Class schedule

The Best Time of the Year

I received an email from my ISU advisor informing me that I would be signing up for classes in two weeks.  I love planning out my new schedule each semester; there is something exciting about deciding what my life will look like and what I will learn in the upcoming term.  Rather than focus on the classes I have chosen for the spring, I thought this would be a good time to examine the differences between classes at ISU and at Hong Kong City University.

Let's play a game: spot the difference

 
My schedule: Spring 2017 @ ISU

I chose to take fewer classes this semester as I am studying abroad and want to have time to explore my new home.

 Each class only meets once a week.

Each class meets for THREE hours at a time.
 
My schedule: Fall 2017 @ HK CityU


Apparently people expect to have much less homework here as there is great disbelief that one of my professors routinely assigns 30 page articles as homework.

The grades are mainly based on midterms and finals.  Half of the classes also include group projects which is rarely fun even in your home culture.

It is conceivably possible that I could have classes on Saturdays or until 10:00 at night.  Thankfully I was spared that experience.

I was expecting to have teachers who were from either Hong Kong or mian land China.  One of my professors is from the US, two are from Australia, and only one is from China.  When I am in class I feel as if I could be at home.  The main difference is that I often ask questions in class and the professors here are not used to that (confession time: in these classes I am the only one who asks questions, but there is so much I don't know and want to understand).

The class schedule is very different here and I am still adjusting to three-hour-long courses.  The courses I am taking are very interesting and are not available at ISU.  I am enjoying exploring my new home, but I am also very much enjoying the "study" aspect of my study abroad.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Surviving the airport

Image
Also known as " how long is my layover?!" As you prepare to travel internationally you will soon realize that there is no such thing as a direct flight from Des Moines to your destination.  When I applied to study in Hong Kong I had no idea that the city I'd end up fixating on in my travels was Los Angeles (LA).  I can only shake my head in amazed disbelief at the fact that I have had two twenty-plus hour layovers in LA.  Layovers, security, and the airplane rides themselves are all things that lie between you and your destination.  Below are some lessons and observations I have gleaned from my travels that will hopefully help you get through the different ordeals and survive the airport. Packing your carry-on The sad truth is that regardless of how well thought out and carefully packed your suitcase is, the very first thing you do once beginning your journey is to say goodbye to your suitcase at the check-in counter.  From there on out you must rely...
Read more

Amazing

Image
"The summer weather here is amazing!" - Finnish girl in my class  Class eyed her in disbelief as the average day here is 90 °F with a humidity level  ranging between 70 - 90%.  But it got me thinking...       I concur
Read more

Mistakes to expect when learning about a place

Image
"Welcome to Hong Kong, your new home for the next four months and a place beyond your wildest dreams."  I mean that quite literally as I was apparently imagining a completely different city, a fact that became clear within my first few days in Hong Kong.  Growing up in the US, when I think of cities I automatically picture New York City.  Hearing that Hong Kong had over 8 million people in a very small area I figured that it would look much like Manhattan - dense with lots of high-rises.  And looking at pictures of the two, I unconsciously decided that they must be very similar, at least in layout. New York Apparent Similarities: 1) Concrete masses 2) Skyscrapers 3) Lovely city night lights 4) Large populations and thus many things to do Hong Kong Differences upon arrival : 1) Hong Kong is tropical (which i knew) and thus is part jungle (which was completely unexpected). Note: New York = concrete mass + Central Park 2) Hong Kong is built ...
Read more