Blog 3: Academic Differences

     Naturally, every country is going to have a slightly different way of going about their education system. Academic differences concerning the workload and classroom culture can be some of the most different things between cultures. At MC a class might have at least two tests in it per semester (mid-term and final) with a pretty steady workload throughout. Students are usually quiet while the professor is teaching and don't speak unless instructed to. The semester goes pretty smoothly with a potential larger final project due towards the end of the semester. Students are expected to respect the professor in charge and not talk to them as if they are one of their best friends whether in person or over email.

     In the U.K., and at Roehampton specifically, class curriculum is largely dependent on the material being covered. There may be little assessment up until the final exam (which may be a written exam), where a large portion of the class grade would then be calculated. This aspect appears to be relatively similar with how certain classes are at Maryville. The classroom culture, as well as the flow of the semester also look to be largely the same. With faculty/student relations, each student at Roehampton is given a type of faculty advisor that is there to help them through school and answer any academic related questions that they might have. This appears to be similar to the way that students are given advisors at Maryville that are in charge of the major they are pursuing.

     At Maryville, classes range from being worth 2-4 credits. Most classes are 3 credits, and the classes with labs attached to them are most often offered for 4 credits. In the U.K., students take about 3-6 classes a semester with a total course load of 60-120 credits. A course load like this would be about equal to 15 credit hours at Maryville. Students in the U.K. may also be required to complete research while in school, thus raising their per semester credit load. Whereas at MC and most other surrounding universities, classes are about an hour long on MWF and nearly an hour and a half on TR, the amount of time spent in class each week is different for many universities in the U.K. In the U.K., a 10 credit class will equal to about 3 credits at MC, and a 20 credit class will equal to about 4 credits.

     Concerning letter grades, these are also much different in the U.K. than in the United States and at MC. In the U.K., the scale ranges from 100-70 being the equivalent of a U.S. A, 69-65 being an A-, 64-60 being a B+, 59-50 being a B-, 49-45 being a C+, 44-40 being a C-, and a 39-0 being an F. Because 40% is usually the average, grades tend to start there and rise rather than starting at 100% and decreasing from there like in the U.S.. It is fairly difficult to achieve high marks above 70%.

     Concerning support services, the university that I am attending does offer accommodated housing for people that might require it. They offer quieter housing for people that don't wish to be bothered with louder people, as well as housing for handicapped people. They offer disability services, as well as special dyslexia services for people that have dyslexia. The school also offers specific loans for students with greater needs than others. There's a service for specialized one on one tutors available for students that need them as well.

     To be considered full time at MC, a student needs to have at least 12 credit hours. Breaking it down, that's about four 3 credit hour classes, or some other combination of 4 and 3 credit hour classes to get to at least 12 hours. In the U.K., and at Roehampton specifically, a full time student must take at least 90 credits a year (most often 120), and no less than 60 per semester if enrolled for the single semester. If you break that down into the amount of courses, for a single semester of 10 credit hour classes, that's six classes (the high end of the average as stated earlier). Other combinations exist with some 20 credit hour classes thrown in as well.

     Overall, the U.K. education system has its differences from the U.S. education system, and MC's own, but it's not that drastic of a difference. In short, it could be a worse transition to get used to. The strangest part for me will most likely be the differences in the grading scale though with what looks like lower grades actually not being that bad.

Blog 3: Navigating a New Education System

Students attending college abroad may have trouble adjusting to their host institution's academic practices. Understanding the UK's education system, and the University of Roehampton's practices in particular, is a useful tool to prepare for the rigors of academic life while abroad (and to avoid panicking over receiving a grade of 70!). Below is a bulleted list of what an American student can expect from the British post-secondary system:

