An American Abroad

Using all the tools that I have been given, I haven’t “discovered” anything new about myself - I have rather just solidified what i have already known. I am very open to everything and have a very inviting personality to all things new. I love trying new foods, making new friends with people from a different background than myself, and talking to others about my experiences as well. I am fairly flexible, although i need to be in the right mindset to enjoy very “go with the flow” situations. I like to have a general idea of what to expect from the future.

Although i may get nervous in some unplanned scenarios, I am very independent and can care for myself. I think that this will help me while in Morocco because of the fact that if i want to do something while there, I am most likely going to do it since i am very motivated to accomplish my goals.

I think my biggest challenge will be the distance between my friends and family here in the US. I only say this because i think that i adjust well into different cultures than my own. even though i’ve not been completely submerged in a different culture, i have been in situations where i’ve got to change my way of thinking to match those around me. I love doing this because it helps me see the world in a different light -- it keeps life very fresh. In order to not get too homesick, I hope to keep myself constantly busy while in Morocco. If i am busy, I won’t notice that i miss home, or at least that is the view i have on the matter. I will certainly have to take note of if this will be the case or not!

I have thought of many different ways that i can learn more about Moroccan culture while anticipating my travel. I have looked into many different extracurricular activities that i can do while there. I hope that while i do some of these, I will get more of an insight to the culture of  Morocco each time.

As far as what i have to bring to the table, I hope that i can truly represent my country for those who have or haven’t met an American before. I really hope that the stereotypes of Americans are not too harsh for me to handle. I know that i will be able to educate those around me with what living in my particular city is like regarding most topics, including economics, business, culture, society, food, slang, and way of life in general.

As the semester progresses and I think about these topics more, I will be sure to comment on them more thoroughly. As of now, I do not want to plunge myself into any preconceived notions that will harm how i adjust to Morocco. I like to go into new situations with an open mind and I fear that if i start daydreaming about Morocco, I will constantly be thinking of the wrong stuff and will either be overwhelmed or disappointed when i arrive.

Goals for Study Abroad

This is the first of what is going to be many blogs about me and my adventures while study abroad! I am so excited to study in Morocco. It is crazy to think that I will be so far away for so long.I can only imagine what it is going to be like. I’ve asked some of the international students here if living in the US was what they expected and imagined it to be like. They’ve all said that it was just like they imagined, but they also said that the US was ‘put on display’ a lot in their countries through television and advertisements, so they know what to expect. For me, I don’t see a lot of Moroccan culture or lifestyles other than what I’ve researched or what Ali has told me, so this has made me very curious about what to expect for my upcoming journeys.

I am very nervous about traveling so far for so long without an easy way of getting home in case something bad were to happen. I have two younger brothers, Dylan and Rookie. Rookie is actually in South Korea right now serving in the US Air Force. When he was in boot camp last fall, our youngest brother, Harry, drowned. Rookie was very far away when this happened and having him come home was a very big deal that was hard to figure out. I am so afraid that something like this will happen to another one of my family members while I am in Morocco. I have always been very attached to my family. I love them so much. It’ll be hard to adjust to a world where i don’t see my parents at least once a week. When I moved to college, the transition from not getting to hug them goodnight every night was hard, so i can only imagine how hard being on the other side of the world for a year will be. Even though it is scary and tough, I know that it’ll make me a better and stronger and more independent person. This experience will help me grow up in my own way.

While I am in Morocco, I don't have any personal goals set for me yet other than to enjoy myself and to do well in my classes. I’m excited to visit all of the cities Ali has told me about. I would love to visit Rabat, Chefchaouen, and Marrakech during my stay at AUI. I’m particularly excited about visiting Chefchaouen because I’ve been obsessed with the blue city ever since I was told about its existence. While I am at AUI, I hope to do some traveling in Europe. I can visit mostly any country in Europe without a visa with my American passport, and air fare in Europe is very inexpensive, so I am optimistic that I will be able to visit some of Europe during my stay at AUI.

           Of course when i think of study abroad in Morocco, everything that comes to mind first is tourist-attraction-like things. On the academic part of things, I am very excited to see how classes differ at AUI when compared to MC. I have always heard that the classes abroad will be harder, but after hanging out with the international students here at MC, I don't think that they will be that bad. I am very excited to have to adapt to a new learning environment and see how I perform. I will be taking four to five classes each semester, so I hope that I will have a good balance of school work and free time. 

