The Erasmus program (at least being associated with it--Americans are not techinically part of it) has ruined my study habits. The university system in Poland is very differant from that of Nebraska Wesleyan: there's very little student/teacher interaction, and very little discussion. Most of my classes, we're just being talked at, rather than being taught. As much as I enjoy Crazy Theatre guy, I don't think he cares about teaching the international students. He didn't even notice when Nina and I brought Steffi to class for no reason at all (Crazy Ethics Lady, on the other hand, is very good about remembering her students. I saw her in the theatre lobby at Romeo i Julia and we chatted a little.) I just don't feel the need to put forth a great deal of effort or worry about my school work the way I would at Wesleyan. I can handle the work load here; its no problem. But, I don't need to do anything exceptional here--it wouldn't be noticed if I did. It's sort of depressing. This afternoon, I was reading my friend Nicole's Fulbright application (she sent me hers so that I can use them as a starting point for my own) and her essay spoke of the importance of student/teacher interaction at Wesleyan...I do miss that aspect of school in the US.
The semester is starting to wind down and essays are coming due--I have to write four. I've written that in one week at NWU. I should be worried about my Polish final, but I'm beyond annoyed with that class. The teacher seems more concerned with us just passing the test rather than actually learning anything. At this point, it seems to be just a matter of getting everyone through. This evening, Sorin and I were talking in the lobby about his exams and how busy he is--my geeky side was envious. He's expected to use his head and not be a vegetable in a classroom. It's almost enough to make me want to study chemistry...almost.
Conclusion: My least favorite things in Poland include the university system and flatczki.
New Blog, New Site
10 years ago
1 comment:
Now I'm curious what "flatczki" is...
Not that I can be proud of it, but my semester abroad is solely responsible for getting me on the dean's list that year, haha. The sadder part was that although Americans were the best students in my classes, we didn't even have to work hard for it; just show up. I don't mean to generalize, but I think Europeans put much less emphasis on classroom education. Kind of like the lack of value placed on time (or being "on time").
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