While I'm here I am taking 5 classes- English, Public Health and Promotion, Ethics, Australian History, and Archaeology. Each class is broken down into a two hour lecture period and a one hour tutorial (called tutes for short) only once a week. Its definitely going to be an adjustment to only having a class once a week, when at UP it would be two or three times a week- but this leaves plenty of extra time to study (or go to the beach).
One difference that I will definitely have to work on is calling my professors by their first name. The classroom setting in Australia is definitely more informal than in the states. Also, they don't even call them professors- its lecturer or tutor. But every lecturer and tutor that I have interacted with here has been welcoming and friendly to all of us study abroad students. They are laid back- but not so much where it interferes with our learning, and its been great so far.
The grading system here is probably the most different. Your grade is based on maybe 4 things at most- an essay, a presentation, a group project, and a final exam. This means that there is more riding on each assignment, and less opportunities to raise your grade if for some reason one assignment doesn't go well. Can you say pressure…
I have loved having classes with Australians though. Its nice to have a few familiar faces in my class (I don't think I have one class without at least one other student from UP), but we are trying our best to branch out and meet as many people as we can while we are here, and make the most of this opportunity. The classroom is one of the only places to meet other Australian students anyway, since most other students commute to school.
I am super excited to be at the University of Notre Dame this semester, and to experience university life in a different country.
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| First day of school :) |
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| Roomie love- and a photo bomb by Bryan |
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