After having lived at San Francisco State University for over a month and participating in classes for a similar amount of time, there are many elements of the University system that differ here compared to what I’m used to back at the University of Hull. This blog will primarily focus on the differences and arguably ‘culture shock’ I have felt within the education element of my life studying abroad. That's not to say things are ‘better’ in one place than the other, it’s definitely not a one size fits all scenario.
The first difference I encountered occurred a considerable amount of time before I even applied to SFSU. Part of my application to the university involved me stating which classes I would enrol in but even before that, I had to present my top choices of universities in the states to my classmates and lecturers back home, which had to include which modules caught my attention and why. The sheer number of classes available was something new to me, almost overwhelming. Now, back home, we pick a course and then there’s much fewer options and chances for variation within that timetable, I know for my course we would just vote in class which module a lecturer would teach us out of two options. Admittedly, my course is rather small, so we all had to do the same thing (hence the vote) but even my friends on other courses only had limited options, with most people taking the same thing. Of course, I’m aware of the unique position my course back home puts me in since I can, in theory, choose any class of a certain level since it’s applicable to ‘American Studies’ so my world opens up, but there’s still such a wider range of options or ‘electives’ students here can choose from and that’s something I’m trying to make the most of by doing classes I otherwise wouldn't have the option to do.
While on the topic of how varied classes can be, the GE requirements don’t exist back home since everyone has to be at a certain level academically in English, Maths and Science to even be considered for the exams we take to get into university. This means once you’re there, you only do topics related to your major and don't have to spend time on base topics, you focus on the more specialised ones. I understand the appeal of GEs since some of the classes I know count for them seem quite interesting but at the same time, you could choose them if you find it interesting regardless of having a quota to fulfil.
I think another reason why GEs must seem so ‘foreign’ to me (excuse the pun) at university is because, for the most part, university courses are only 3 years long in England unless it’s a career path like architecture or something within healthcare etc. Having ‘majors’ and ‘minors’ isn’t something I’m used to, if people want to change their course, they consult someone (generally after 1st year and do so). I understand the appeal of having an extra two years to figure out what you want to do before you commit to a degree, but I think because we narrow our choices down with A-levels at the age of 16 (where students pick 3-4 subjects to study for the next two years and the grades from them are what universities look at) that expanding choice again seems counterproductive and time-consuming. At the same time, people can start university here at a younger age and since the system with High School is different here, it makes more sense.
Each week’s structure is also something I’ve had to adjust to as every class back home is on the timetable twice; once for a lecture where we are introduced to the material or topic for the week, and once for a seminar where we discuss that topic or material. Here, those concepts either intertwined or solely one or the other so it’s new to me having each class follow a different structure. Again, it’s not something good or bad, just different and it means I have to be more aware of what’s required out of class since it differs. While mentioning structure, all universities back home (with the exception of a couple specific courses) keep Wednesday afternoons clear of classes because it’s ‘Sports Wednesday’. Simply put, what this means is that if you’re on a sports team (club or university specific), all league games or ‘BUCS’ (British Universities and College Sports) are scheduled for a Wednesday afternoon. They’re kept clear so you can either compete for your uni or go support your friends who are doing so. Because the college sport system here isn’t the same, that timetable consideration naturally doesn’t exist for all students. However, it does seem like most students have Fridays off or fewer classes on a Friday, showing some similarities if not for the same reasons.
Overall, as I’ve mentioned, these are just elements of the academic side of life at SFSU that I’ve noticed are different to back in England. It may not be things that initially jump out to you or things one would imagine are done differently somewhere else and they aren’t exactly groundbreaking differences, admittedly I had to sit and think about some of them before I realised they changed. Again, it isn’t me criticising one country’s methods for higher education, I feel both have their strengths and weaknesses and in an ideal world I could choose parts to keep and ones to disregard. As time goes on and we enter mid-terms and finals, I’ll likely have more items to add to this list (like the fact we don’t have mid-terms or finals!) and I’ll become more used to this way of schooling. It’s unrealistic to say my opinions will change completely, I’ll likely stay more stuck in my ways that embracing the new but it won’t be until I return to England that I’ll miss some topics touched upon in this blog.