English university vs American university: the differences I've witnessed so far

I am going to share with you my experience so far of an American university. It’s hard to put into words just how different the culture is in but it is incredibly obvious having only been a witness for five school days. 

Let’s begin with my classes. I’m not taught in any lecture theatres, instead a classroom, similar to being taught at A-level or GCSE in the UK. Class size tends to be of less than 30, and on many occasions, you have your own chair which has a personal desk. It’s a great experience to be one-on-one with a lecturer, but on the other hand I’m out of practise when it comes to class participation and consequently shy away from suggesting my ideas. I hope this is something that comes with time, as I become confident in my new surroundings. As a result of this, discussion happens in most classes and your prior knowledge is forever being challenged. It is vital to stay on the ball as lecturers ask questions and actively ask students their understanding of a definition or concept. 

Unlike at the University of Leicester where you study specific modules during certain years, I attended a class Tuesday morning, of which only two students including myself were undergraduates. The rest of the class consisted of PhD and Masters students. For me, that was incredibly bizarre, as it was a class which undergraduates can take and I found it incredibly daunting that I had such high expectations rested upon my shoulders. 

I’ve been assigned homework!! Most classes I attend have a piece of homework every week, on top of the extra reading and labwork. Back in the UK, I feel like university is more independent where extra reading is expected of students to go above and beyond. I've not had homework assigned to me since sixth form and so it feels rather strange.

I am looking forward to the way in which the modules I am currently taking are going to be assessed. In Leicester, final exams tend to make up the majority of the module, with coursework occasionally comprising 20%. Here, I am going to be experiencing mid-term exams, unannounced quizzes, homework, expected extra reading, attend society talks and write abstracts for society talks and final exams too. It would be interesting to see if this type of assessment suits me better. 

All in all, I've had a pretty hectic week beginning at the UofA but I am looking to the year ahead. I'm currently enrolled into the University of Leicester Intercultural Development Programme, where I aim to investigate the differences in on-campus sports. When I first enrolled, I wasn't sure what to investigate, but sport is huge here and is one of the first things I've noticed about university culture. Come the next few weeks, I will be blogging about my experiences, such as at tonight's football game, as the hype of such extra-curricular activities seem to be unique to the USA. Bear down!