Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Blog # 8: Vocation
I know Australia is a lot like the United States. I mean, we both speak English (given there will be major differences between Australian and American English), both countries are considered "melting pots" due to their diverse cultures and populations, and I'll get a great education at both Maryville and UTS. The classes that I will take in UTS and simply living in Sydney will provide me with the experience I will need in whatever career I choose, whether that be the Peace Corps, or working in some type of government job, or volunteering, or whatever! I'll have some experiences that will set my resume apart from others. Simply from studying abroad I'll gain connections abroad (networking), better people skills (since I'll have to meet new people), and I will know how to adjust to a different type of educational system (I'm flexible). Also, I'm not much of a "big" school kinda gal, so I decided to go to a large school for a change. I will be living on my own for once, too. I mean, I technically live on my own now, but my home is less than two hours away. I want to not be distracted by my mom telling me to come home every weekend.
The world as my muse....
I wasn't 100% I was even going to Scotland three days ago but after receiving news that I was awarded money from the Gilman Scholarship, I finally have my tickets in hand! It has made me even more determined to use every bit of this experience to my benefit. Having a little extra will allow me to get a better lens for my camera (I'll need it for class as well for recording images for paintings) and allow me to travel to multiple art museums and see the local/regional art. I am also taking two classes in a country that I find to be one of the most awe striking landscapes in the world, that is directly related to my career as a professional artist. Having the chance to learn about the Psychology behind artwork, I believe, will give me a better understanding {logically} about what I use and why. I only learned that I had talent two years ago and cannot sit and ramble on like most artists about styles, techniques, shades, intensities, etc. I don't fully understand that side of it yet. I just know I do what feels right. The photography class will allow me to record the world correctly to help me better recreate when I am in my studio. I plan to make a conscious effort to write, photograph and sketch every scene that inspires me. My ultimate goal is to make a connection with at least 1 person that will lead to my artwork being represented in Scotland. It will definitely not happen over night but that is the beauty of it...I will always have a personal connection to Scotland.
Vocation
Australia and New Zealand are only the beginning of the traveling I hope to do. In order for me to get involved and teach the public about environmental issues and show how to live a lifestyle that will promote conservation and innovation, I must travel and see the different types of climates and people. I want to round myself as a person and an environmentalist. The reason I chose this program is because SFS is focused on environmental issues and changes. Each program they have available covers an aspect of the issues we are facing today. I chose the Australia and New Zealand program, because it focuses on the differences between countries when it comes to political structure, co-management arrangements, land-use patterns, and biogeography. We will look at the differences of leadership, regulations, conservation, and interaction of people to their precious environment. Then break down what works and what doesn't in comparison to both countries. This will be an outline for what should and should not happen when considering other countries. We will also be out in the field researching and getting hands on within the community and environment. There will be day trips, and night trips where we will observe the nocturnal world. This trip is all about becoming one with the environment and see what we can do to save the resources and ecosystem. All of the field work I will be doing will help me with my future goals. I want to work at a non profit organization for an environmental issue for awhile or go into wildlife resourcing (park ranger or something on the lines of that). Having this on my resume will help me so much. To be a park ranger it is so important to have field work that involves research and study. And if I want to work at a non profit, to show I studied and went abroad will show I am dedicated to work hard and research my time into something I believe in. This trip will jump start my lifelong goals. I want to keep traveling and live in the field. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. This trip will be the start of it all. I cannot wait.
I leave in less than a month. I have a month until my dreams become reality.
Vocation!
Like many other college students, I am not exactly 100% certain of
what I want to do after graduation. I definitely plan to go to grad school, but
my idea of what I want to do afterwards changes periodically. When I first
decided that I wanted to study history it was because I loved it and wanted to
take more classes in the subject area. I had no clue what I’d do with a degree
in it, only that a schedule comprised of mostly history classes sounded pretty
great. I talked to my advisor and a few other professors and decided I wanted
to work towards a career in public history. Lately, however, I have become
increasingly more interested in historic preservation. I've realized that I
love historic buildings, and that nothing gets me more peeved than the idea of tearing
down an old building to put a strip mall or some generic modern store there.
Though I do not know for sure what I hope to be doing in 10 years, much less
have a solid step by step plan of how to get there, I do have these two ideas
of careers I think I would be very happy with and would like to work towards
during the rest of my undergraduate studies.