• ACADEMIC DIFFERENCES: How does the academic system in the host country compares to MC? Specifically, how are the following things different:
•  Workload (# of tests/assignments/outside of class work) 
• A common practice in the UK involves the distribution of lengthy reading lists before the semester’s start, instead of spreading out individual, shorter reading assignments throughout the semester. Students are expected to complete more individualized, outside research than may be common at American universities. Final exams and essays carry the bulk of the semester’s grade, unlike the small assignments, midterms, and unit exams that American students complete. The class that I am planning to take at Roehampton bases all its grading on two assignments.
• Classroom culture,
• Unlike in the US, where lectures are often required or at least important to understanding the material, lectures may be totally optional, and students glean much of their face-to-face instructional time in small settings with their lecturers in sessions called tutorials, or at meetings with tutors. Professors are also more concerned with teaching theories and laying a foundation of knowledge than with teaching real-world, career skills. Developing career skills is something one is expected to learn to do on the job, while school is for perfecting the knowledge that will enable you to understand the necessary career skills later on.
• Flow of the semester
• Again, the bulk of grading is done at the semester’s end. Rather than the ups and downs of an American semester based on frequent essays and assignments, the stress of a semester in the UK is centered on finals.
• Expectations of students, and 
• Students are expected to enter college with an understanding of core materials, having already taken exams to be placed into universities, so an American student can expect a first- or second-year class in the UK to be roughly equivalent to a third-year class at an American university. Additionally, post-secondary education has a much faster pace in the UK than in America; students are expected to complete a Bachelor’s degree in three years instead of four. To keep up with the level of independent work and study required for success in the British education system, students are expected to have high levels of self-efficacy and to manage their time effectively.
• Faculty/student relationships
• For Roehampton’s summer program, at least, it seems that a good deal of instruction will come from Student Assistants, a common enough practice in America, though uncommon at MC. Student assistants are listed as being the ones who guide several of the class field trips. 
• CREDITS: 
• How many credits are classes normally worth?
• Classes are referred to as “modules”; a typical international student staying for a full semester would enroll in between 3 and 4 modules. Each module is worth either 10 or 20 UK credits.
• Are credits/workload valued differently in your host country than here? 
• Yes. A British semester of 60 credits would equate to 15 American credits. For Roehampton’s summer term, each student takes one class worth either 10 or 20 UK credits, or the equivalent of a 3-4 hour class in the US. 
• Can you find information on how many hours/week each class will meet?
• Each class meets for four hours a day, four days a week, though times may be subject to change if field trips are involved.
• 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 class at Roehampton = 1 3-credit class at MC
• GRADES: 
• Are letter grades in host country equivalent to the U.S.?
• Very high grades are uncommon in the UK, but a lower grade than what one might make in the US still shows strong academic performance. An American “A” ranks between 70-100% on the UK grading scale; between 30-39% is equivalent to an American “C”.
• SUPPORT:
• What kinds of support services, academic resources, and tutoring available are available at your host institution?
• Students can’t access Roehampton’s student support page until they’ve been given a Roehampton account (something that should happen very soon!) but it promises to included student welfare, educational, and tutoring services. These may be different in the summer term than in the regular academic year, but each flat of summer students also has access to a Roehampton RA trained to help International students adjust.
•  FULL-TIME STATUS:
• 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.) 
• 60 UK credits per term at Roehampton, 12 hours at MC.
•  What is the minimum number of courses you have to take to be full-time there and full-time here?
• Between 3 and 4 at either institution

Blog 2

I think that I have plenty to offer as an American student who is biracial. For the cultural context survey, I scored a 0 when taking the difference between my low context and high context values. Therefore, when going to a country like Northern Ireland for example who is primarily low context, I feel as if I am at an even playing field to interpret the culture. My mother is from the Philippines, and Asian countries are typically more high-context. However, my father is from the United States, which is known for its low context culture. Throughout my life, I remember comparing the dynamic of the two cultures, and often times, I found myself with unanswered questions about the Filipino culture. I had to greet all of my relatives or family friends with taking their hand and putting it to my head as a sign of respect. I always had to take my shoes off before entering a home. I had rice with every meal and ate with my fingers as utensils. I had to call every Filipino I met “tito” or “tita” (uncle or aunt). Also, I noticed that generations of families lived together under one roof. When I asked the reason for any of this my mother often answered with “that’s just the way things are”; there was no rhyme or reason for anything it seemed like. But I understand that these undefined features are what gives Filipinos their identity, and they are free to behave in any way that makes sense to them.
I can apply this experience during my study abroad experience by keeping my curiosity and trying to find the reason for their culture through history. They are known as a low context country, like the United States, so I could easily get by on the daily without trying to engage. I aspire to search for the roots of the tree, not just the branches and leaves (in reference to the culture tree discussed in class). I’ve always been one to ask questions, and even though it will be easy to avoid them since the US and Ireland are similar in a sense, I know that I will still ask. I could accomplish this indirectly by reading the news and refreshing myself on the history of Northern Ireland. Also, I could delve deeper, make relations with the natives, and ask them upfront about their cultural values.
As for sharing my own experience, I am willing to share with anyone who will listen! I will find some type of common ground with some of my peers and go from there. For example, I love to run, paint, cook, pray, and read. These passions have the potential to be universal. Following this, I plan on hanging out with people who are interested in the same things as me and then comparing stories of their culture in relation to mine, which is unique as an American. I’m eager to get my story out, and I hope that they are too.