In all, i am very excited to study abroad at Morocco. I am not as worried as I was towards the beginning of the semester and am rather just very excited to have a semester abroad at AUI.

Academic Differences

AUI follows the academic guidelines described by the American standards, therefore the classes and class styles are very similar to what we have here.

□ ACADEMIC DIFFERENCES:
o Workload (# of tests/assignments/outside of class work) 
For every hour inside the classroom, you should spend approx two hours outside the classroom on the subject.
Average hours per semester is 15, which is five classes with each class being on average 3 hours each.
o classroom culture
Teachers here are more friendly in the idea that you can do homework in their offices and go to their house for lunch or dinner as part of a student group event. At AUI, teachers are teachers rather than your friends. 
o flow of the semester
The flow of the semester is like here, where we have regular exams every month or so such that most classes have two to three exams and a final each. Unlike here, AUI does not have project based classes because their CS degree is of science unlike ours, which is of art. 
o expectations of students
Students are expected to attend all class sessions. They have a maximum of five misses classes for TR classes and maximum of seven misses classes for MWF classes. After these allowed absences, a WF is received for the class. Most absences and tardies count against your grade.
Professors, for the most part, hold strict deadlines on assignments. Hence, students are expected to turn in all work on time. 
Most professors expect students to participate in class and have a grade for it as well. 
o faculty/student relationships
The professor is a professor rather than a friend but the school hold an open door policy so that teachers can interact with their students. Professors are available for meetings outside of office hours just like MC. 

□ CREDITS: 
Class credits are designed just like MC, where most classes are worth three credits and classes with labs are worth four credits. The work load for every class is designed like MC's, where for every hour inside the classroom, you should spend approx two hours outside the classroom on the subject. Classes also meet regularly on MWF, MW, and TR like MC's class schedule. Because of the similarity in the classes, credits will transfer credit for credit. 

□ GRADES: 
o Are letter grades in host country equivalent to the U.S.?
Letter grades are designed the same way as MC's. 

□ SUPPORT:
o What kinds of support services, academic resources, and tutoring available are available at your host institution?
AUI has an academic support center similar to MC's called the "CLE," the Center for Learning Excellence where students can go to seek tutoring on certain subjects. The CLE is just for the engineering school classes such as math and CS. 

□ FULL-TIME STATUS:
o How many credits do you have to enroll in to be considered full time at both your home and host institution? 
The minimum credits you need to be considered a full time student is 12 hours, just like MC.

Vocational Goals

One of my vocational goals for during my time at the American University of Sharjah is to become more knowledgeable about the Arabic language. I have taken Arabic courses before, but I am not at the level where I would need to be to help in future endeavors I may have in my career after college. I should certainly be able to learn more Arabic at AUS. Also, Sharjah will be a great place for me to be. It is less Westernized than Dubai, so I will be more likely to use Arabic while I am out in public in Sharjah than I would in Dubai.

Another vocational goal I have is to gain a better insight into the religious, political, and historical dynamics of the Middle East. The courses I have signed up for at this time would allow me to gain much more in depth knowledge about the region. I would like to take a History of the Middle East course, a Middle Eastern Geography course, an Islamic Philosophy course, and a War and Peace in the Middle East political science course.

Besides my course load, I can also look for other ways to get involved on campus and in the community. I am part of a group called the World Student Christian Federation, which has a presence in the United Arab Emirates. I can look to get involved there, and they would be a great resource in helping me find service opportunities. Furthermore, there are several different clubs and organizations at AUS in which I can participate, such as Model United Nations. Options such as this one would give me experience dialoguing and working together with peers who come from very different backgrounds than me. This experience would help me achieve vocational opportunities in the future if I were to enter the International Relations field.

Academic Differences

There will certainly be some differences between Maryville College and the American University of Sharjah, but there will not be as many differences as I originally imagined.

Because AUS is an American University, it is formed out of the American education model and is a fully recognized and accredited institution in the United States. This means that the grading system will be very similar to what I see in the United States and at Maryville College. Classes are also structured at AUS based on how they are often structured in the United States.

