Italian universities versus American

□ ACADEMIC DIFFERENCES:

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

* the workload at Maryville is more rigorous than in Italy. There are normally 3-4 tests a semester at maryville, with copious amount of lab work and homework. This is not the case for all classes, but a vast majority. In Italy, most classes only have 2 tests a semesters and maybe a paper or two, 

o classroom culture

*the classroom setting seems to be more or less the same in both places. Respect the professors, but feel free to question and thrive.

o flow of the semester

the fall semester in Italy starts in September and ends in December. In america, it normally starts in August and ends in december. this is because in Italy they do not have a fall break.  

o expectations of students, and o faculty/student relationships

The students are expected to keep up with the readings in Italy with no homework or quiz to keep them in line. I think the italian school has more formal relationships with students.

□ CREDITS: 

o How many credits are classes normally worth?

6 of theirs (ECTS) which is 3.5 us credits

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

yes

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

not on the website

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.)

1.00 ECTS = 0.60 US College Credit Hours

□ GRADES: 

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

No

Italian grades with corresponding ECTS & US grading

Italian   ECTS Grade ECTS Definition % of successful students US Grade US Definition

30 con A Excellent                5% A-, A, A+ Excellent

28-30 B Very Good          5% B-, B, B+ Good

25-27 C Good                      20% C-, C, C+ Satisfactory

21-24 D Satisfactory    40% D-, D, D+ Barely passing

18-20 E Sufficient            30%

14-17 Fx Fail

0-13 F Fail

Found on Wikipedia 

□ SUPPORT:

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

they have tutoring and academic support

□ 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.) 

12 at home institution

Full time in Italy is 30 CFU

o What is the minimum number of courses you have to take to be full-time there and full-time here?

here is 4

there is 5