Surviving orientation week at a foreign university: check.  Where do I even begin?  I cannot believe that I’ve only been here for a week and a half, it seems like so much longer (in a good way).  I feel that I’m acclimating to the University and English life pretty quickly, and I am definitely starting to feel like I really belong here – vs. merely being a visitor or tourist.  Having said this, I think I’m still in the ‘Intercultural Understanding’ bit of my journey.  There is a lot that I still have to learn/get used to, but I’m excited about that.

I suppose I should backtrack to last week, and explain everything that’s happened (and I do mean everything – I am one for detail, so if you get bored easily I would say turn back while you still can).  Fresher’s Week gave me some major insight into the differences in not only British and American youth culture, but also the ways in which academic systems are run.  First – the social aspect.  It’s true, Penn Staters are known for partying (#1 party school what?), but I think that the students at Kent could give them a run for their money.  Not only are there multiple bars and clubs on campus (including in the dorms), but the University grocery stores are fully stocked with basically any alcohol you could imagine.  When I say that they sell alcohol at every imaginable venue here, I mean EVERY venue, including the sports pavilion.  What’s better than a nice cold brewski after a tough rugby or football practice?  Apparently, not much.  Since the drinking age is only 18 here, pretty much everyone who goes to Uni is old enough to drink.  Also, students tend to drink every night.  However, NOT like students at Penn State.  It seems to be more social/relaxed here, aka, there are no beer bongs, funnels, or keg parties.  I think I prefer the British style much more. 

Another major difference was in the type of orientation we had.  I could not imagine any university in the U.S. hosting such an orientation.  Whereas college orientations in the States are focused on ice-breakers and babying the incoming freshmen (in my experience, anyway), the Universities here seem to realize what students are actually like.  Meaning, they are not treated like children, and the events are catered to the tastes of the students.  Sure, there are campus tours and specific college orientations – but these are seriously outnumbered by the other, more fun events.  For example, there were events at each of the bars every night during Fresher’s Week, including a bar crawl the first evening (sponsored by Kent).  Late Night at the HUB: you need to step up your game. 

There have been a ton of other differences socially, but it might be time to move on…to some similarities!  There is only one big one I can think of, and that was the sports/club/community fair.  That seems to be pretty standard for most universities – everyone had a tent, they gave out free food, and there were about one million pamphlets flying around. 

As far as academics go, the style is much different here.  This may be because I am an exchange student, so the registration process is a little more complex.  Uni here is only three years for most students, and from what I can tell, there are almost no Gen Ed requirements.  They take about 2-4 courses per term, depending what year they are.  Our international contact explained that it is very strange for students to take courses from multiple colleges in one semester (i.e., History, English, Foreign Languages, etc.).  Also, courses are allowed to overlap, and the student can remain in both classes.  This actually happened to me – two of my courses are scheduled for 11 AM on Tuesday, but I am staying in both and just going to the second class of the week for one class – apparently this is common.  Enough about academics though, onto the fun stuff! 

There were three noteworthy trips I took during the week of orientation.  The first was to Whitstable – a nearby town on the coast.  It is about 5 miles from the main campus, and I knew that people often walk/cycle/run there from campus.  I thought this just might be along the road, so I decided to run there one morning.  Unfortunately, this was not the right assumption.  As it turns out, there is a very nice footpath (‘Crab and Winkle Way’) that most people take.  It was alright for the first half of the journey…and then I ran out of sidewalk.  This in itself might not have been such a terrible thing, if British drivers were not crazy.  I was a little concerned for my safety at times, but I made it safely.  I was also expecting to see some nice English countryside (it was, shockingly, a beautiful sunny day).  Again, disappointment.  The countryside looked like central Pennsylvania, and smelled like Indiana farmland.  The trip was worth it in the end though, Whitstable is an adorable town, and I look forward to going back  (perhaps via Crab and Winkle Way next time). 

My next journey was sponsored by the school, and a tad more successful.  Kent took all of the international students to the Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday (22nd) for a tour.  This was far superior to my Whitstable journey.  The Cathedral can only be described as incredible.  I will prepare you, my avid readers, with a picture.  Brace yourselves. 

