College Career = Screwed

Here's a little rant from dear ol' me over across the pond on a much needed study (and writing... poor hand) break.

I don't know if I've explained the English University system enough, if at all, on this blog so let me clarify -

When you are a dear ol' Brit, full of cheer, you strap up for university after high school and college for only 3 years, that's right 3. You take around 4-5 classes a semester (some are one semester, some are all year) depending on the intensity and amount of information. Naturally, unlike Gettysburg, they are weighted accordingly. You go to lectures, which are literally a summary of what you read and the powerpoints, to listen to a professor read the book and powerpoint. You go to seminar to have a discussion about this with your peers - yet another review. However, you don't ever fully learn anything because you're basically reading the information and regurgitating it. Now, you have maybe an exam, maybe a paper to do and that's it. Yep. Then you have a four week break after Spring semester and you return for about a months worth of of finals for ALL (I repeat all - fall & spring) of your classes (unless you get lucky and some professor decides to give your final early).

What is the purpose of this you say?

Well you're not really taught anything (as stated before) so you get ALL year to teach yourself and build upon (or even 4 weeks) what you've learned. It's a lot of information in a short time, and due to no previous experience other than ONE essay or exam, you should be better prepared and such.

So naturally, when you're an abroad student, and forced to take an exam someone would have 5 months to prepare for in one week (because, you have still be learning up to this point - by yourself) you're screwed. And you don't know how well prepared you are for the British grading system because, Hey! All your work is due at once! And it's only 2 papers. Or 2 tests. Or a test and a paper. That's it. You're grade is literally riding on one moment in your life.

Oh and the best part of the British University system is that, the tests are designed to be hard. They are designed like this because they know that if a student fails, they have the option to retake it in the summer before fall term next year starts up. With no penalty. So if you don't do well, you can learn from your mistakes and take it again. So the British university system is flawless for success.

Then when you're from America you don't get that option. So the British university system is a similarity to competitive Japan where if you fail on one test you have no future, your life is over, and you should probably see a therapist.

Wish me good luck with my impending doom - maybe now that I got this off my chest I can concentrate more on not failing.

The preoccupation with my depression of leaving isn't helping either.