Blog 1

By studying abroad in Northern Ireland, I would benefit academically, professionally, and most importantly, personally.
In terms of academics, I have plans on taking classes that are not offered at Maryville College. We do not offer an Environmental Science major at Maryville College; our class selection is very limited. I will be taking classes that would otherwise not be available to me if I stayed on campus next fall.
In addition to this, I plan on improving in my field professionally. I will be networking with fellow scientists abroad. Science is a universal language that I have the opportunity to communicate in Northern Ireland. The school that I am attending is known for their STEM credibility, which is essential for me as a Biology major. I also intend on getting my Tier 4 Student Visa to then volunteer abroad. I’m getting my nonprofit professional certification after I graduate Maryville College because I ultimately want to work for or manage a nonprofit organization dedicated to a more ecofriendly world. I already have connections with a nonprofit on the outskirts of Belfast thanks to a professor of mine, Dr. Threadgill. This will allow me to see how nonprofit organizations function abroad in terms of fundraising, need, and marketing.
As for personally, I would like to broaden my perspective and question by boundaries as an American. I feel as if I have lived a conserved life where I was often times told what to believe without explanation, which I found very interesting. Now, I can then challenge these beliefs of mine with another cultures. I hope to find common ground with people to then get a bigger sense of how the world truly operates.
Even though I may seem like I have it figured out and that I’m ready to conquer the world, I’m not. I’m actually pretty nervous to leave my family. My parents and grandparents aren’t in the best health condition. So I feel as if I may be so concerned with them that I don’t experience Northern Ireland to its full potential. I hope I’m not too consumed on facetime.
In addition to the previous things that I have mentioned that I plan on doing, I hope to travel every chance I get, truly learn about the in and outs of their culture, and make lifelong friendships.

Blog 3 Academic Differences

Even though the university system in New Zealand is based on the British system, there are many similarities between them and MC.  

At Universities in New Zealand, classes assign fewer homework assignments but readings are assigned and to do well on the midterm paper and final it is essential to keep up with them. The only assignments are usually a midterm paper and a final exam each worth 50% of the grade. This is different from MC because we have many assignments due throughout the semester each worth a different amount of points. The mid-term and final assignments are still weighted heavily but are usually worth around only 15- 20% of the final grade each.

 The classroom culture is less interactive in New Zealand than it is at MC. In a normal MC class the format is more Socratic and students can ask questions of the professor directly. The classes are much larger in New Zealand universities lecture classes and then there are smaller review based supplemental classes where there is more interaction with the professor.

 At MC, a semester is about 15 weeks long, punctuated by a few long weekends or extended breaks like fall or spring break. The first few weeks of the semester usually start out slowly as the professor sets expectations for the class. Then, towards the middle of the semester, the pace picks up for midterm exams and projects, and the pace does not slow down until after the final exam. In New Zealand, the semesters are about the same length, but they have a longer mid-semester break of about two weeks instead of more frequent shorter breaks, and a week-long study break before their final exams.

  New Zealand universities and MC are similar in that professors are very approachable, responsive to emails, and willing to take time out of their schedules to meet with students. However, the student-professor relationship in New Zealand is much more casual. Professors usually go by their first names, and do not usually keep office hours like professors do at MC.

 In New Zealand, credits are normally worth 18 points which is equivalent to 3-4 U.S. credit hours.

 Students in New Zealand take about the same number of equivalent credit hours as students in the U.S., or even slightly less at 12 to 16 hours a semester.In New Zealand classes meet about three times a week. 15 to 20 points at a New Zealand University is equivalent to 3 MC credit hours.