These two ideas sort of come together in England. Castles are probably
my favorite type of historic structure (or my favorite thing in general), and,
of course, Europe is ideal for castle visits. Many of them, in order to keep
them in tip top shape, have been renovated and essentially turned into museums.
Guided tours are available, and some, like Stirling Castle in Scotland, even
have headphone sets allowing visitors to listen to recorded bits of information
at different spots throughout the castle. When I was there, there were even
people dressed up for the time period or as people who lived there who would
answer questions! Naturally, I plan to visit as many castles as possible while
I am there, and see any other interesting museums. I hope to discuss these
types of jobs with people there, given the opportunity, asking questions about
the nature of the work and what sorts of preparations during ones undergraduate
studies would be beneficial. I would also love to look into doing some or all
of my Bonner work while I am there at a museum.
Incidentally, many of the classes I plan to take will be relevant to
my senior thesis. I am writing about film in the Cold War, and I am excited to
take classes that will either be focused on or relatable to WWII. The thing
about studying history that is both awesome and frustrating is that even if you
narrow down your area of interest down to just one specific event, you can
never know everything about it. There is always more to read, and then there’s
the fact that all that is written may be, depending on when whatever event you've chosen occurred, all there is. Not everyone wrote memoirs or was “important”
enough to have his or her life and experiences detailed, and even those who
were probably didn't record everything for any number of reasons. Not that I
need to know exactly what President Nixon ate for breakfast on any given day to
understand the Cold War, but I consider a thorough understanding of WWII to be
very important. Plus, I like learning about it!
Vocation
Throughout my time at Maryville College, I have changed my mind about what I really want to spend the rest of my doing. Freshmen year I came in thinking I wanted to do something in the science department, but that quickly changed once I realized I hate chemistry. After that I struggled in deciding what direction I wanted to go. I knew I wanted to do something helping or working directly with people. I thought about psychology, but I later decided on International Studies. I want to go into law with a focus on human rights and social justice. I want to be able to help those who are less fortunate, basically and an advocator.
It took me a long time to decide which study abroad program was a great fit for me. I finally decided on the program in South Africa because it had a focus on Human Rights and Conflict Management. I think this is a perfect fit for me. I will learn about the struggles in South Africa, and then hopefully apply those skills in my future career. I understand that the issues abroad may not be the same type of issues I will be focusing on here, but I do believe the skills will transfer and be helpful to me as a lawyer.
While studying abroad, I will also do some volunteer work. I do not think I will have time for an internship, but community service is very similar. I believe I will be working at a local orphanage in Port Elizabeth. I think this experience will be humbling, and give me a direct insight into the societal problems faced by people in South Africa.
With that being said, I think my trip will give me some great hands on experience. I am incredibly excited and can't wait to embark on this adventure.
It took me a long time to decide which study abroad program was a great fit for me. I finally decided on the program in South Africa because it had a focus on Human Rights and Conflict Management. I think this is a perfect fit for me. I will learn about the struggles in South Africa, and then hopefully apply those skills in my future career. I understand that the issues abroad may not be the same type of issues I will be focusing on here, but I do believe the skills will transfer and be helpful to me as a lawyer.
While studying abroad, I will also do some volunteer work. I do not think I will have time for an internship, but community service is very similar. I believe I will be working at a local orphanage in Port Elizabeth. I think this experience will be humbling, and give me a direct insight into the societal problems faced by people in South Africa.
With that being said, I think my trip will give me some great hands on experience. I am incredibly excited and can't wait to embark on this adventure.
Meandering Paths: Vocation
My future career is something that I hold very dear to my heart. Since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a teacher: something to do with English, or just language in general. I found my calling in TESL, which, obviously, demands that you command more than one language. I am aware that the second language I chose, German, isn't as predominant in the school systems here as other languages, but it's no big problem in the long run. At the very least, I can sympathize with my students. Learning another language isn't easy, after all.
The entirety of my trip to Heidelberg sets me up for my career. I will be completing minor, and I will have the valuable chance to see how European schools function. Learning a variety of teaching styles is necessary to becoming a good teacher, and I believe my classes in Heidelberg will offer a great amount of insight. While in my language classes, I fully intend to take notes on what strategies seem effective or unique so that I can utilize them later in the classroom.
