Woah. I attended my first classes at a local university this week–at Universidad del Salvador, to be exact. They were rough…
I tested the waters with an Informative Journalism workshop and what I thought was International Business, but was actually International Negotiation. “Negocio” means business in Spanish, so I assumed that “negociación” fell under the same umbrella. Nope–it’s different.
The journalism class seemed promising. I understood the theory discussion, and I loved the professor. He was engaging, easy to understand, and would probably receive a chili pepper on Rate My Professors (which doesn’t hurt). But then, he told us to write…and that’s when I probably looked like a deer in headlights. My Spanish writing level is probably closer to 4th grade than the required 8th grade level for print journalism. So, you can imagine how well that assignment went.
Next, came the International Negotiation class. This class is for fourth year students studying International Relations. From what I could understand, there was a lot of background knowledge I was lacking, so I crossed that class off the list.
Even with all the aforementioned blunders, these classes gave me a great glimpse into the life of a 20-year old Argentine. While there are many similarities between Argentine and United States universities, there are some distinct cultural differences worth mentioning:
1. “Only God deserves an A” here. The emphasis is not on achieving a perfect GPA–it’s on passing the class and understanding the material. On a grading scale of 0 to 10, a passing grade of 5 equals success.
2. Professors aren’t expected to be at a student’s beck and call. On the contrary, many run out of the classroom as soon as they’re done teaching. And–they arrive after all the students–usually late.
3. While some professors back in the states like to foster a laid-back atmosphere, here it’s extremely informal. The two professors I observed didn’t prepare a colorful presentation with interactive clicker questions. They wrote a few things on the board and talked to us about the topic, with students interjecting throughout the lecture.
4. If your professor provides you with a notes packet, take the time to thank them. In Buenos Aires, you fend for yourself. Here, students bring a notebook and pen and write down everything, because this will become their bible for test prep.
5. Students aren’t expected to spend their life-savings on books here, either. They can pick up a photo-copied text in the student center for FREE. I’m 100% in favor of this custom.
Thus, instead of killing myself to try to measure up to an impossible standard, I’m going to try my hand at some competitive internships and local dance or music classes. Maybe I’ll master the tango after all! Next week, I have a series of interviews with both Argentine and American companies, so I hope to find a good fit and really get a taste of what it’s like to work abroad.
I’ll keep you posted! ¡Ciao!
P.S. The above picture is from the USAL website, because I forgot to take one when I was scrambling to
find my class.
Location: Universidad del Salvador, Callao Street, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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