Adapting to the academic culture in London

So far, all of my posts to this blog have been about my incredible experiences in London and across the rest of Europe. Thus, it may be easy to forget that I originally came to London for studying and the chance to grow as an student. Going to a university outside the United States will undoubtedly have its differences, but there may be more similarities than one thinks. Now that my semester here at City, University of London (Cass Business School) is fully over, I have a chance to reflect on my experience and how I can use it moving forward for the rest of my academic and professional life.

The biggest difference I immediately noticed between UK schools and American schools is the level of independence that is bestowed upon the student. For those of us who have gone to school in the US , we are very used to having constant assignments, projects, quizzes and exams in our courses. The reasoning behind this is that it allows all interested parties to assess how much the student truly knows and if the teacher/professor is doing a good enough job teaching their material. So, in a single semester for a single class, a student may have to do: 2 midterms exams in addition to the final, multiple assignments and multiple projects. Another reason behind this structure is that by doing repetitive work, the core material of the class will be ingrained into the student. This structure, however, is completely nonexistent in the UK.  Here, the student is expected to learn the material  on their own through the textbook and the core readings given by the professor, while class is used as a supplementary tool to reinforce and hone these concepts. This is also a reason why class does not happen as often here in the UK when compared to the US; back home, a class will at least meet twice a week with a potential discussion session, but here, a class will only meet once a week and may not have a discussion session at all. Clearly, there are 2 different mindsets at work here and that is the reason for the stark contrast in the structure of the education systems. The Americans believe that application and practice will lead to mastery of skills and concepts, while the British believe that independent reading will make the student fully understand the information.

Now, you may think that because of these 2 structures, that students in the UK would be less willing to work with fellow classmates because of collaboration may not necessarily lead to individual success, at least when compared to American students. I am glad to say though that this is not the case at all and that there is a general consensus that working together will realize greater returns for everyone. Part of this is because there are certain classes here that will do group projects like class back in the US, but the main reason is so that students can work together to understand the core readings and material. In some of my classes, I was able to become friends with a few British students, even though my classes were mostly American exchange students, and was able to ask them for advice and help on certain topics. This did also break the preconceived notions I had about British people before and allowed to me fully integrate myself in the environment that CUL provided.

Another pointed difference that stood out to me was the issue of school pride. In the US, it is very common for alumni of schools to proudly wear school gear and show  continuous love and support. This is very different from the UK, as it seems that students really only use school as a stepping stone for their professional careers. Now don’t get me wrong, the British students I interacted were proud of the fact that they go to CUL, But it seemed liked that pride stemmed from the fact that CUL is a very competitive school to get into as a British student, so entry into a school like this one shows the hard work and dedication that student has to their academic careers. Of course in the US most of us are proud of the school we go to because of how it gives us numerous opportunities for a successful professional career. But there are certainly students/individuals in the US who go to certain schools because of they historic legacies and athletic programs they provide. This really struck me one time when one British student asked me why I was wearing a Maryland T-shirt, as if people didn’t need to know anymore that I went to this school. This difference may extend more to a culture clash then anything else, but it was fascinating to see it play out in real life.

Overall, my academic experience at CUL was great, albeit some bumps in the road due to different education standards and structure. While I do think I still prefer the American university education system, I think there are certain aspects of the UK one that are worth integrating and using. One of my biggest issues with the US system is that because of the constant hand-holding and assignments, the student is unable to actually sit-back and attempt to learn the data or relevant information. By giving time to lead the student read the material, those knowledge gaps may actually be filled. At the same time, I admit that this constant practice and application prepares American students for the rigors of real-life, and that is something that cannot be understated enough.