If being teacher doesn't work out--though I swear to God it will--, being able to command a second language will be beneficial in any job position. Continually practicing German and learning new words will prepare me for any language based job: such as translator or interpreter.
My key strategy will be to observe. The more you know, the better prepared you are for the future!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Vocation- Blog #8
Study abroad in Greece will
help me tremendously with my vocational goals. I eventually want to intern at
the Getty Villa Museum in Malibu where they specialize in ancient
artwork—mainly Greek and Roman—and then work in the Acropolis Museum in Greece.
Both of these goals require me to go to graduate school and know at least three
languages, one of them being ancient Greek. Going to the American College of
Thessaloniki, I will take a class in Modern Greek, which will help me later on
when I need to learn ancient Greek by better understanding the language—yes, I speak
Greek but by taking a class, it will help me tremendously by being aware of the
sentence structure, grammar, etc. I will also being going to Crete while I am
in Greece for the summer and go to the Palace at Knossos—the place I am doing
my thesis on. I will be taking pictures for my thesis, but I will also be
talking to the people that work at this archeological site, trying to make connections
for future use.
I do not think I have time to
seek out an internship or volunteer at any museums in the areas, however, I will
try and make connections with the Acropolis Museum and the archeological site
in Crete. I am hoping my mixed heritage will be to my advantage.
I am very certain that by
studying abroad in a country who’s art I would love to specialize in, graduate
schools and internships will be very interested in knowing about my experience
abroad and hopefully make a statement on my résumé.
Wanderlust & Other Adventures: Vocation
Studying abroad in Finland aligns perfectly with my vocational goals, though I guess I should reiterate what those are:
My vocational goal in life is to work in either the international education field, or at least in some field that involves international relations.
So how exactly does studying abroad in Finland help me do this? Easy, studying abroad in Finland will help me to see how it is schools in other countries handle study abroad and the processes that other students have to go through in order to study abroad. Are the coordinators more hands on or hands off? Do they offer pre-departure and post-departure classes? These are just a few questions I plan to ask myself while studying abroad.
A major skill I am hoping to acquire is understanding how to adapt to different school systems and get a better look at how the process might be different for those dealing with both sides of the process. If I am able to do this, if I do happen to get a job as an international student coordinator maybe I can use the knowledge I have acquired to help students to make their study abroad process as smooth and stress free as possible.
All and all I really hope to take this whole experience as a learning and growing exercise. Being out of the country and pretty much by myself for a large amount of time will be interesting, and it will definitely help me to get ready for life after college. Just a few more steps to complete now and before I know it I'll be on my way~!
My vocational goal in life is to work in either the international education field, or at least in some field that involves international relations.
So how exactly does studying abroad in Finland help me do this? Easy, studying abroad in Finland will help me to see how it is schools in other countries handle study abroad and the processes that other students have to go through in order to study abroad. Are the coordinators more hands on or hands off? Do they offer pre-departure and post-departure classes? These are just a few questions I plan to ask myself while studying abroad.
A major skill I am hoping to acquire is understanding how to adapt to different school systems and get a better look at how the process might be different for those dealing with both sides of the process. If I am able to do this, if I do happen to get a job as an international student coordinator maybe I can use the knowledge I have acquired to help students to make their study abroad process as smooth and stress free as possible.
All and all I really hope to take this whole experience as a learning and growing exercise. Being out of the country and pretty much by myself for a large amount of time will be interesting, and it will definitely help me to get ready for life after college. Just a few more steps to complete now and before I know it I'll be on my way~!
Monday, April 28, 2014
American College of Thessaloniki Differences from MC- Blog 7
Academic Differences
Workload- I
was not able to find information about the workload for the American College of
Thessaloniki (ACT). I will most likely have to ask a past student what the
workload was like comparative to American standards.
Classroom-
There is a small student population, allowing the environment to foster an
intellectual, emotional, and physical growth in the students and nurture
leadership potential in the student population that challenges and
supports them.
Semesters- Fall
Semester: September 15th to January 23rd, Spring
Semester: February 2nd to May 29th, Summer Semester- June
16th to July 18th.
