International Exchange
I can't believe my time here at SRU is
nearly up! Only 32 more days until us #irishontour fly to Boston for some Christmas shopping. On the 20th of December I will be back on Irish soil ready to eat all round me during the Christmas season. This is undoubtedly one of the best experiences of my life to date. I have learned so much during my time here and met the most amazing people. I can honestly say I have friends from nearly every part of the world now, which is pretty cool!
College life is a lot different in Ireland. We do not get to pick/schedule our
classes. Instead, we are given our timetables at the beginning of each semester. This could be a blessing or a curse in my opinion, depending if you like the class or not. However, I believe it is a good thing because I know I would be very stressed when it comes to
scheduling :L
We don't have continuous assessment either, we have around 3
assignments per class and one big test at the end of the semester (which is worth the majority of your final grade for that class). It can be up to 85% - YES it is STRESSFUL!!! I do prefer the system here, even though it is a lot more work,
I find the assignments easier and the final exam isn't all or nothing which is nice. The good
thing about classes in Ireland is that we have no such thing as 8 am's. One thing I will not miss here I can tell you :P
Going on International Exchange is such a great experience and I would highly recommend it. You learn about different cultures
and how people in different parts of the world go about their daily lives. You also learn a lot about yourself. Don't know if anyone has noticed but i'm far from reserved (haha). At least I know I am very independent and have defiantly caught the travelling bug. I am determined to travel the world once I graduate.
Just for a bit of fun here is some of the American lingo I have come across here and how we would say them back in Ireland:
trashcan = bin
vacuum = hoover
period = full stop
eraser = rubber
E brake = handbrake
turd = poo
po po = gardaí
douchebag = eejit
turn
up or transfer = go hard or go home
what's up = what's the craic
I am sure it is hard but a lot of fun to come as an exchange student to Slippery Rock. I would really like to travel out of The United States one day and your post makes going to another country sound like a wonderful experience. It was great to see the comparisons of the Irish college system to here. Scheduling is very stressful sometime I feel like it would be very nice to just be put into classes, then you know you are in the classes you need. It is crazy how your grades there are mainly based off exam grades; I would never be able to do that. It sounds like you are enjoying your time here and getting to explore a lot of the American culture. I enjoy seeing your comparisons and look forward to seeing more of your post about your time here. I hope you make the most out of the rest of your time here.
ReplyDeleteI think it is so neat that you guys got to come here! That is so interesting on how college in Ireland is so much different than here in the U.S. I am so happy that you had such a great time here and have met so many new people! That is super nice that they schedule for you, even though you don't get to pick your classes. Scheduling is definitely a stressful time. It is pretty much like the Hunger Games around here when scheduling is going on. I loved reading this article and learning more about how Ireland differs from the U.S., education wise! Enjoy the last month you are here, and have a safe trip back home!
ReplyDeleteI think it is so awesome that all of you had the opportunity to come to Slippery Rock and do International Exchange! It's sad that your time here is almost over, I am very glad that I have had the opportunity to get to know you and have you in a few of my classes this semester! I cannot imagine having only 3 assignments/assessments in a year, I get stressed out about a few of the little things we have here! It is crazy how different the college systems work. When Slippery Rock scheduled my first semester for me, I was overwhelmed because I did not necessarily get the classes I would have chosen on my own. I completely agree with you on the fact that 8 AMs suck! I would never choose one for myself (unless there was no other option). Good luck with the rest of your semester here, and I hope you have fun shopping in Boston! I also wish you a safe trip home when the time comes!
ReplyDeleteI glad you decided to share your experiences at Slippery Rock compared to home. It's interesting to hear the things that change from traveling around the world! I would defiantly not like having someone set my schedule, but not having 8am's sounds like a plan. Also, the testing and assignments sounds pretty challenging! It's really cool that you took advantage of traveling around the world during college!
ReplyDeleteYour story added a lot of insight about your experience here at SRU and overseas back home! I am always interested in learning how other countries are different in their educational settings. I have traveled to a few other countries on vacation but never stayed more than a week. Traveling and studying abroad is something that has always been interesting to me and after reading your post I will be thinking about it even more now !
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that you're enjoying your time here at Slippery Rock! I always wanted to travel outside of the U.S whether it be for school or for fun, but I had some doubts of course. Your post makes it sound so much fun and takes some of that doubt away. I knew that schools in other countries were different from the U.S but I never knew in what ways. Its interesting to know that there's no 8ams there (I could definitely get use to that). I enjoyed reading your post and hope that your last month here is full of fun and good memories :).
ReplyDeleteThere is a reason why our class is at 11am. I too hate 8 AM. :)
ReplyDelete