There are more than 5,000 students from 82 countries that attend AUS, making it almost five times as large as Maryville College in terms of student population number. AUS offers twenty-six majors and fifty-four minors through its colleges of Architecture, Art and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Business and Management. Unlike Maryville, AUS offers Masters' Degree programs. This will be a small adjustment I will have to make, as I am used to going to a college offering only undergraduate programs.

One advantage I will be able to seek out from AUS is their comprehensive library with their collection of over 125,000 hard copy English resources. One adjustment that I will certainly have to make is to their residence halls. AUS has residence halls based on gender, and opposite genders are not allowed to enter the other gender's residence hall.

If I need help with my studies at AUS, there are numerous places I can go for extra assistance like we have at Maryville College. There is a Writing Center, Mathematics Support Center, and Academic Support Center. These have comprehensive programs divided among the different colleges at AUS so that students can get a support program catered to their individual needs.

Overall, I am quite confident that I will be able to adjust to the academic system at AUS. Even though it is in a very different cultural context, the academic differences are not too noticeably different at this time besides what I would see varying from school to school in the United States.

Vocational Goals

Studying abroad at AUI contributes to my vocational goals by exposing me to a different culture and making me more aware of the world I live in. I came to Maryville College to come out a well-rounded person, and I believe that this experience will certainly contribute to that. I think this is not the way it usually works, but AUI offers every class i need to graduate while i am there. The part that i believe is not the way it usually works is that Maryville College does not offer everything i need to graduate. I have chosen to attend AUI because I know that I will be able to complete my degree as a result of studying there. MC's STEM programs are so small that we do not offer every class when I need it, and therefore I would not be able to graduate in time. I also plan to do some volunteering in Morocco while I am there as a way to complete the requirements for my Bonner Scholarship. I will be able to work with a different group of people than i am used to, and it will help me learn how to deal with that. I expect to gain skills in money management, personal time planning, and social interactions.

Transitioning and Adjusting

To help me cope with the transition to a new culture, I do not know what will work and what will not work because i have never been submersed in a new culture before. I can imagine what might work. When I go to AUI, I think that I will fit in well because i already have friends at that university and I will become friends with the international group just by the nature of being an international student. Whenever i feel like the new culture is overwhelming me, I will go to my friends there and talk to them about it. I hope that they will understand where i am coming from and will be able to suggest new ways to cope with whatever i am feeling. I also hope that if i really focus on my school work then i would be able to distract myself from whatever home sickness i am feeling. But, like I said before, I hope that I will not have a bad experience will all of these changes and new experiences, but I do not know how i am going to deal with them or react to them because i have never experienced anything close to this. I know that regardless of all of these stresses, I will have a good time there and will remember this for the rest of my life.

A trip to Chefchaouen

BUDGET WEEKEND:  Chefchaouen!
For : Students studying at AUI in Morocco
Destination: Chefchaouen, Morocco

• Where you want to visit and what the draw is for a study abroad student (your personal reasons may be a good start)? 
Why would you NOT want to go to this city? look at how beautiful it is.


o Accommodation
Because the trip to this city is 4.5 hours, and even though this would be a rough drive for one day, if desired, this can be turned into a day trip. This way, accommodation does not present itself as a problem.

o Transportation
Because driving is the cheapest and shortest option according to http://www.rome2rio.com/s/Ifrane/Chefchaouen - the goal would be to find a student on campus who has a vehicle. Then the students who come on the trip can all pitch in and split the cost of gas.

o Places to Visit
The web address below has a list of the top ten things to do in Chefchaouen.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g304013-Activities-Chefchaouen_Tangier_Tetouan_Region.html

o Food (aka the best part)
The web address below has a list of the 10 best restaurants in Chefchaouen.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g304013-Chefchaouen_Tangier_Tetouan_Region.html

Academic Differences

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

o Workload (# of tests/assignments/outside of class work) 

South Korea has a system of diagnostic assessments called the National Assessment of Educational Achievement (NAEA). Each year, achievement tests in two subjects are administered to all students in each of the grades six, nine and ten. These tests serve a purely informational purpose and are not reported by individual student.

