One thing that was different over in Australia was the school curriculum. The way university was set up over there was very different to American universities. In Australia, a University degree only takes 3 years to complete whereas here in the US it takes about 4 years. Over there, students are much more independent and have more responsibility when completing their courses. One class typically has less assignments that have a much heavier weighting on the overall grade. In the US, or here at Rollins, classes have many homework assignments that do not carry as much weight to the overall grade. Over there attendance is mostly not mandatory and most classes are recorded and posted for later access. Therefore students have more independence when it comes to going to class and they must hold themselves more accountable for completing their work and studying. I enjoyed this independence. I feel I was able to learn the courses material at my own pace as the class kept moving along, instead of being forced to stay on the courses pace by idle homework assignments that could bring my grade down if I did not fully understand it or am not ready to be assessed on my knowledge of the new material. I enjoyed having fewer assignments that weighed more because I was able to put all my effort into the assignment knowing I would be getting rewarded for my effort at a higher weighting. I think my fellow peers and students I had classes with would completely agree with my feelings towards the course loads. I remember discussing some of the assignments with classmates and them enjoying the work load the class assigned, it was not too much or too little but made it manageable with other classes we were taking. Even though this is an experience that is subject to a particular part of culture (difference in University experience) it has still prepared me to respond to other as well as future cultural misunderstandings. Every country and culture is different, and people encounter different experiences in every aspect of life. It is always important to keep an open mind and embrace any differences that you either find enjoyable or different to what you are used to. These experiences can happen wherever you go and it always important to keep an open mind when facing something new that you might not be used to.
