I am very well aware that the academic life will be much different,but not necessarily bad, abroad. After doing some research and reading up on schools in the UK I am expecting some stark difference that could be challenging to adjust to. It is clear that the workload is going to decrease for each class. however, this will come at the cost of in-class exams being weighted much heavier. This particular detail does not bother me as I am an excellent test taker, it is the constant large workload that can occasionally overwhelm me. I am also noticing that UK professors may not be as personable and interactive with students as US professors might be.
In terms of credit differences, Ulster University in particular at first appears to have a very defined credit difference. This is mostly just a conversion issue. For every 1 US credit, Ulster would award 4 credits. So while 15 credits might be a normal load here in the US, a normal semester load at Ulster University would look like 60 credits. Classes also meet about 2 hours a week over a course of 2 days. Going by the conversion, my Maryville college would be somewhere around 15 credit hours.
Another noted difference. Grading in the UK is very different that US colleges. Grading is much different as 70% and up is considering an A+. This would be unsettling as I am used to seeing 90's and so on. Ulster Univeristy also assigns students with a study advisor that can direct academic and personal concerns to the right person. A full-time student at Ulster must take 60 credit hours of course work. At Maryville College, a minimum of 13 credit hours is required to be part time.Typically you will need about 4 to 5 courses at each institution to meet the requirements as a full-time student.
No comments:
Post a Comment