The Start Of Classes

So ‘classes’ officially started yesterday, which meant that work also started yesterday, which is why I failed to write a blog... Actually the main reason I didn’t, was that we were too busy duct taping a fellow corridor mate to the wall. And yes, it did work, but that’s a whole other story!

Back to the classes: I had three yesterday starting with a 9.30 lecture on Southern Literature. It was... interesting. I’m sure it’s much the same anywhere but the first lecture involved the standard “what’s your name? Where are you from?” introductions, followed by a brief description of the course and the schedule for the semester.  Most people’s introductions went something like this: “Hi i’m Matt, I’m from Groton, CT and I’m a Bio major so I don’t really like to read...” This went on with about 15 or so people saying the exact same thing varying from Bio majors to engineers and, well, you get the picture. Until about this time last week I had absolutely no idea what ‘majoring’ and ‘minoring’ was and so I feel I should explain:

 In England we gradually narrow down our subjects from the age of 15 until we eventually apply to do one or two at University. For me, that’s English Literature. In America, you don’t necessarily have to choose what course you want your degree to be in (your major) until your Junior or Senior year (3^rd or 4^th), although some people might know from first year, but even then it can still change. And so, whether or not you know what you’re going to major in, you still have to satisfy a number of course requirements by taking ‘Math’ and English and Science and a writing class and so on, making your range of subjects much broader. And so in my Southern literature class we were stuck with people who have absolutely no interest in the subject what so ever and were simply taking it to tick a box. Luckily our other classes of the day were much better and filled with ‘upperclassmen’ (Juniors and Seniors) who were focusing on English literature.  Needless to say though we’re both trying to drop Southern and are now looking at some graduate classes with the hope that they’re a bit more up to English standards.

While I seem to be gradually tearing the American system to pieces I don’t mean to at all it’s just difficult to slide into it from the English system. In fact I think there are probably more benefits to having a broader education for longer as it means you end up with fewer 25 year olds with a reading age of 8, who have no idea of the 8 times table. My roommate and fellow Warwick exchange partner Emily argues in her blog that it all comes down to a lack of individuality and the ability to ‘find yourself’ until a much higher age which she views as having a negative impact. While I understand her point I don’t see why in England we’re all desperate to grow up so fast and are expected to know what we want to do from the age of 18. I know it definitely helps but by that point in your life you have experienced very little of the world. Even though I was very lucky in that I travelled a lot as a child I would still consider this to be true for me. All in all neither system seems perfect but having experienced a little of American school life in middle school and University if I had to choose I would probably say that we could learn a lot from the US. Of all the things that I was ever taught in my 13 years of schooling, few things stay in my mind more than those that I learnt in the 3 months that I spent at Great Neck Middle school and I think that says a lot.