Expectations-
They seem to expect a great deal from the students, not really differing too
much from the MC life here on campus. Since the student population is so small,
the faculty and staff are able to keep better tabs on you and
therefore, have higher expectations for the students.
Faculty/Staff-
It is a small school, similar to MC, therefore, the faculty and staff are able
to give more attention to each student individually and expect the student to
engage in intellectual conversations.
Credits
The typical
classes, that I found, were three credit hours, some were one—similar at MC. My
credits, I have been told, will completely transfer from ACT to MC. I did not
find any further information about credits such as, if credits and workload are valued differently from ACT to MC or how many times a week classes will meet. ACT are not 100% on the course schedule yet, so I do not know when classes will be
meeting.
Grades
Grades are
in number form in most of Greece. From a scale 1-20, 20 being the highest and 1
being the lowest. 20 is equivalent to getting an A and 1 is equivalent of
getting an F. The college I will be attending however, will have a similar
grading system as in the U.S. because it is an American college.
Support
At ACT
there are numerous student services such as, a Writing Center, Academic
Advising, Business Liaison/Career Services, Graduate Education Counseling,
Housing, and Study Abroad Opportunities for ACT students. The majority of these
services are closed when I will be attending ACT—during the summer term.
Full-Time Status
I am almost
100% positive I need to take two courses for the summer term and for them to
add up to 6 credit hours to be considered a full-time student at ACT. For MC, I
know I will need to be enrolled for six credit hours to be a full-time student.
There are a lot more similarities than differences it seems.
This is perhaps because ACT is an American institution of sorts, which will
model after American colleges and universities in the U.S.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Intercultural Competency
Tea fixes everything. I think I actually believe that at times. Whenever I am stressed out, nervous, depressed, or feeling any sort of negativity, I make myself a cup of tea. It is relaxing and delicious, and warms me up literally and figuratively. Having a cup of tea, if I am ever feeling homesick, reminds me of home - of my mom, and my grandmother. Making tea is sort of a ritual. Boil the water, get a cup down, put a teabag in said cup, pour water over teabag, then, a generous amount of sugar and a bit of milk. The time, then, that it takes to make the tea, allow it to cool enough to drink, and then drink it also gives me a short break from whatever I am stressed or upset about. It may sound silly, but I like to just sit down and relax and drink my tea and not think about anything else other than how great this tea is. Not that it makes my problems disappear, but the enjoyable break and relaxation make things a bit more manageable.
Another thing that helps me to calm down is music. I have always loved music - making it and listening to it. There are certain cds and playlists on my ipod I may go back to that cheer me up. It sort of helps to clear my mind of all the clutter from a busy day. There is something about listening to a song you really, really love, and thinking, "no matter how bad today was, this song still sounds the same." It sort of means to me that whatever I am worrying about will pass, and I will be fine.
Weekend Travel
If you are visiting the UK, you should definitely take some time to spend in Wales. Cardiff, the capitol city, is home to a beautiful castle (not to mention, there are tons elsewhere), and is significant to any Doctor Who fans. The countryside is gorgeous as well, with rolling hills where sheep graze.
If you're traveling from close enough, the best way to get there is by train, although you could take an airplane. Once there, the city is very walker friendly. Public transportation is available, as well. Touring the countryside is likely to be a bit of a hike, but it'd be a very beautiful one!
There are many hotels to stay the night in, if you wish. To name a few, the Ty Rosa Boutique Gay B&B, Gwaelod y Garth Inn, and Beaufort Guesthouse are all highly recommended. If you are looking to stay in a hostel, there are options in the area, too.
Of course, in a big city like Cardiff, there are many places to grab a bit to eat. There's Wok to Walk, Ty Mawr, Las Iguanas, Heron Marsh, and many more. The countryside would be an outstanding picnic location - how amazing would it be to pack a lunch and hike up one of those mountains?
When in the city, the castle is definitely the place to go. Visitors can look around and go on guided tours for a reasonable price. After a trip to the castle, you could go downtown and walk around, maybe do some shopping. Like I mentioned before, Cardiff is a big city. There's most anything there that you would expect a big city to have. Doctor Who fans would know the city as the location of the rift, and many episodes are set there. You could easily make a day out of visiting filming locations. The countryside, on the other hand, is just absolutely breathtaking. If you enjoy being outdoors it is a great place to go walk around.
