I have lately been thinking of myself as two people. Scottish Claudia and American Claudia. Scottish Claudia is INFINITELY cooler.
In America, I fall prey to the temptation of wearing sweatpants and sweatshirts to class all the time, and if not that, jeans and a T shirt or hoodie. Here, I don't even have a hoodie, and I have maybe two t-shirts. I also don't own any sneakers. I shouldn't be defining myself by possessions here, but I feel like it actually makes a huge difference in my life. I think I am changing for the better: I feel more ambitious, motivated, and confident. I talk to people I don't know, I go to parties, I jump at the opportunity to participate in a dance that I have no idea how to perform (well... I did at the ceilidh, even if I wouldn't try out swing dancing in a style I didn't know). I guess that there is comfort in the fact that a lot of other people at the university ceilidhs also have no idea what they are doing.
Also, my flatmate Katherine and I cook a lot. I feel like we've made more different and exciting things in the last week than I made in an entire school year of living in my apartment last year. In less coolness, but more better personness, I've already started doing work for classes and we're only 2 days into the semester. I woke up at 8:30 am and was at the library by 10:15. Go ME! I'm working on learning how to be a better student and really making the most of my academic opportunities, because I only have three classes, so it's a little harder to get overwhelmed by different material.
I went with my friend Lauren to a place called the Jazz Bar tonight. We had been planning to go to a Uni-sponsored white t-shirt party (neon pens, blacklights), but the posters lied and said the shirts were free, which they weren't. Also, it looked like it sucked, so we just decided to go to the bar. There was an open mic night, and Lauren decided to go up and sing. She was absolutely amazing. I always find myself really jealous of anybody with actual musical talent. It was very strange because it seemed like everybody who went up to play with the band was from Ohio (including Lauren). How unlikely is it that there would be so many Ohioans who don't know each other, in Edinburgh, in the same bar!?
We ended up sitting with these two guys who go to a different university around Edinburgh. They were both 18, and really excited to hear about American university parties. First, let me comment on how strange it is to be sitting in a bar, drinking with 18-year-olds. I think they must have been recently 18, because they were a little overenthusiastic in ordering beers. I had a Blue Moon, and one of the guys, after dissing all American beers, decided he had to try one, and then proceeded to have like, 4 more.
Second, they couldn't figure out why we had come to Edinburgh from America, since they both said that all they wanted to do was move to America. They were both blues guitarists, and they were so passionate and about blues, that I was a little surprised. One of them asked me about the Chicago Blues Festival when I told him I was from Chicago, and also asked if I had ever been to Buddy Guy's Legends, and an assortment of other clubs. Crazy.
Third, one of the guys had a picture of himself doing a keg stand with a tiny Euro-sized keg. Lauren and I explained that no, we hadn't done keg stands, because we are responsible, mature girls, but that there are people who do that sort of thing. They thought that frats and frat parties were just mythical things that didn't actually exist, so I told them about my tradition of watching drunk girls fall over on frat row every Halloween. They laughed and said they'd like to see that someday, as if it were Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon. I find it hilarious how everybody asks about things like beer pongs, uni parties, red Solo cups, and so on and so forth. It makes me wish I had gone to more parties at Minnesota so I could have more stories to entertain my Scottish friends. So, uh, now I'm gathering stories in Scotland to tell my Minnesotan friends. That's how this exchange thing works, right?
Okay, 3 am has arrived, so even though I don't have class on Wednesdays, it's probably time to go to sleep so I can hit up the library at a reasonable hour. I'll post about my classes by the end of the week. So far, they are, for the most part, excellent!! My family visit weekend has been moved to this weekend due to a conflict with a field trip when I was supposed to go, so that will be another experience to look out for.
OH, one more thing. I have a recently formed addiction to WNYC Radiolab. It is really amazing, and I highly recommend listening to the podcasts off of iTunes (particularly the episodes on Words and Falling)!
Showing posts with label university. Show all posts
Showing posts with label university. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
so my last post seems to have caused quite a stir...
Let me defend myself here for a moment:
I'm not saying the Danish system is not good. It's wonderful that anybody has the opportunity to go to college. I think what I mean is that I cherish my education with a particular fervor, because I had to earn it (sort of). A degree is not a magical piece of paper, but I think the point my Danish friend was trying to make was that since you go to school for something incredibly specific (i.e., he goes for performance arrangement, which as far as I can tell means booking shows), when you do time in that, but then decide to be, say, a motorcycle mechanic, it is not as if you've given yourself part of a liberal arts education, you have learned how to do one thing, like midwifery (apparently the subject with the hardest entry requirements in Denmark).
