Happy midterm season. I wish I could commiserate but I’m only in my second week of classes. My semester hasn’t even reached the point where I feel guilty for procrastinating.
Right now, you’re probably feeling pretty fed up with UNC and its never-ending stream of exams, papers and group projects. It’s OK, be fed up, just know that it could be a lot more complicated.
In theory, college in Australia is not that different from college in the United States. Rather than two or three lectures each week, classes here only meet twice a week — once for a two-hour lecture and once for a smaller recitation, called a tutorial.
In practice, it’s much more confusing. Some classes have three lectures per week, but the meeting time and classroom change each day. One of my classes has only lecture for the first six weeks and only tutorial for the next six. Instead of a single professor, each of my courses has two or three professors that switch off throughout the semester.
If you think this sounds confusing, you’re absolutely right. I accidentally skipped two classes last week — not intentionally, I just couldn’t figure out what was mandatory and what wasn’t.
Sometimes the new system is nerve wracking. I hate not knowing what’s happening, like there’s no structure to my weeks. Other times I’m grateful for it. I have fewer assessments and class attendance is not mandatory. My schedule is more flexible and allows me to travel as much as I want.
There are no small assignments or quizzes; my professors don’t check each week to make sure I’m keeping up. My education is my responsibility. I chose to study abroad because I wanted to become more independent, and this school is forcing me to do just that.
I love Australia and I love the University of Queensland, but I’ll be more than happy to return to the semi-structured classes of UNC come fall.
So do me a favor and tell your professors thank you. Thank them for giving you multiple assignments so you have multiple chances to succeed. Thank them for always holding lecture at the same time, in the same classroom. Thank them for making a syllabus so you actually know when you have homework due.
