As I attempt to begin an essay for my wine studies
class, it occurs to me I should most definitely write a blog about the
structure of the academic system in Scotland. I’m still piecing the differences
together, but I can give a solid over view.
First off, college and university are not interchangeable.
I learned this through unimpressed reactions from classmates upon reveling I
come from Maryville College. Over here, many time students will attend college
for two years before moving on to university if their grades aren't up to par
or to save some money. College here is roughly equivalent to community college
back in the States.
And next, if a student progresses directly from high
school to university, they can be super young. I live in a building that seems
to be a majority of first year students around the age 17. It’s been strange being
invited to birthday parties on the weekends only to find out that you’ve been
hanging out with kids (literally) almost 4 years younger than you. And these
kids party. Just as in America, freshman year is the easiest here and many
times students only have class 3 or so days a week, which leaves much time for
late nights. I’ve picked up the longer you’ve been in school, the more
responsibilities stack up on you, and so the less you party (pretty similar to
back home).
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| Wine Studies Diary |
On a micro scale, I can describe my schedule. I was
amazed upon arriving to discover I would only have classes two days a week (granted,
I’ve been planning on studying abroad since I applied to Maryville College, and
thus have worked my class schedules back home around this semester abroad.) I
am enrolled in three modules this trimester, which is about normal here and considered
full time. Wednesday at 11 I have Scottish Culture and Society for two hours
with 90 other foreign exchanged students. Thursday I begin with Spanish 1 at 12
for three hours then have a break until Wine Studies (an actual class where
half of the time is spend drinking wine) for another two hours. Scottish
Culture and Wine Studies are both lecture style classes. We are presented with
basic PowerPoints then expected to finish pre-assigned work on our own through
much self-taught material. Spanish is more of a workshop style because the
class is allotted three whole long hours. Over all, there is much more emphasis
on self-disciplined learning over here. I don’t have nearly as many assignments
as I would back home, but the ones assigned are weighted very heavily.
This being said, I love my schedule so much. While I
am taking school seriously over here, it is wonderful having free time to relax
and travel as much as possible. Classes only two day a week (and not even in
the morning really) means I’m catching up on all the sleep I’ve lost the past two
years studying at Maryville, and because I’m not constantly bogged down with
school work, I’m much more proactive about material. Like I stated at the
beginning, I am starting a wine studies essay this evening which is not due for
another three weeks. If I’m being honest with myself, that would never happen
back home. I enjoy the material being covered in my classes, I never have to
wake up early, and I have a wonderful amount of spare time. I can physically
feel residual stress from previous semesters melting away more and more every
day.
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| Craiglockhart Campus is one of three campuses composing Edinburgh Napier University. All three of my classes are located here. |