Still trying to understand what is happening…

I have to admit, I have my problems with the American university system. There are major differences that I still need to accustom to.

First of all, what makes for me the biggest difference is, that the students here have a lot of homework. Reading books or writing little papers. I’m really not used to do anything through the whole semester, because a Professor tells me to. This might sound like I am lazy, but I’m really not. Maybe just a little bit spoiled. We also have different classes throughout the week but the only way to show our proficiency is by writing a final exam in the end of the semester, everything before doesn’t really go into the final grade. Neither our oral participation nor any kind of “homework”. Which means, that nobody ever asked me to write 1000 words on any welfare system or to write an one-page essay over my feelings about death.

Second, students in the US are not asked to appear in class regularly but they have to. Right now there are discussions in Germany, if it should be allowed for Professors to have attendance compulsory in their classes or not. Of course a lot of students are against it, but also Professors and other people, as it “takes away the possibility for grown up people to learn in any kind of way they want, as long as they pass their final exam, they’re fine”.

Third, adding to the high tuition fees on Universities comes a high cost for books. I paid about 140 $ for books I need to give back in the end of the semester because I only rent them. Most of the texts I am reading in Germany are uploaded in pdfs by our Professors or printed and handed out in class. I am still a fan of Books and being able to have one in your hand instead of a tablet. And I do understand that the authors of those very specific books need something to eat and maybe a warm fire place, but still, I do not understand the very high prices of books for students.

And finally fourth, something I really like: people of this University are very proud to be here. On my University in Germany you will barely see students in pullovers of the “Hochschule Fulda”, “University of Fulda”. No resident student would ever run around in the colors of the University (which might be also because it is bilious green, white, and gray – barely no one looks good in bilious green). And when we had American students over and they wore our pullovers, I never understood, why somebody would do that. But now that I am here I totally get it and am totally in the purple-yellow-fever. Not only are these colors much more flattering but you feel as a part of the University and this makes much more sense on the SFSU as they have a lot of sport teams and other activities where the University needs to be present. And it also makes me as a foreign student on this big campus feel less foreign when I’m wearing my “Gators”-Shirt.

 

Next time I’ll add some photos, entschuldigung!

 

PS. Note to self: Try to not mistake furniture for funeral. But that’s another story I will tell in some other post.

PS2. Here’s a photo of my “Gators”-Shirt to show that I’m not lying:

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Anna Holefleisch
anna.holefleisch@gmail.com
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