Life at Home
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| A beautiful morning on Maryville College Campus! |
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| During January of 2013, I took a class on the American Civil War, during which the class traveled throughout the state of Tennessee to visit battlefields and other relevant historic sites. This group photo of the class was actually taken in my hometown, Greeneville. |
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| My freshman year, Sam and I went to the Homecoming Dance! |
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| This is our Civil War class standing around what would be an international boarder, had the war ended differently. It was a bit of a hike, but the mountains of Tennessee are beautiful, and reaching the top felt great! |
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| Here's a picture of me and a few of the girls I sing in Concert Choir with. This was homecoming of 2013 - several alumni from the Maryville College Concert Choir joined us, and it was lovely! |
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| Here's a photo from the year I spent singing with the school's a capella group, Off Kilter. I believe this picture was taken while we were singing James Taylor's That Lonesome Road, which was my favorite to sing. |
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| Campus is so pretty when it snows! |
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| My friend and roommate Alex and I - being silly! |
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| Last year, for Halloween, my friend Daniel and I dressed up as Ben Wyatt and Leslie Knope from the TV show Parks & Rec. |
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| This is the group of people I started out at MC with, after a scavenger hunt! |
Living like a local in England - Cicely
Being involved and experiencing life as
the locals do could mean any number of things. The phrase “living like a local”
at first glance seemed to me like it would mean going about the daily grind in
another town in another country as if I’d lived there my entire life, which, to me, almost implies focusing only on business and taking the natural beauty and charm of a place for granted. It seemed
to imply living there the way I live here – I am from east Tennessee, so I tend
to do the same things week after week, rarely taking time to experience the
truly lovely and unique parts of the area, or branching out to try new things.
But since traveling to England and living there for several months is already
an adventure, I think it applies more to making yourself comfortable in the new
location and culture, assimilating yourself into this new experience. It
strikes me as probably a vital part of the experience, as it would provide
structure while I still feel new and likely disoriented, and help me segue into
a productive and more social life while I am there.
I’m sure there’s an astounding number of
ways for one to get involved, but a few specific ways come to mind for me. I
have heard from students who have been at Worcester that the school has a
variety of student organizations and clubs. I will look into that when I get
there – I think I might enjoy a history, music, or film club, and those would
be excellent ways to meet students there who enjoy some of the same things that
I do. I also plan on attending church. Here, I sing in the choir at my church,
and the Wednesday night practices and Sunday morning services are a very
enjoyable and fulfilling part of my week. I don’t know that I will try to join
a church choir necessarily, but I will definitely find a church there that I
like and attend regularly. This would be a great way to hopefully meet people,
as well. Plus, I will be doing Bonner work while I am there. I love working at
the assisted living home here, so maybe I will find something similar to do
there – or, it might be fun to try a different type of service! Either way,
this is yet another way to “live like a local,” meeting people, interacting
with them, and becoming acquainted the town’s social climate and structure.
My day to day life as I describe it doesn't seem that much different than what it already is – I go to class,
volunteer, go to church, and hang out with friends. I don’t think, though, that
it is necessary for my “living like a local” to be drastically different, nor does it need to mirror my life in Tennessee. It
already will be, and doing familiar things on a regular schedule would keep me
grounded and active – and in a way, force me to meet people, which would be
handy if I have some trouble in the social department. Of course, I will try to
explore and do new things as often as possible, but the day’s structure will be
very beneficial. I hope that in establishing this sort of schedule or routine
for myself will help me to feel like a part of the city while I am there –
hopefully I will make tons of awesome new friends and return home with
wonderful memories.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
An American in England
Traveling to faraway places can be both exciting and nerve
wracking. When it comes to studying abroad in another country by yourself,
though, it adds another layer of both of those things. It is definitely very
exciting to think that I will be able to go to England and spend a substantial
amount of time there. A vacation is just
long enough to go to a place and hopefully fit in all of the touristy sites you
hope to see, take tons of pictures, and then come home exhausted. But an entire
semester allows time to actually meet people and see what everyday life is like
in another culture. There will be time to adjust, during which I imagine I
probably will feel like a bit of a tourist taking an obnoxious amount of pictures
and marveling at cars with their drivers seats on the right hand side. That
will die down, though, and once I get into a routine, I’ll just be going about
my daily life, except I’ll be in Worcester experiencing and coming to
understand British culture.