Homework is little, but what is required, is important, and is done with much diligence.        

o classroom culture, 
Making mistakes when you answer a question is generally frowned upon.

In high school students clean up after the end of the day and then go home.

o flow of the semester

You earn one or two subjects at a time, but you learn massive bits of information in each lecture. Homework is m inimum, but tests are tough.

Following senior high school, students who want to continue to university must take a College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), which does have a major impact on their higher education prospects. Leading up to this test, most South Korean students will engage in some form of directed study outside of school, ranging from classes at hagwons, or cram schools, to private tutoring sessions. There is a culture of “examination hell” in South Korea, and students often feel incredible amounts of pressure about their performance on the CSAT.

o expectations of students

That students “get it” and move up as fast as possible.
In high school and onward, Korean is based on cramming and memorization. School from six to fifteen is free. Afterwards, you must pay.

o faculty/student relationships

College classes are run as lectures, with little teacher student relationships.

However as a foreigner, I will try my best to stay in contact with my teachers.

The American education system teaches students to raise questions, discuss and argue extensively before accepting any statement, assumption or premise.

Academic Differences

Thankfully, the actual culture of academics in Sweden does not seem so very different from the USA.

Education is conducted in degree programs consisting of courses; these courses are similar to our US courses with lectures, group projects, presentations, essays, and exams.

Sweden uses the ECTS system of credit hour accumulation.

Different US academic institutions will interpret ECTS slightly differently, but suffice it to say for purposes of estimation that a US-ECTS equivalency could be established by multiplying US credit hours by two.

A full course load in Sweden is at least four courses of 7.5 ECTS weight per SEMESTER.

A key difference to be had therein is that in Sweden you do not take all of your semester's courses simultaneously- rather you take only one (at maximum, two) course at a time and only that course.

This is a more intensive style of education that we can find example of at our local Tusculum college.

As far as academic support is concerned, we can look to the substantial cultural similarity between our two educational cultures to expect relative familiarity therein.

Academic differences

The grading system in Argentina is different from America in that it is based on a scale of 0-10, with a range of numbers equalling the letter grades used on the American scale. In comparison, here are the numbers and their letter equivalents:

Scale	Grade Description	U.S. Grade Equiv.
10	Sobresaliente (Outstanding)	A
8-9	Distinguido (Distinguished)	A
6-7	Bueno (Good)	B
4-5	Aprobado (Pass)	C
0-3	Insuficiente/Reprobado (Insufficient/Fail)	F

This graph was taken from: http://www.wes.org/gradeconversionguide/index.asp

As far as a comparison in course work, colleges in Argentina are quite different than those in America. Classes in Argentina are typically a lecture style with one final project or exam counting for the entire grade in the class. That is quite different than what I am accustomed to, which is lecture, group work, and multiple small assignments and exams making up my overall grade. In the Argentine classroom, a student starts at 0 with 0 knowledge of the subject of the class and works his or her way up to typically a 4-5 or a 6-7 through demonstrating a progressively growing knowledge. Rarely is a 10 given. 

As far as transferring my credits when I return, it is important to talk to an advisor before choosing classes in order to ensure that course descriptions are similar enough to transfer for similar classes, if not the same. I will take a list of classes to my advisor next week (she did not have time this week and we will discuss the classes that I need to take for my major and what will account for what.

At MC, a full time credit load is between 12 and 18 hours. At UBP, a student typically has classes between 20-30 hours per week and enrolls in 4-6 classes per semester. Universities in Argentina range in the way that their semester flows and how classes go. It is normal for classes to be large, as most of the colleges and universities are very large. It is known (fun fact) as one of the best higher education systems in all of South America. After learning all this about Argentina, I would be lying if I didn't say I am a little nervous about having a big test at the end of the class that determines my entire grade. However, I am up for the challenge. I will make sure I buy a notebook there and take good notes for all my classes. 

Academic Differences

Academic Differences

The first major difference I noticed about the German university system is that they run on summer and winter semesters rather than fall and spring. There are typically two types of classes, Vorlesungen (lecture) and Seminar (small, discussion based). Some classes are scheduled on the hour, but don't begin until 15 minutes after. It will usually be denoted on the schedule. Typically there is a professor that leads the class and then some have discussions that follow. Not all have assignments in class. Students are expected to do a lot of work on their own. The courses are very independent and self directed. Classes are typically much less demanding than classes in the US. 

