Academic Differences: Maryville College vs University of Wroclaw, Poland

At the University of Wroclaw, you have quite a difference in classes than you do at Maryville College. While a lot of the classes blend together from each institution, at UoW (University of Wroclaw), you get a lot more 6 credit courses than just your normal American 3 credits. From looking at the classes one would take at MC compared to UoW, a year may look like 30 credits while UoW equals out to nearly 50. A lot of what you do is independent work, where your major grades come from Final tests or quizzes. Meeting fewer times a week is also a large difference, since classes at UoW are not similar to the MWF or TTR class schedule that many people are used to. Once a week is enough, and you get more credits for it!

From the looks of it, MC is not nearly half the size of UoW, where the student population is well into the thousands. Lecture halls are larger, as well as residence halls and student facilities. The college must accommodate more people, so there are more opportunities for students to engage with other students, as well as take advantage of the city that is more young people than not.

The grading scale is also a bit skewed compared to the American grading scale. In Poland, the grading scale is a number between 1 and 5.

Example:

Grade	Scale	Description
5+	5.5	Celujący (Excellent)
5	5 - 5.49	Bardzo Dobry (Very Good)
4+	4.5 - 4.99	Dobry Plus (Fairly Good)
4	4 - 4.49	Dobry (Good)
3+	3.5 - 3.99	Dostateczny Plus (Satisfactory Plus)
3	3 - 3.49	Dostateczny (Satisfactory)
2	1 - 2.99	Niedostateczny (Unsatisfactory)

It focuses more on satisfactory than the American scale, where points can be taken off here and there to create a "B" or "C" grade. 

Tutoring is available at UoW, just like at Maryville College. There is also help at the institution that is advertised on the website, where students can get help for any issue; Whether this be scholarly issues, mental issues, or personal issues, UoW states that they will help any student that needs it. 

There is a broad difference between UoW and MC, whether that be with size, grading scale, or classes offered. It is also shocking to see the difference between where the institutions are places: UoW in the middle of a booming city, and MC near the edge of the mountains.