Spending five months in another country and culture provides
a unique opportunity to actually become integrated. I am very excited to
experience this firsthand. I think that probably the best way to go about this
sort of thing is with some background knowledge, an open mind, and an
understanding that it will be different from what you expect, but that is
exciting! I hope to transition into life in England and then return in the
spring with an understanding of what British culture is.
I consider myself a pretty easy going person, which I think
will benefit me in that respect. On the other hand, I can be a bit shy at times
when meeting new people. I could see that being a challenge, particularly in
such an unfamiliar environment. However, I am so excited to participate and
learn that I am confident that I will be able to overcome my shyness. After
all, just as I am learning to communicate with new people from a new culture,
they will be, too. There may be some uneasiness at first, but it’d be strange
if there weren't. I don’t think that is something to feel overly intimidated by
or nervous about – it is normal, and it should pass.
I know there are certain stereotypes attached to culture.
Most of these seem unfair, and I hope to prove the negative ones about America
wrong. I think it’s best to be honest – yes, I was born and raised in the south
eastern US. This could, depending on how one behaves while abroad, either
affirm or change others’ ideas about Americans. In willingly integrating myself
into this new culture – and enjoying it, as I imagine I certainly will – I hope
that will show that I’m not just some loudmouth American, or whatever other
negativity could potentially lurk behind the term to those who have only heard
bad things. All in all, though, I hope that my time in Worcester allows me the
chance to truly experience British culture and to lose any negative
stereotypes.
Academic Differences
Academic Differences:
Studying abroad in South Africa is going to be quite different than studying MC. Here class sizes are relatively small, there is tons of academic support, and students develop real relationships with professors. In South Africa this won't necessarily be the case. NMMU is much, much bigger than Maryville. The University is divided into 6 campuses spread over the city. I'm not entirely sure yet about which one I will be attending. Regardless of the campus, I expect to be in a larger class.
Since I am only going to be attending class for 4 weeks, my semester is going to be similar to a J term here. This means that the workload will probably be more intense because it has to fit into a smaller time period. I will attend classes 4 days a week, Monday through Thursday, and have a 3 day weekend. I read on a students blog who had previously studied at NMMU that classroom etiquette is slightly different than it is here. The classrooms are more noisy, meaning that students converse while the lecture is being given.
Grades and Credits:
I will be taking 2 classes this summer. Each will count for 3 credit hours, so I will be taking a total of 6 credit hours. The grading scale is different than the U.S. system. In South Africa, it seems to be more lenient.
Support Services:
Surprisingly, NMMU offers a lot of out of class academic support. In fact it is very similar to MC. A few examples offered by the student academics department are: supplemental instruction (SI), electronic peer assisted learning, tutoring, mentoring, and academic management modules. It appears that much like MC, NMMU strives for academic success for all students, and provides ample amount of support service to ensure that each student reaches their full potential.
Studying abroad in South Africa is going to be quite different than studying MC. Here class sizes are relatively small, there is tons of academic support, and students develop real relationships with professors. In South Africa this won't necessarily be the case. NMMU is much, much bigger than Maryville. The University is divided into 6 campuses spread over the city. I'm not entirely sure yet about which one I will be attending. Regardless of the campus, I expect to be in a larger class.
Since I am only going to be attending class for 4 weeks, my semester is going to be similar to a J term here. This means that the workload will probably be more intense because it has to fit into a smaller time period. I will attend classes 4 days a week, Monday through Thursday, and have a 3 day weekend. I read on a students blog who had previously studied at NMMU that classroom etiquette is slightly different than it is here. The classrooms are more noisy, meaning that students converse while the lecture is being given.
Grades and Credits:
I will be taking 2 classes this summer. Each will count for 3 credit hours, so I will be taking a total of 6 credit hours. The grading scale is different than the U.S. system. In South Africa, it seems to be more lenient.