Credits

Credit is usually granted at U.S. institutions on the basis of hours that the course met each week. Classes usually meet once a week. European Credit Transfers, in a semester about 30 ECTS-Credits are completed which is equivalent to about 600-900 study hours. 

In order to transfer German classes I will have to get a Schein which varies from class to class, but my professors will state what I have to complete to get this. I will also have to get an ISEP transcript.

Grades

Support

I can get support at the international center, with the other students, my cooperating teacher at the school, and my academic advisors.

Academic Differences

□ ACADEMIC DIFFERENCES: 
British academics are not that different than they are in the US, though one of the main things that I have noticed while researching is the fact that there seems to be some different language and how the classes are treated. There is also a lot of different terminology that is used like module instead of class, revise instead of study and so on. It looks like there will be a lot more outside work than there is at MC since most of the classes I've had thus far rely on in-class assignments and some tests, where in the UK it is much more focused on outside study rather than being guided through work like some professors do here. Most of the work seems to be over the course of the semester and the reading and writing that I will be doing will be in preparation for the final exam rather than a specific test throughout the semester. Students are also expected to do more independent study from the list of sources that are given for each class but are not expected to get the books unless absolutely necessary, something that I find interesting and will definitely enjoy doing since I will also be doing my senior study while abroad.  

□ CREDITS: 

o How many credits are classes normally worth? 

Most of the classes in the UK are worth about 20 credits per class, with the understanding that the average student will take about three to four modules a semester and will earn 60 credits in the course of the semester. One of the people I talked to let me know that most people do three modules in a semester but if I am used to doing more work I can probably bump it to four. Since I am hoping to get the rest of my Literature courses out of the way, I expect that this will be at least two of my classes. 


o Are credits/workload valued differently in your host country than here? 

As noted before, classes are valued at about 20 credits per class with the workload focusing a great deal more on the individualized work rather than on the assignments that are given in class and are much more lecture based. 

o Can you find information on how many hours/week each class will meet?

Even though I can't find how many hours a week these classes meet, it seems as though they meet fewer times than they do here, rather than on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule or  Tuesday/Thursday it is more of a once-a-week meeting that lasts for almost three hours. It reminds me slightly of the J-Term schedule, but not as focused on the one class. 

o How will your credits transfer? (I’m not asking what your courses will substitute for, I’m asking X # of credits at your host institution = X # credits at Maryville College.)

From what I can discern, 20 credits at Plymouth would count as 4 credits at Maryville because of the content. 



□ GRADES: 

o Are letter grades in host country equivalent to the U.S.?

One of the things that is different at Plymouth is the equivalency of the letter grades. Rather than being on a ten-point or seven-point system like what is typically seen in the US, the UK goes according to a different scale as shown below:

Scale	U.S. Grade Equiv.
70-100	A
65-69	A-
60-64	B+
50-59	B
45-49	C+
40-44	C
0-39	F

This will also mean that I will need to be prepared to get a lower point average than I am accustomed to since getting a higher grade is usually unheard of in the UK.

□ SUPPORT:

o What kinds of support services, academic resources, and tutoring available are available at your host institution?

Students are usually assigned a tutor to help them with classes should they need the assistance and while there isn't a support center like what we have on campus, it will be good to have the assistance if necessary. 

□ FULL-TIME STATUS:

o How many credits do you have to enroll in to be considered full time at both your home and host institution? (You must be considered full time at both for financial aid and immigration purposes.) 

To be considered full time in the UK, students must have at least 60 credits. To be considered full time in the US, students must have at least 12 credit hours. Since my classes will be lining up with the OVS system and my study abroad I will be within my credit hours to be seen as a full time student in both institutions. 

o What is the minimum number of courses you have to take to be full-time there and full-time here?
Since classes are typically 20 credits each, in order to be considered full time I will need to take at least three classes abroad, which will count as 12 credits in the US.