Surviving orientation week at a foreign university: check.  Where do I even begin?  I cannot believe that I’ve only been here for a week and a half, it seems like so much longer (in a good way).  I feel that I’m acclimating to the University and English life pretty quickly, and I am definitely starting to feel like I really belong here – vs. merely being a visitor or tourist.  Having said this, I think I’m still in the ‘Intercultural Understanding’ bit of my journey.  There is a lot that I still have to learn/get used to, but I’m excited about that.

I suppose I should backtrack to last week, and explain everything that’s happened (and I do mean everything – I am one for detail, so if you get bored easily I would say turn back while you still can).  Fresher’s Week gave me some major insight into the differences in not only British and American youth culture, but also the ways in which academic systems are run.  First – the social aspect.  It’s true, Penn Staters are known for partying (#1 party school what?), but I think that the students at Kent could give them a run for their money.  Not only are there multiple bars and clubs on campus (including in the dorms), but the University grocery stores are fully stocked with basically any alcohol you could imagine.  When I say that they sell alcohol at every imaginable venue here, I mean EVERY venue, including the sports pavilion.  What’s better than a nice cold brewski after a tough rugby or football practice?  Apparently, not much.  Since the drinking age is only 18 here, pretty much everyone who goes to Uni is old enough to drink.  Also, students tend to drink every night.  However, NOT like students at Penn State.  It seems to be more social/relaxed here, aka, there are no beer bongs, funnels, or keg parties.  I think I prefer the British style much more. 

Another major difference was in the type of orientation we had.  I could not imagine any university in the U.S. hosting such an orientation.  Whereas college orientations in the States are focused on ice-breakers and babying the incoming freshmen (in my experience, anyway), the Universities here seem to realize what students are actually like.  Meaning, they are not treated like children, and the events are catered to the tastes of the students.  Sure, there are campus tours and specific college orientations – but these are seriously outnumbered by the other, more fun events.  For example, there were events at each of the bars every night during Fresher’s Week, including a bar crawl the first evening (sponsored by Kent).  Late Night at the HUB: you need to step up your game. 

There have been a ton of other differences socially, but it might be time to move on…to some similarities!  There is only one big one I can think of, and that was the sports/club/community fair.  That seems to be pretty standard for most universities – everyone had a tent, they gave out free food, and there were about one million pamphlets flying around. 

As far as academics go, the style is much different here.  This may be because I am an exchange student, so the registration process is a little more complex.  Uni here is only three years for most students, and from what I can tell, there are almost no Gen Ed requirements.  They take about 2-4 courses per term, depending what year they are.  Our international contact explained that it is very strange for students to take courses from multiple colleges in one semester (i.e., History, English, Foreign Languages, etc.).  Also, courses are allowed to overlap, and the student can remain in both classes.  This actually happened to me – two of my courses are scheduled for 11 AM on Tuesday, but I am staying in both and just going to the second class of the week for one class – apparently this is common.  Enough about academics though, onto the fun stuff! 

There were three noteworthy trips I took during the week of orientation.  The first was to Whitstable – a nearby town on the coast.  It is about 5 miles from the main campus, and I knew that people often walk/cycle/run there from campus.  I thought this just might be along the road, so I decided to run there one morning.  Unfortunately, this was not the right assumption.  As it turns out, there is a very nice footpath (‘Crab and Winkle Way’) that most people take.  It was alright for the first half of the journey…and then I ran out of sidewalk.  This in itself might not have been such a terrible thing, if British drivers were not crazy.  I was a little concerned for my safety at times, but I made it safely.  I was also expecting to see some nice English countryside (it was, shockingly, a beautiful sunny day).  Again, disappointment.  The countryside looked like central Pennsylvania, and smelled like Indiana farmland.  The trip was worth it in the end though, Whitstable is an adorable town, and I look forward to going back  (perhaps via Crab and Winkle Way next time). 

My next journey was sponsored by the school, and a tad more successful.  Kent took all of the international students to the Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday (22nd) for a tour.  This was far superior to my Whitstable journey.  The Cathedral can only be described as incredible.  I will prepare you, my avid readers, with a picture.  Brace yourselves. 

Location: Canterbury, UK