Sometimes when I was at Penn State, I was so caught up in the fun of it all that I forgot completely about my academic responsibilities. This is one of those times.
It’s not that I’m irresponsible; I certainly wasn’t at Penn State! But getting sidetracked is easy, and put studying abroad in one of the biggest cities in the world on top of it, and things get complicated.
When I came here, I was thinking about all the sights I was going to see, the shops I would shop, and more importantly, the other countries in Europe that I want to visit. But I forgot the most important thing; the whole reason I came here in the first place: classes.
After the first day of classes, I felt EXTREMELY overwhelmed. There’s a lot of homework, but it’s not like it is at Penn State. It’s all reading. Sure, they tell us in class we have to read but since the classes are bigger and they teach it anyways, you can get away with not reading. Not here. You must read material to understand the class and lecture is mainly for questions about the reading. So if you don’t read, well good luck passing the class.
And there is A LOT of reading to do. Thank goodness there’s only one day I have two classes and it’s a Monday. But that’s not all. Midterms and Finals are going to consist of me locked up writing 2,000 word papers for 5 classes! And finals will be even more. Some classes are papers, some are examinations. It depends, and there are of course papers in between. Participation is necessary because the classes are small. I believe my largest class has 19 students in it. I think that was my smallest class back at Penn State!
Now that a week of classes has gone by, I’ve calmed down a bit. I like the set-up here a bit more at times because I only have my classes once a week for 2 to 2.5 hours. And although the homework is all reading, I can manage it well. The thing I must worry about is concentration.
The professors are very good though. They are a little strict but they’re engaging, which I like. The classes here are very interesting and for the most part, we are all learning something completely new for the first time. One class that I’m excited about is the Theater in London: An Introduction. We get to see theater productions almost every week! We saw one last night in this theater (which used to be a pool). The production was called “Amphibians,” a new show about Olympic swimmers 3 years after they win the gold medal. The show was made for the set and theater it was performed in, known as a “sight-see production.” I love having the opportunity to explore the arts in London too- it helps me gain insight to the culture.
One week has gone by and there are 13 more weeks of classes! It’s going to be a whirlwind of a semester class-wise, and I still need to make time to explore not only London, but Europe! Time management will make or break me.
Location: Bloomsbury, London, United Kingdom
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Just keep your head up, keep working hard, stay ahead of the pace and you’ll find that extra time to do what you WANT to do. =] Enjoy yourself and don’t let the stress get the best of you, this is an experience you will keep with you the rest of your life.
Frankly put.. “You Got This Girl!”
Have a Great rest of the time there!
P.S.- This whole Geo-blogging thing is very neat.