Class in Athens!

This week my topic of discussion is Academics! I’m excited to dive into this one because things here in Greece are very different when it comes to school. There are both good and bad differences, but all in all, it’s just different!

I am taking four classes here: Interpersonal Communication, Educational Psychology, The American Experience in Fiction, and Survey of World Civilizations. These classes are all very different from one another and I very much enjoy that fact! Class sizes here I think tend to differ depending on major or the specific course. I have one class where there’s 26 of us, one where there’s only 8, and the other two range between 10-15. Some of my roommates, however, are in psychology and science courses with big lectures of 30-40 students, so it really depends! That being said, one of the major differences between the States and Greece is attendance. Attendance here is not as strict as back home. I think technically you get 9 free absences before your grade starts to go down, whereas at MLC I believe it is just 1 or 2 absences! And I think this is partly because of the class/teaching styles here. All of my courses are pretty much lecture based, and homework is not given everyday. I have a few big projects and papers to do throughout the semester that are due in December, but otherwise, the expectation is to show up, pay attention, take notes if you would like, and do your best on the midterm and final. Participation in class plays a greater role in grading here also because of the lack of assignments. I personally really enjoy this. I am more motivated to learn when I do not have to worry about a bunch of busy work assignments and due dates!

I have some great professors here as well! They are very understanding and mostly look for a positive attitude and openness to learn. They are not hesitant to remind you that grades are not everything, and a lot of times their best students have been C-D students and not A-B. Good reminders!

All that being said…absences are VERY common. Fridays, almost no one comes to class! It’s silly. Sometimes my 8 person class has only 2 people, or my 26 person class will have 15 and its so, so common. Or, the biggest difference to me is how students here roll up to class with nothing! Only the American study abroad students come to class with computers to take notes. A lot of Greek students don’t even come with a pencil!

Overall my academic experiences here have been pretty different from what I’m used to at MLC, but I love the different challenges that come with communicating with students from another culture and seeing what their every day school lives are like!

I have some pictures here of the campus and also some pictures of some of my lunch meals from the caf! The caf at ACG is amazing! I love all of their meals here:)