Classroom Life in the U.S. Universities “The more I spoke with international students, the more I noticed familiar refrains that both educated me and reminded me about my own U.S. and academic culture” (Nathan 67). An anthropologist, Rebekah Nathan went undercover – she goes back to school as a freshman at her own university to see the campus through student eyes. This decision was made as she wanted to analyze and examine the campus life fairly instead of having the often professor-student research studies. By interviewing international students, she could see Americans as an outsider where she learnt relationships and friendships, classroom life, and worldview of American students in the U.S. college life are depicted different to non-Americans.
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education system that affects international student the most is grading system. Generally the grade is higher here where 70% is considered as fail. This is because the grade is breakdown into smaller components: attendances, quiz, assignments, exams, etc. In Nathan’s article, a course syllabus serves as a contract that show exactly how tests, papers, and presentations would bear on the final grade (80). Most of the international students favor the American grading system with smaller, non-comprehensive exams instead of comprehensive exams where they usually take at the end of their studies. Maria from Indonesia said “every quiz, homework and assessment here is important as it will affect our final grades. In Indonesia, the final grades would be based only on two major exams; midterm exam and final exam.” Based on my experience, this system is unfavorable as we have to study a lot of things near the exam day in order to recall on what we had learnt. Therefore in the U.S. grading system, the small assessments that are calculated to the final grades make us aware and be on track on what we have studied so …show more content…
universities also have freedom of choices to choose their major, courses, curriculum and professor. In fact, the flexibility of the system is one of the reasons students choose to study in the United States. Students here can select a major by their choice, and take appropriate courses while taking other courses that can expand their knowledge. One’s major is not depend on ranking on exam and according to NAFSA’s studies: U.S Classroom Culture, “they even have the ability to change their academic path, almost at any point in their education” (Smithee et al. 21). Other than that, they can choose and arrange classes according to their preferences. The students also can drop courses after they are enrolled if they don’t like the class or the teachers or they are not doing well. The choices of curriculum are abundance where students can pick any club or sport of their interest. However, this freedom of choices can be frustrating to students who previously were in an education system where the administrators and instructors make the majority of academic sessions. Students must learn how to make decisions on their own and that is why some international students found that the U.S. system is more complicated and less specialized (Nathan
education system that affects international student the most is grading system. Generally the grade is higher here where 70% is considered as fail. This is because the grade is breakdown into smaller components: attendances, quiz, assignments, exams, etc. In Nathan’s article, a course syllabus serves as a contract that show exactly how tests, papers, and presentations would bear on the final grade (80). Most of the international students favor the American grading system with smaller, non-comprehensive exams instead of comprehensive exams where they usually take at the end of their studies. Maria from Indonesia said “every quiz, homework and assessment here is important as it will affect our final grades. In Indonesia, the final grades would be based only on two major exams; midterm exam and final exam.” Based on my experience, this system is unfavorable as we have to study a lot of things near the exam day in order to recall on what we had learnt. Therefore in the U.S. grading system, the small assessments that are calculated to the final grades make us aware and be on track on what we have studied so …show more content…
universities also have freedom of choices to choose their major, courses, curriculum and professor. In fact, the flexibility of the system is one of the reasons students choose to study in the United States. Students here can select a major by their choice, and take appropriate courses while taking other courses that can expand their knowledge. One’s major is not depend on ranking on exam and according to NAFSA’s studies: U.S Classroom Culture, “they even have the ability to change their academic path, almost at any point in their education” (Smithee et al. 21). Other than that, they can choose and arrange classes according to their preferences. The students also can drop courses after they are enrolled if they don’t like the class or the teachers or they are not doing well. The choices of curriculum are abundance where students can pick any club or sport of their interest. However, this freedom of choices can be frustrating to students who previously were in an education system where the administrators and instructors make the majority of academic sessions. Students must learn how to make decisions on their own and that is why some international students found that the U.S. system is more complicated and less specialized (Nathan