If Europeans want a liberal arts education, for the most part they have to come to America or Canada to get one, so only the wealthy have access to that, since international students obviously don't get a shot at financial aid. So, to sum it up, there are pros and cons to every system. The American system benefits from a wide variety of choice and an emphasis on a well-rounded education, as opposed to something that is more like trade school, in which you only take classes about one thing. The Scots/Brits are all surprised when they hear the classes that we, the US students, are taking during our semester here, when compared with our majors. If you want to take Scottish ethnology, you better be a Scottish ethnology major!
Second, I am not defending the toys that sports people get at my uni. I think giving them mopeds is ridiculous. I'm simply saying that the benefit that I saw was that people who were drawn to give money to the University to build a stadium were also encouraged to give a matching donation for a scholarship fund, which created, I think, at least a few million in new academic scholarships for students. I unfortunately enrolled at the University a year too early to reap the benefits for National Merit scholars...
Stay tuned for details of my first ceilidh, how delicious haggis actually is, and my exciting Scottish night on the town. And maybe some pictures too.
I'm not saying the Danish system is not good. It's wonderful that anybody has the opportunity to go to college. I think what I mean is that I cherish my education with a particular fervor, because I had to earn it (sort of). A degree is not a magical piece of paper, but I think the point my Danish friend was trying to make was that since you go to school for something incredibly specific (i.e., he goes for performance arrangement, which as far as I can tell means booking shows), when you do time in that, but then decide to be, say, a motorcycle mechanic, it is not as if you've given yourself part of a liberal arts education, you have learned how to do one thing, like midwifery (apparently the subject with the hardest entry requirements in Denmark).
If Europeans want a liberal arts education, for the most part they have to come to America or Canada to get one, so only the wealthy have access to that, since international students obviously don't get a shot at financial aid. So, to sum it up, there are pros and cons to every system. The American system benefits from a wide variety of choice and an emphasis on a well-rounded education, as opposed to something that is more like trade school, in which you only take classes about one thing. The Scots/Brits are all surprised when they hear the classes that we, the US students, are taking during our semester here, when compared with our majors. If you want to take Scottish ethnology, you better be a Scottish ethnology major!
Second, I am not defending the toys that sports people get at my uni. I think giving them mopeds is ridiculous. I'm simply saying that the benefit that I saw was that people who were drawn to give money to the University to build a stadium were also encouraged to give a matching donation for a scholarship fund, which created, I think, at least a few million in new academic scholarships for students. I unfortunately enrolled at the University a year too early to reap the benefits for National Merit scholars...
Stay tuned for details of my first ceilidh, how delicious haggis actually is, and my exciting Scottish night on the town. And maybe some pictures too.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
differences
It seems that everywhere I go, I am drawn into conversation about the American higher education system. People are baffled by a number of things related to the aforementioned. Nobody can imagine that I have friends who pay $50,000 every year to go to school, and they wonder how anybody manages to pay back loans. In Denmark, Johan told me that not only is school free, students get paid an allowance every month to cover living expenses. It seems to be relatively similar in both Sweden and in Holland (though, from what I gather, it's not entirely free in Holland). It sounds too good to be true to get paid to go to school, and in a way, I guess it is. Johan was telling me about how so much money gets wasted, because a lot of people will do two years and then drop out, because it's not like they're losing any money or anything. Also, he told me that it's almost unheard of to go to school away from your home because there are only a few universities in Denmark anyway, so you go to the one that lets you into the degree program you want to study.
I feel like I really appreciate the choices that we have in America, though we have to pay (dearly) for them. When I started my college search at the end of my sophomore year of high school, I had, literally, thousands of options, and I could go to study whatever I wanted. In the UK, students know exactly what they are going to do before they finish high school. There is hardly any room to change your degree, and almost nobody does it. My RA actually changed from theology to political science (maybe that's what it was... this conversation happened during a pub crawl, so you'll have to forgive me. It's hard to talk in bars), and she said it was very very hard to convince the university to let her do that. I STILL have no idea what exactly I'd like to do with myself when I graduate. I don't have a specialization area for my major, I don't know if I want to go to graduate school, and I certainly don't know where I would like to do that. These 18 year olds have their lives planned out, and they all seem pretty damn confident about their choices. I changed my major one semester into my freshman year, and while it set me back a little bit, nobody argued with my choice, and it was, in fact, supported.
