has yet to actually be touched upon. Albeit important, It still is somewhat untouched in not only my blog but my mind. What is different about the students and the school? What is different about the Academic Culture that Brock University has over the small liberal arts college that Maryville college strives to depict? There are five major categories in which these questions can be asked: Academic, Credits, Grades, Supports, and Full time status. Under each categories hold specific questions in which one can fully delve into questions and answers to understand the full price of living at Brock University.

ACADEMIC DIFFERENCES: How does the academic system in the host country compares to MC? specifically, how are the following things different:

• Workload (# of tests/assignments/outside of class work) Through what many Brock students have stated on these blog forum websites, is that Brock university for the first couple of years (freshman/sophmore) it is easy for one to balance a social life and workload. Workload does get harder the longer that you are there, and the assignments can become more difficult, but it truthfully just depends on the major and the school that you are coming from before.
  http://www.studentawards.com/forum.aspx?g=posts&t=27638 
• classroom culture, There are going to be two different classes that you will have. A Lecture Class, and a seminar. The lecture is the main part of the class, a large room with up to 350 people where the professor teaches what is going on, the material and everything within the class bounds. A Seminar is somewhat like what a language lab is for Maryville college. It is an extra hour once a week where you have more understanding of the material by asking questions in a 25 seat room closer with the professor or with the TA.
• flow of the semester Is pretty quick. We do have a few breaks, but the semester starts early and ends early for Maryville College. Brock has four different terms. Winter (jan-april) Spring (may-july) Summer (July - Aug) and Fall (aug - December).
• expectations of students, and  Class attendance is expected and will result in failing a course if you do not go. Also, continuous breaking of rules (as at maryville) can get one removed from campus or the residential dorms. They are required to meet College and Country rules.
• faculty/student relationships Through reading blogs on the Brock University website, you can become something more than a number. with 17000+ students on campus, it is clearly a lot more than the small Maryville College. Setting up meeting times with teachers in their office hours, speaking about tests, papers, exams, or projects are all specific things that one can push to contain that close knit relationship if that is what someone wants.

CREDITS: 

• How many credits are classes normally worth? Classes are normally worth anywhere from 3-4 credits depending on the class, the level, and what division it is in. Many classes with labs at maryville college will have three hour classes a week (split up) and then will have an hour long lab to make that 4 hour mark. At brock university, the classes that I am enrolled in are all worth 3 credit hours, some which are three times a week, down to one class that is once a week for three hours flat. Seminars count within those hours of class. 
• Are credits/workload valued differently in your host country than here? Classes at Brock University area bit harsher than most United States of American Universities, Maryville College sets a high bar for students to reach and overcome, helping and allowing for a somewhat of an easier integration of student to classroom. 
• Can you find information on how many hours/week each class will meet? Within my Student Web Portal, there is a class schedule where it tells me exactly what times all of my classes at Brock University will meet, and will at some point also have the room numbers that the classes will be in.
• How will your credits transfer? As long as the director of core accepts the classes as actual classes, they will count as the same amount of credits. 12 credits at Brock University will count as 12 credits of class at Maryville College.

http://www.acics.org/students/content.aspx?id=2084

GRADES: 

• Are letter grades in host country equivalent to the U.S.? No. Letter grades at Brock University are different than letter grades at Maryville College.
  A - 100-80
  B - 79-70
  C - 69-60
  D - 59-50
  F- 49>

SUPPORT:

• What kinds of support services, academic resources, and tutoring available are available at your host institution? There is a large amount of tutoring and academic resources for every class available at Brock University. Within your student portal, there is a large page where you can not only request a tutor, but find times that others may be tutoring in similar ways at the Library. I also believe that they have an equivalent to the Writing Center.  

FULL-TIME STATUS:

• How many credits do you have to enroll in to be considered full time at both your home and host institution? To be a full time student, I must be enrolled in 12 credit hours. 
• What is the minimum number of courses you have to take to be full-time there and full-time here? The minimum number of courses you have to take to be full time at Brock University is 8 credit hours, while the minimum credit hours at maryville college is 12 credit hours.