Oh Finals Week

Each school in the United States has various methods of teaching that differ from one another. I knew before I left for New Zealand that I should be prepared for not just a different method, but also a whole new view on education. Christchurch students grow up throughout primary and secondary school wearing uniforms and traveling to school through public transport. When I would travel somewhere, I could spot these kids everywhere in their uniforms and especially on the buses (side note: if you want to avoid an overly crowded bus, try not to ride in the morning or around 2 pm). Now I don’t know for sure if this is entirely true, but from what I’ve seen, people on campus generally dress nicer for class and are more comfortable with taking various forms of transportation to get anywhere. I also found, it is common to meet Kiwi’s that live at home throughout University. Commuting is normal to the general student population, which makes it a little difficult to know local Kiwi students in the area.

As far as classes go at University, generally professors are a bit more relaxed than in the States. I began the semester receiving a syllabus, which gave information about a few assignments and important dates. Generally, higher-level classes will finish the semester with a long paper and seminars. Where-as, the lower level classes assess using multiple choice and essay tests at the end of the semester. There are very little small assignments that are assigned, however, the projects given to you at the beginning of the semester generally take quite a bit of time, and even though it seems easy to procrastinate it, it’s a really good idea to start early and work on it throughout the first half of the semester before it’s due in the second half.

Also, don’t get scared when the grade comes back a 65%! The first test I got back after midterms was a 66%. When I first saw it my heart skipped a beat cause I couldn’t believe it was so low! University of Canterbury’s grading system is much different from the States in that a 66 is a B! It took me 3 whole days of worrying myself crazy until I realized it was actually all ok! I really love the way that University of Canterbury tests the students. In my 300 level classes, there was so much information that it could become very overwhelming. When test time came around, they had us write about whatever topic we wanted to write about that helped tie all the topics we discussed in class into our one paper. It helped me really reflect and use everything I learned in a way that was more beneficial to me and much less stressful. I wouldn’t say it was the easiest thing to do, but it ended up being very rewarding in the end.

There are a lot of different techniques and values I now plan on working into my study habits back in the States. I’m happy to have spent my time being a part of a completely different school system and being more open minded to the various ways to learn.