In New Zealand and the U.S., A’s, B’s, and C’s are equivalent, but U.S. D’s are considered “Restricted passes” and F’s are considered D’s or E’s.

In New Zealand the kind of support universities provide to their students is similar to what is provided in the U.S.  At Victoria University Wellington, they offer disability services, counseling, international student support, and academic services like MC, but they also offer Te Pūtahi Atawhai, which is special academic and personal support for Maori students. 

 To be Full time at MC, students must take 12 credit hours a semester. At Victoria University Wellington, full time is 48 points a semester. They both work out to taking about three classes a semester.

Sources: https://teanabroad.org/blog/differences-studying-college-new-zealand-usa/

http://www.universitiesnz.ac.nz/files/New%20Zealand%20Universities%20-%20Semester%20Dates%202017%20v2.pdf

https://www.apistudyabroad.com/advisors/credit-transfer/

https://applications.wes.org/country-resources/resources.asp

https://www.victoria.ac.nz/

Blog 2: An American Abroad

In the next year I will need to adjust to two very different cultures, not only from each other but also from America. As such, I will receive a lot of experience on how to adjust. My biggest strength is my self-reliance. As long as I have myself, I can do just about anything. I've never felt homesick, though I don't have enough experience to know for certain. My other strength is in my flexibility. When conflicts and issues inevitably arise, I'm sure I can adjust and manage them wisely. However, this leads into my biggest weakness, my experience. I don't have enough experience living in different cultures and places to know exactly how I'll feel. I'm excited and believe I will thrive, but I'm not confident in myself, especially when it comes to the level of Spanish that will be required in Argentina. Everyone says it is an adjustment that takes time, and I'm sure I will be able to do so, though I don't know how long or how painful that will be for me. I'm also very introverted, so it'll take some effort to get me out of my comfort zone to where I can immerse myself fully. To combat this, I will make sure to practice when I can and be more flexable when it comes to reaching out to others for help when it is necessary.
As an American, I might stand out a bit in these countries, in particular Japan. However, I am excited to not only learn from others but to help others learn and to be a proud ambassador of America. I feel as though both places have more contrast than not; my more open and nonchalant attitude will fit better in Latin America than Japan. Since I've only really lived in the States for my entire existence, it is difficult to know what people think on the outside. I'm interested in seeing others initial perceptions of me.

Being Abroad as a Citizen of the US

From what I can tell, the Czech Republic shares a lot of cultural similarities with the United States. People are open-minded and share a respect for nature/the environment. I've only interacted with one person from the Czech Republic so I'm not sure if that gives me a full picture. I hope I can easily interact and adjust to the culture since I consider myself to be a very open-minded person.

I'm a pretty extroverted person and will have to judge whether I can be myself around those I will be interacting with. For the first couple days, I will spend time watching how the locals interact and judge whether I can be my loud boisterous self.

An American Abroad

     In preparing to go abroad I feel very prepared for whatever comes my way.  I believe that my independence and openness to try new things will be very helpful with the new cultural aspects Costa Rica will bring me.  I feel this will help me in falling into the day to day aspects of life with a lessened need for "outside interactions" with others, but will also allow me to comfortably interact with others as I chose to.  However, I feel that my flexibility may be something I will struggle with (ie timeliness and need for detailed information). 
     I believe I bring many strengths with me when it comes to international travel and abroad assignments.  I have traveled around the world via my time in the military and have developed the ability to adapt quickly to new environments.  This familiarity to uncomfortable situations and excessive moving have set me up with many ways to breach new cultures and unfamiliar areas confidently and respectfully.  In entering this new culture I do not feel uncomfortable or nervous, but excited and prepared.
     I do understand there will still be many challenges for me, as there are in all new cultural situations.  I believe the biggest problems I will have is the language and cultural norm barriers (not knowing how things operate daily).  My plan of action in dealing with this is to utilize my home-stay family in my personal time.  I plan to try to integrate myself with them very quickly no matter the situation.  I feel that the home-stay family is a great tool to use in better understanding the cultural norms and language barrier.  I believe being able to not only interact with the home-stay family, but also watching them interact with their surroundings will allow me to quickly take aim at better understanding the obstacles I will face.
     As an American abroad I intend to teach and educate as much as I learn.  I am very open to talking about myself and my culture and hope for the opportunity to return the favor of educating others.  I think my actions will show those I interact with that we are not that different and hold many of the same norms and values, but in different locations.  I hope to show those around me positive aspects of my own character as well as positive identifiers of the American culture such as a strong work ethic, intellect, curiosity and pride.

