Wednesday, February 6, 2013

They have school in paradise, too

Believe it or not, I actually do need to go to school while I am here as well, it's not all just fun and games and swimming in the pool.. Although, yes, that's a lot of it. In fact, one of the largest challenges I've had since I've been in Singapore is finding the motivation to do schoolwork when I feel like I am on vacation! 
That being said, here are a few key differences I have observed between NTU and CMU:

1. Drop/Add period- One of the strangest things to get used to is the fact that NTU has drop/add period for the first two weeks of classes. As an exchange student, if I wanted to switch my schedule around I needed to do it during this time. This includes getting potential classes approved, arranging a schedule, arranging a backup schedule (in case you don't get into some), applying to be put into those actual classes, and then trying to foresee which you will actually be placed in so you can attend the first few weeks of lectures. It was all pretty confusing to figure out, but I have survived and am scheduled for 4 classes and total of 15 credits! 

My Schedule: It's a little wacky, but it does the trick.
No class on Tuesday or Friday! 

2. Exams- At Central, people often complain when their final exam is worth 40% of their grade for the class. However, at NTU it is the norm for your final exam to be worth a whopping 70% of your grade! The grades are a lot less spread out which means less quizzes, midterms, homework assignments, etc., but also more independent learning. It makes sense why exam week(s) are such a big deal here. I have a few weeks off of class before exams, just for preparation!    

3. Being the minority- It might seem like a given, but as an exchange student, I am usually a minority on campus- especially in my classes. For instance, in my statistics lecture I am the only exchange student out of 220! This has been a new experience for me, and little difficult to get used to. However, I'm sure when I get back to the U.S. it will seem strange to not be surrounded by Asian students every day! 

4. Tutorials- Most of my classes are split up into two parts, lecture and tutorial. Depending on the classes, they can be structured a little differently. For the most part, during lecture the professor presents material and more theoretical things. Then, during the tutorial sessions, you will be in a smaller group of people (similar to a lab) and work on the practical applications. In the previously mentioned statistics class, I have three hours of lecture every week, then 1 hour of tutorial during which my teaching assistant goes through assigned problems and demonstrates how to do them step by step. However, in my "Sexuality and Society" class, the tutorials are spent with in-depth group discussion.

Overall, I am glad for the opportunity to observe a new type of educational system! I can see pros and cons to each, and am interested to see how the semester will turn out. I am still playing a little catch-up from classes missed during those first two weeks of schedule-adjusting, but am starting to settle into the general swing of things. 

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