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Support Services:
Surprisingly, NMMU offers a lot of out of class academic support. In fact it is very similar to MC. A few examples offered by the student academics department are: supplemental instruction (SI), electronic peer assisted learning, tutoring, mentoring, and academic management modules. It appears that much like MC, NMMU strives for academic success for all students, and provides ample amount of support service to ensure that each student reaches their full potential.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Academic Differences
6.5.3 Undergraduate common grading scheme (CGS) and common numerical scheme (CNS)
* The CNS value 19 is used for a 1A annotated with one star, and 20 for two stars. Module outcomes and all University and school regulations are expressed solely in terms of the CGS. The CNS is for use only within undergraduate modules.
6.5.4 Undergraduate assessment grade descriptors
+ as specified by school
Approved QEC May 09
Approved QEC May 10
| For all Modules Comprising the General Degree and the Bachelor’s Degree and Semester Modules at Level 8 and Below |
For Honours Degree and Modules at
Levels 9 and 10
|
Grade
(Appearing On University Record)
|
Common Numerical Scheme
|
| Equivalent to an outstanding | |||
| (high) first class honours |
1A
|
18-20*
| |
| Excellent | Clear (middle) first class honours |
1B
|
17
|
| Low first class honours |
1C
|
16
| |
| High upper second class |
2A
|
15
| |
| Very Good | Mid upper second class |
2B
|
14
|
| Lower upper second class |
2C
|
13
| |
| High lower second class |
2D
|
12
| |
| Good | Mid lower second class |
2E
|
11
|
| Low lower second class |
2F
|
10
| |
| High third class |
3A
|
9
| |
| Pass | Mid third class |
3B
|
8
|
| Low third class |
3C
|
7
| |
| Fail, Marginal | Fail, Marginal |
4A
|
6
|
4B
|
5
| ||
4C
|
4
| ||
| Clear Fail | Clear Fail |
5A
|
3
|
5B
|
2
| ||
5C
|
1
| ||
| No Grade |
X
|
0
|
* The CNS value 19 is used for a 1A annotated with one star, and 20 for two stars. Module outcomes and all University and school regulations are expressed solely in terms of the CGS. The CNS is for use only within undergraduate modules.
6.5.4 Undergraduate assessment grade descriptors
| For all modules comprising the General and Bachelor’s degree and semester modules at Level 8 and below | For Honours Degree and Modules at levels 9 and 10 | CGS Grade | Common Numerical Scheme | Descriptors for attainment of Intended Learning Outcomes |
| Excellent | Outstanding (high) first class Hons | 1A, 1A*, 1A** | 18-20 | Exemplary range and depth of attainment of intended learning outcomes+, secured by discriminating command of a comprehensive range of relevant materials and analyses, and by deployment of considered judgement relating to key issues, concepts or procedures. |
| Clear (middle) first class Hons | 1B | 17 | ||
| Low first class Hons | 1C | 16 | ||
| Very Good | High upper second class | 2A | 15 | Attainment of virtually all intended learning outcomes, clearly grounded on close familiarity with a wide range of supporting evidence, constructively utilised to reveal appreciable depth of understanding. |
| Mid upper second class | 2B | 14 | ||
| Lower upper second class | 2C | 13 | ||
| Good | High lower second class | 2D | 12 | Attainment of most of the intended learning outcomes, some more securely grasped than others, resting on a circumscribed range of evidence and displaying a variable depth of understanding. |
| Mid lower second class | 2E | 11 | ||
| Low lower second class | 2F | 10 | ||
| Pass | High third class | 3A | 9 | Acceptable attainment of some intended learning outcomes, displaying a qualified familiarity with a minimally sufficient range of relevant materials, and a grasp of the analytical issues and concepts which is generally reasonable, albeit insecure. |
| Mid third class | 3B | 8 | ||
| Low third class | 3C | 7 | ||
| Fail, marginal | Fail, marginal | 4A | 6 | Attainment of intended learning outcomes appreciably deficient in respect of intended learning outcomes, lacking secure basis in relevant factual or analytical dimensions. |
| 4B | 5 | |||
| 4C | 4 | |||
| Clear fail | Clear fail | 5A | 3 | No convincing evidence of attainment of intended learning outcomes, such treatment of the subject as is in evidence being directionless and fragmentary. |
| 5B | 2 | |||
| 5C | 1 | |||
| No Grade | Not Satisfactorily Completed | X | 0 | Failure to comply with published requirements. |
+ as specified by school
Approved QEC May 09
Approved QEC May 10
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