An American Abroad

An American in Costa Rica

When I took the Self-Audit, this is how I ranked myself: (1) Openness (2) Independence and (3) Flexibility. I am strong in the openness spectrum because I have always been good at interacting with different types of people and I don't mind answering questions regarding myself. I find people extremely interesting, so this will be helpful when it comes to learning about and adapting to the culture in Costa Rica. 

That being said, I am not as strong when it comes to flexibility. Although I enjoy meeting new people and spontaneous situations, I am not comfortable dealing with vagueness or having a lack of detailed information. This will be a challenge to me. I will have to learn to go with the flow and just embrace the moments as they come. 

A few strategies I will use to help me while I am abroad, is finding a common ground within our cultures. I plan on bringing a book or coloring book for whenever I get overwhelmed so that I will have an outlet. Another thing I would like to do is engage in a lot of outdoor activities. Hopefully this will get me out of my comfort zone while enjoying the natural beauty of Costa Rica. They are very strong in their conservation of nature and I love that! 

Overall, I would say that I characterize myself as independent, individualistic, curious, and accepting. These qualities will help me in terms of understanding my own culture in comparison to the one I am living in. I will bring these qualities with me and continue to respect the one qualities of those I meet in Costa Rica.

A Honduran Studying in the USA Going Abroad

Going abroad might as well be the very best test to see what your weaknesses and strengths are and what is the best way to apply those in different situations. Having previous abroad experience and currently being in one helps me tremendously since I am familiarized with the situation.  I know what it is to be in a place where everything is different, to not understand what people are saying and having to make friends by myself. Still, the beauty of any abroad experience is that it will ALWAYS be different. There will be certain commonalities but no experience will be the same twice. For the commonalities, I believe my strengths are being able to adapt easily to different scenarios and types of people, observe, and not have expectations. In a sense, all of these are closely tighten up in a bundle. Having no expectations meaning that I try my hardest to not have any preconceived stereotypes of people or things, just common knowledge of the culture, enables me to not judge. By not judging, I can adapt to different scenarios without feeling uncomfortable. Through both processes, observing what people do and trying to understand why they do so, instead of imposing my traditions, helps people feel comfortable when sharing their culture with me. 

Now, since no abroad experience is the same as another, there will still be some cultural shock or my cultural baggage might affect me at some point. I am used to a culture where hugging and kissing is something normal. We are used to proximity. In the USA, personal space is something very important for people. Still, when people feel comfortable with you, they will let you break that personal space barrier. But in Japan, they have a big no touching culture. That might be difficult for me to get used to. Also, the fact that I have traveled before may negatively affect me by believing I already know a lot. Every experience is new and should be seen with fresh and new eyes. I do not want to appear to others as disrespectful or something along those lines. Also, I want to stay away from the "international students' bubble". I don't want to get so comfortable there that I forget about making bonds with Japanese people. 

Lastly, I want to be able to teach others about my culture. I would love to teach them why we are so close to our family or that we are similar in the respect levels towards older people. There will always be things to have in common with other people. I want to use my culture as a tool to connect with others. Find similarities make connections and friendships through them. I am looking forward to the growth this experience will bring for me! 

Blog 2: An Independent Introvert Abroad

Probably the most startling thing I discovered about myself in the culture surveys was how strongly I align with low culture. Fortunately, I'm going to the UK (another low culture country), where this is a strength and not a hindrance. A lot of the traits of low cultures are attributes about myself that I consider to be tools as I prepare to travel abroad; I am direct, punctual, happily independent, and able to be aloof when the situation demands it, but also able and willing to participate in small-talk. My American straightforwardness helps me cut through to the information I need when something is unclear. 

