Welcome back! Now, you may be expecting more high-octane, never-before-seen material for this post. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, since I’ve been quite sick and forced to stay in my apartment. Thus, I decided to make this post about some of the more mundane aspects of studying abroad, such as the campus life, classes, and other such things.
Firstly, campus life is quite different. Of course, there are still student associations, sports, and people hanging out, but unlike in the US, it’s often off campus. In France, the US style of college campus, with on-campus dorms, large dining halls, and everything else one could need is not the norm. In France, campuses are usually composed of classrooms, administrative buildings, libraries, etc, but do not have many of the things we would expect since there is no on-campus living. This is especially true for Sciences Po Saint-Germain, as it is quite a small campus. Basically, the entire community of Sciences Po Saint-Germain are commuters.
Classes are also quite different, depending on which language you take them in. Unlike many Worcester State classes, which are more interactive, with the professor asking questions and students responding, classes taught in French (which the French students take) are much more of a lecture style. Classes taught in English (which are mostly made up of international students) are closer to the style we are used to. The way teachers assign work is different too. In the US, teachers will tell us if we need to buy textbooks, and then will outline what chapters to read by what class. In France, textbooks are often seen as a supporting resource to the lectures, and teachers leave it up to the students to find out what to read.
Classes also give less work to do, last longer, but happen less during the week, at least if you are an international student. For me, I am taking 5 classes, each 2 hours long. However, each subject only happens once per week (thus, I have 10 hours of classes per week), which makes the overall amount of class time less than Worcester State. However, I have heard that most French students take 6-7 classes a semester. They also only give a few articles a week to read, and along with optional textbook chapters, results in a relatively small amount of homework compared to the norm at Worcester State. However, to counterbalance this, the final exams are much harder (allegedly). Final exams consist of an essay (the length depends on the teacher) and multiple other smaller written responses to questions. Oh, and everything is also handwritten. Thankfully, English classes are usually a final project or essay like we’re used to at Worcester State.
I would have liked to get right back into the action after coming back from my break, but oh well. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back out soon. In the meantime, thank you all for reading through all my posts!
