I Knew There Was a Catch

So, apparently, studying abroad means that you are actually supposed to go to classes and participate in other academic endeavors. I know, I’m as shocked as you are… Yes, yes, yes, obviously I’m joking, but, based on the fact that I’ve had zero homework as of week three, I sometimes wonder. Unlike in the US, where students are constantly bombarded with daily assignments on top of bigger projects that loom in their future, students here have only a few bigger assignments to worry about throughout the semester. This, however, poses a few problems for yours truly.

Firstly, without frequent homework to keep me on task with my learning, I fear that this academic weapon is apt to rust. Don’t get me wrong, I dislike homework just as much as the next guy, but I am really beginning to understand the worth of having some. Not having homework as a reference for how well I’m understanding the material and what I need to study for future assessments makes it difficult to keep on task. People preach the importance of self-regulation and motivation, myself included, but putting those into practice is a whole lot harder than one might think. It’s a lesson in which I am desperately trying to get a passing grade. Yes, I’ve been known to knock back a whole novel in a day, but it takes a special person to truly comprehend, let alone enjoy, reading multiple lengthy excerpts about medieval Irish documents without having an assignment to complete as a reference while reading. (Insert picture of South Campus just because I could definitely read a few novels there.)

Luckily for me and my procrastination tendencies, I only have each class once a week, which leaves me a good five days to think about doing the readings before doing them the night before the class. I’m only joking…mostly. Another saving grace is that I really enjoy my classes, as I’m able to take electives that genuinely interest me. I’m taking classes such as ‘Emigration in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Irish Society’ and ‘Cultural Heritage and the Irish Literary Tradition’, along with a few other ones that I actually need to take for credit. It’s been interesting to take classes such as ‘American History’ or other methodology classes, such as ‘Teaching PE’, from the Irish perspective. 

Another thing that has proved to be a challenge for me is the Irish communication style and how it conflicts with what I know. Yes, I will explain that thought. What I mean is, unlike in the US, where the professors are fairly clear about what they expect for assignments and where and when things are, the professors here often briefly mention assignments that may be worth 50% of your grade. Almost like a passing thought. “Oh yeah, the paper that will decide how well you will do in this class is due November 7th. Look for details online, bye.” VERY helpful. I’m really not complaining. Not having the constant assignments gives me the opportunity to feel a little more independent and like a “real adult”. Unfortunately, it is difficult going from merely having a taste of freedom, living the college life back at MLC, to having an entire four-course meal of freedom this semester. It can be overwhelming at times. (Insert picture of one of the perks of freedom: homemade breakfast).

Speaking of overwhelming, the class sizes for some of my classes are just that. Walking into class to find that you have to ask a whole row of people to stand up so you can awkwardly squeeze past them to the one empty seat in the lecture theatre is definitely a moment that would not make my top ten. I know that MLC has much smaller class sizes than most other colleges, but I just find big lectures to be too much for me. It’s like we’re sardines in a can – both in terms of proximity to people and the smell. Rumor has it that the personal hygiene of our peers improves as we get older, but I can confirm that is not the case. That being said, it is very difficult to focus on a screen that is at least 50 feet away while you’re simultaneously sitting in an armpit. Yes, I’m quite possibly being overdramatic, but I’m just trying to be a competent reporter. 

Okay, okay, okay, I can practically hear my mom telling me to move on, so I shall. While the classes and assessments differ from those in the US in ways that are challenging for me, I also find that most of the lecturers are much more compelling as presenters. They believe that learning takes place during class and most of the responsibility for how well a student comprehends the material falls on the lecturer. In my ‘Assessment, Methodologies, and Curriculum’ course, a guy fell asleep, and the lecturer basically said that she bored him so much that he fell asleep and that she didn’t blame him for doing so. Since they put such an emphasis on learning while in the lecture, I have found myself focusing more on taking organized and in-depth notes during class in order to put as much information presented in class into memory as possible. I find that using the slides presented as an outline and taking notes on what the lecturer is saying has helped me to really absorb the information. I’m able to use multiple senses in order to keep my brain on track. Not a foolproof system by any means, but I find myself walking away from classes having digested information rather than merely having a Google doc full of words that didn’t make it into my brain. 

I think that the Irish college system definitely has its pros and cons, and it works better for people in different ways. As my Irish friend says about their homework load, “we wouldn’t know hard work if it hit us in the face,” which may or may not be true, but there’s also more pressure for the few assignments that we do have. I will just have to be more diligent and focus on academics, even if it sometimes feels like I’m just on vacation. And on that note, I think I’m gonna go to Dublin… ; )

Don’t fret, y’all, I do go to class and I am learning things, I just think that I might learn more social-emotional skills this semester than anything else. That being said, I must run, my flatmates are eager to play some cards.

Peace and Love!

Mathilde