People looked at me so strangely when I told them I had taken an English class, a Latin class, a few environmental science classes, and a dance class during first semester last year. The liberal arts idea is not a common one around here. I think I would die if I had to take all science classes all the time. Okay, that's melodramatic, but my decision to study abroad and learn about something totally new and interesting is the case in point: I needed a break, especially since next semester will actually be all science all the time. I find it difficult to focus my thoughts on one thing for quite a while without the extra stimulation of concentrating on something completely different. I think that is why I am continuing with my Latin major.
Another major difference: sports. Coming from a Big 10 school such as the U, it's sort of hard to separate athletics from my education. The facilities dominate campus, the athletes are riding around on their scooters, and the student body is abuzz on game day. Anytime I try to explain athletic scholarships to my friends, they just stare at me quizzically. Why would we go to see non-professional athletes when we have perfectly good professional teams? Why on earth would a college pay people to come to the school if they're not the most gifted academically? I suppose we wonder these things ourselves, sometimes (i.e., football players get big scholarships and free mopeds... where is my moped?!), but the athletics bring in money that can be used to support academia (like how Bruiniks worked to get stadium donors to also donate to a scholarship fund). I like having sports on campus... it's a way to bring the students together, but I can definitely see whence the European confusion springs. Without the experience, it's hard to understand why a university would spend so much money on sports!
That's it for now, but this is just the first post in a series highlighting big US/UK differences. I'm feeling a bit better, and tonight I am going to my firstceilidh, or traditional Scottish dance. I might also try some haggis... but it's small steps at first.
I feel like I really appreciate the choices that we have in America, though we have to pay (dearly) for them. When I started my college search at the end of my sophomore year of high school, I had, literally, thousands of options, and I could go to study whatever I wanted. In the UK, students know exactly what they are going to do before they finish high school. There is hardly any room to change your degree, and almost nobody does it. My RA actually changed from theology to political science (maybe that's what it was... this conversation happened during a pub crawl, so you'll have to forgive me. It's hard to talk in bars), and she said it was very very hard to convince the university to let her do that. I STILL have no idea what exactly I'd like to do with myself when I graduate. I don't have a specialization area for my major, I don't know if I want to go to graduate school, and I certainly don't know where I would like to do that. These 18 year olds have their lives planned out, and they all seem pretty damn confident about their choices. I changed my major one semester into my freshman year, and while it set me back a little bit, nobody argued with my choice, and it was, in fact, supported.
People looked at me so strangely when I told them I had taken an English class, a Latin class, a few environmental science classes, and a dance class during first semester last year. The liberal arts idea is not a common one around here. I think I would die if I had to take all science classes all the time. Okay, that's melodramatic, but my decision to study abroad and learn about something totally new and interesting is the case in point: I needed a break, especially since next semester will actually be all science all the time. I find it difficult to focus my thoughts on one thing for quite a while without the extra stimulation of concentrating on something completely different. I think that is why I am continuing with my Latin major.
Another major difference: sports. Coming from a Big 10 school such as the U, it's sort of hard to separate athletics from my education. The facilities dominate campus, the athletes are riding around on their scooters, and the student body is abuzz on game day. Anytime I try to explain athletic scholarships to my friends, they just stare at me quizzically. Why would we go to see non-professional athletes when we have perfectly good professional teams? Why on earth would a college pay people to come to the school if they're not the most gifted academically? I suppose we wonder these things ourselves, sometimes (i.e., football players get big scholarships and free mopeds... where is my moped?!), but the athletics bring in money that can be used to support academia (like how Bruiniks worked to get stadium donors to also donate to a scholarship fund). I like having sports on campus... it's a way to bring the students together, but I can definitely see whence the European confusion springs. Without the experience, it's hard to understand why a university would spend so much money on sports!
That's it for now, but this is just the first post in a series highlighting big US/UK differences. I'm feeling a bit better, and tonight I am going to my firstceilidh, or traditional Scottish dance. I might also try some haggis... but it's small steps at first.
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