Learning journal 5 - 105 Pravaas

[Pravaas Gurung]

While watching the culture shock video I resonated the most with international students when they discussed the difference in education standards and expectations. Besides spending 5 months in an American high school, the rest of my high school experience was in the British IGCSE and A level system. This system places the emphasis on final exams and the final amount one has learned over each of the 2 year periods (IGCSE for 9th and 10th grade, A levels for 11th and 12th.) I was used to less workloads throughout the school year, as classes focused on covering the material and thus building up to the final "big picture". Then for the last few months before the final exams we would review all the material, with the whole "big picture" in mind. In the United States students are assessed more frequently on smaller portions of a syllabus, so one's progress throughout the school year is highly weighted as well.

The way I learned in the British system taught me to pay less attention to details and attempt to grasp the big picture before delving into the specifics at the end. Then at the end I would work at high intensity for a short period of time and take the final exams which accounted for my final grade. When I came to the US for college I did very poorly during the first semester because I was not used to having a more constant workload throughout the semester. I was not used to this "endurance" system where one must constantly be putting in effort. I was quite successful in the British system for the exact reason that I am able to work effectively at high intensity for shorter periods of time, but begin to feel burnt out with a more constant and long running workload (though it is meant to be less stressful that way). Since freshman year I have begun to adapt to the system used in the United States, but still find myself sliding back towards the low then high intensity way of approaching academic work.