In preparing for my many adventures that are going to take place while I’m in Argentina, it seems that I have managed to forget (intentionally or not, I still haven’t decided) that I won’t just be having fun in that beauty of a country; I’ll be going to school.
WHAT A PRIVILEGE! Even though I have mixed feelings about my expectations for the classes, I can at least be a little excited since they’re something new and different from school in the US.
How, exactly, are the classes different?
Honestly, I’m not confidently positive.
But let me tell you what I DO know!
First of all, The workload in Argentina appears to be a little different than that of the United States. Here at a place like Maryville College, we get a grade for everything; we even get a grade for attending/participating in class. In Argentina, it’s not so much the same. In Argentina, universities typically use a lecture method and the majority/all of the grade comes from a mid-term and a final exam or paper.... Boy am I glad that’s not nerve-racking!
In terms of when the classes are held, I can’t find everything, but I did find out that
at Universidad Blas Pascal classes are typically held for 4 hours a week (2 90-minute sessions).
Even though I’ll need to get accommodated to the differences (I’m a little bit terrified), at least I get SOMETHING out of it... Besides learning, of course.
I get some C-R-E-D-I-T...
How exactly does the credit transfer, you ask?
Once again, I can say without absolute confidence that...
In general the credit transfer from Argentina to the US has a lot to do with the hours. For example, if I take a class for 3 hours a week there, chances are that it’ll be worth 3 credits here. In general, I can expect to take 4-6 classes per week. While I searched a lot for this information, this is the most that I was able to come up with.
But there’s a catch.... I have to make good grades to get these credits!!
So what kind of grading system do they have in Argentina?
I actually know this one!!!
Each student starts with a zero. The grading scale goes from 0 to 10. A 1, 2, or 3 would all be failing grades. 4 and 5 are both equivalent to a “C” here at Maryville. A 6 or 7 would be equivalent to a “B,” and an 8, 9, or 10 is the equivalent to an A.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to take on classes by myself. If, for some strange reason, it seems like all my professors are speaking another language, then I’ll be able to use some of the resources that the university offers.
The main resource that the university offers in order to help foreign exchange students is a tutor. According to the website, the tutor can have a part in just about anything that an exchange student needs help with. They’re very proud about the success that their tutor system has had in the past, so I can only assume that it’s the most efficient/helpful resource there (Other than the ole noggin, of course).
Despite all my search attempts and many uncertain results, I still managed to come up with the answers above. Overall, I’m excited to see school as just another way that I can learn about Argentina and I can’t wait to be able compare the differences once I have some first-hand experience of what it’s actually like... the hard part right now is PATIENCE.
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