My introversion is a potential concern when traveling abroad, as it could prevent me from speaking up or stepping outside my comfort zone of solitude to make new friends. However, I am outgoing enough to ask for directions or advice (I'm the kind of person who asks a waiter what he or she likes best on a restaurant's menu if I'm not sure what to order). I will be making a conscious effort to make sure that my introversion doesn't keep me from missing out on any experiences while abroad. One way to counter this is to use my skills at planning and researching to pre-plan excursions and adventures so that I'll already know what I want to do. I'm hoping to do considerably more research before the summer, to find restaurants, museums, markets, etc. to explore; by digging deep into TripAdvisor in preparation for past trips, I've found some real gems, and have found that I feel better equipped to avoid tourist traps when I can read local opinions before I travel. 

More than being American, I'm looking forward to educating my new peers about my identity as an Appalachian. Any opportunity to redirect misconceptions about "hillbillies" and "rednecks" is exciting for me as an App'n Studies minor. My accent is a quick giveaway whenever I'm out of the Southern states, and it opens doors for conversations about what people think about Appalachia and where their assumptions originated. I'm planning to take a daytrip to Cardiff, and I'm excited to explore the connections between Wales and Appalachia, as both were historically exploited for their natural resources, leaving behind poverty and stereotypes. Being a native Appalachian helps me to access these concepts, even outside of my own native region. 

I know that my experience abroad will reveal a variety of vulnerabilities I didn't know I had, but I think the culture surveys are helpful in showing me examples of how I can deal with those issues as they arise; knowing how to play to my strengths and sidestep my weaknesses is an important tool that I can implement as new scenarios crop up. 

An American Abroad

Even though New Zealand is a relatively similar culture to the U.S., it is halfway across the world and I have never interacted with anyone from New Zealand, so more subtle cultural identities would be new to me. Because I scored more on the open-minded end of the spectrum, I can more easily connect with New Zealand’s culture because I am willing to experience new things. I am also detail oriented and have already started to research activities around Wellington. For example, when looking for a cheap meal option in the city I came across an organization with a local university that offers a five-dollar yoga class and dinner afterward. 

However, I am more introverted and am still working on my independence so this trip will test my ability to advocate for myself and proactively solve problems as they come plus feel comfortable possibly exploring on my own. I also do not have much solo travel experience, making navigating busy international airports, and a new city challenging. I want to show the people I meet that being an American to me means respecting others from all backgrounds and listening to their perspectives. It means taking care of the environment and working personally and with the community to make lifestyle changes that benefit the planet. I want to convey that Americans can be empathetic and self-aware.

Blogger Tips

Study Abroad Blogger Tips

The first step to writing a blog post is often the most difficult. Deciding on a topic can be a challenge. Hopefully, this post can help.

While you should always consider your audience, you also need to keep yourself in mind. Always try to write about experiences that you are comfortable with sharing. To me, blogs are like journals without all of the personal commitment.

Here’s some tips to help with your blogs:

Look at other travel blogs

Everyone has different experiences, but looking at other people's blogs might give you some ideas for developing your own.

Take and share lots of pictures

I’m not suggesting that you remain committed to photographing everything you encounter, but it’s nice to look back on photos when you return home. I love looking through my photo albums.

Update regularly 

It’s important to keep up with the blog on a regular schedule. If you don't do this, it might be difficult to get into the habit of posting. You don't want to look back and wish you would have been more active while you were abroad.

Share on social media for friends and family

Your friends and family probably aren't aware of this blog site, and want to know about your adventures. By sharing your posts on social media, you can keep them in the loop.

Some suggestions/ ideas for possible blog posts:

Life in your City/ University

This could help others decide if the country or university is the right choice for them.

Local Foods and Drinks

I know that this might seem boring at first, but I find that many Instagram accounts are often dedicated to food.

Experiences using Foreign Language

Stories about language communication and barriers are often very entertaining. Telling these stories can make your blog very lighthearted and entertaining to readers.

Famous Places/Popular Travel Destinations

Describing the cultural importance of these places can be a great conversation starter. You can also make all sorts of useful suggestions for others who might be interested in visiting these sites.

There’s an endless amount of possibilities when it comes to making a blog post. Keeping up with a blog might be stressful, but it is something amazing that you can look back on!

While trying to decide on which tips to share, I found this awesome blog post which goes way more in-depth than me: https://capaworld.capa.org/15-tips-for-writing-an-awesome-study-abroad-blog 

Marlena Madden