17 Dec University

Is American student life very different from the student life that you had in Amsterdam? Many people from home ask me this question. I think it is important to become aware of the differences because if studying would feel exactly the same as studying in the Netherlands, it would be a pretty pointless thing to have come here. Luckily it doesn’t feel the same at all, I guess I am not exaggerating if I can say that I have had a little culture shock here at SFSU. The first difference is that here, students are expected to take 4 courses that last throughout the semester, whereas in the Netherlands every student takes two courses at the same time that each last two months (so you still take four courses within one semester). The workload is about the same. But for me it works a lot better to have only two courses at the same time. When your focus is a bit narrowed down, it allows you to get into the material a lot deeper than when you have so much different other assignments to be done. I guess that is the biggest difference, in America the assignments that I have to do are not necessarily very difficult, it is just that there a so many more different assignments that I have to hand in. Maybe that is why I got a lot better at planning, organizing and multitasking here at SFSU.

Another big difference is that the university is very well resourced. So much is organized from out the university: sports, food, housing, events, committees. In the Netherlands you also have these organizations that are for students, but they are independent from the university. Therefore, when you are studying in the Netherlands, there is a lot more that you have to figure out on your own. Even though it can be helpful when your university has all the resources to built up your life, it can also make you feel like you are a bit secluded from the rest of the world. Also, it can be a very good practice to go out in a new city and look for housing, hobbies and new people by yourself.