Academic Differences in the UK

While there are many aspects of the education that are similar in the UK to the United States, there are also many prominent differences.  Something you might notice right away at school in United Kingdom is the different vocabulary -- classes are modules, to study is to revise, your major is your course, and college is university.  So, to "revise for my exams in my modules for my course at university" is to "study for my tests in my classes for my major at college".
Another big difference that will take some adjustment is that there will probably be less class time and more time expected out of class.  In schools here, the general expectation is that you will attend lecture usually 2-3 times a week, and complete course readings and assignments outside of class, in addition to perhaps some papers, lab reports, projects, etc.  It seems that in UK, lectures for modules may be as few as once a week and may not have time for discussion/questions.  This will require even more reading, dedication, and self-motivation that is generally required here in the US, and is something I will personally need to make sure I keep up with.
A third aspect of education in the UK that differs from the in the US is the grading system.  In the UK, you may be given one large assignment, like a test or a paper, that composes 100% of your grade.  You do not receive participation grades and may not have smaller assignments throughout the semester.
The length of terms may vary as well -- schools might use semesters, quarters, trimesters, or even year long classes (like the one I will be attending).
Credits are called ECTs, and full year students at my university generally take 120 ECTs.  Because I am only there for half the year, I will need to take 60.  Exchange students are to list 6 modules we would like to take, and 6 back up modules.  For transferring credits to Maryville, it will depend what the class the modules transfers for.  Since I will be taking mostly psychology courses, many of the classes should transfer as the 3 credit psych class that it is replacing.
Grades in the UK are similar to in the US in that they are percentage based, but there is a different perspective on what counts as "average" and what is considered good or excellent.  For example, an A ranges from 100-70%, with 70% being an A-.  Some sources are even saying as low as a 64-65% would be an A-, with the lower grades being pushed back accordingly. C's go as low as 50%, with that being a C-, or even (on some other sources) a 42%.  I will have to either research it more here or ask when I get there to determine my school's exact policy.
I have not found an explicit academic support system on the university website.  I have, however, found a page listing all the support departments so perhaps their version of academic support is nestled in one of those departments.  There is a student support and guidance office, as well as a "Learning and Information Service", which seems to be their library support.

Academic Differences

The French education system is relatively similar to ours here in the United States. Generally, students take 15 to 17 hours of classes per week for 12 weeks. Each class generally lasts 1 to 3 hours. In small classes they will have many small assignments, a midterm, and a final exam. In larger, lecture style, classes the students are only assessed by written terminal exams. The grading scale is quite different in France. Students are graded on a scale of 1 through 20. An A in the United States ranges from 14-20 in France, an A-/B+ ranges from 12-13, a B/B- would range from 10-11, and a C/C- ranges from 8-9.
I will be taking 15-17 hours of class per week as well but it will depend on how I do on the placement exams when I arrive. I will not know my schedule until I arrive in France and take the language placement exams. If I am placed in the more beginner level courses (A1 or A2) then it will be 15 hours. If I am placed in the higher courses (B1, B2, C1, or C2) then I will be taking more hours up to 17 because I will be able to take courses other than just language learning.
At my host institution there are many services and resources that students can take advantage of throughout their stay. There is a language lab, a multimedia lab, a language room for independent learning, a media library with books, magazines, and newspapers. There is also a break room for students that contains a conference table, work desks, TV set, refrigerator. There is a cafeteria, a student’s restaurant, a student’s house, the culture, sports and medicine offices, the registration office, the international office that are available for all students to use. French professors are generally not as accessible as our professors are here.

Academic Differences

                In the UK, much less focus is placed on homework assignments, with most classes instead being very lecture-based. There may be several assignments, but with some classes your grade will depend solely upon your final exam. The UK tends to use the semester system just like the US, but there are also some universities that use year-long or quarter systems. Things like classroom culture and student/faculty relationships are very similar in the UK and USA, with larger classes allowing for less face-time with the professors. In the UK, full-time students will normally take 60 credits per semester which is usually equivalent to 15 US credits or 30 ECTS credits per semester, and 3-6 modules (classes) each semester (Maryville College requires students to take 12 credit hours each semester to be considered full-time). Modules vary widely on how much time is spent in lectures each week. Letter grades in the UK are different from those in the US: they are given out in percentages, with 40% considered to be passing. It is also considered harder to obtain higher grade percentages in the UK – 70% is considered very good. Each Ulster student is assigned a studies adviser to help with academic support.