Written by: AJ Smyth
As a student on a year-long exchange in UConn from my home university, UCD (University College Dublin), I’ve been unconsciously comparing my academic experience as I took classes, submitted assignments, and conversed with lectures.
At UCD, I study English with Creative Writing; I’ve translated to mean I’m majoring in English with a minor in Creative Writing, which is part of a four year BA degree. As a humanities student, I’d like to clarify that I have no experience in STEM or business at higher education and therefore this comparison is quite niche.
UCD and UConn have different credit systems. At Uconn, I take four classes, which fulfil my twelve credit requirements per semester. At UCD, I have to take enough classes to fill 60 credits over the course of a year; 30 in the autumn semester and 30 in the spring. The first year of my degree is GPA neutral, though from second year onwards, my GPA becomes cumulative.
At UCD, my timetable looks quite different to my current one. Classes at UCD are mainly referred to as modules. I typically take 5-6 classes per semester, though it usually depends on how much my core modules are worth in credits. The difference in timetables is partly due to how the class structure differs. At UCD, I will have two classes per module; a lecture and a small group tutorial.
A lecture is roughly 45 minutes long, and during module selection there is only one time slot available for this. Lectures are held by professors who present the topic for the week. Questions can be asked, but the students typically just listen and take notes.
Small group tutorials, on the other hand, are held usually by a student teacher or another professor. This is when students converse and talk about the material covered in the lecture held earlier in the week. Weekly readings and upcoming assessments are also discussed here.
When it comes to my creative writing classes, they are structured a little differently. We have one class a week, usually 90 minutes long. Here we discuss weekly readings, our focused topics, workshop pieces, and sometimes do writing exercises.
One major difference I have noted is in the grading systems. Participation accounts toward a lot of my grades here at UConn, often up to 20%. This is similar to UCD, however the other 80% is usually split between a midterm and an end-of-term exam or essay. Sometimes an exam or essay will even be worth 80% overall, which is something I have not experienced while at UConn. Instead, they seem to divide the final grade into several smaller assessments which require constant work and engagement.
One aspect I’ve particularly enjoyed while at UConn is the relationships I’ve been able to build with professors. They make their office hours feel welcoming, and always seem up for a chat.
However, I prefer the lecture and small group tutorial system at UCD. I have found in some of my classes while at UConn, a lot of time is taken up by student responses to the material. Though I understand how important discourse is, I particularly enjoy listening to my professors talk as their level of knowledge on the subject is always fascinating.
I’ve really enjoyed experiencing the difference in teaching between UConn and UCD, and could not recommend studying abroad enough. I feel my time at UConn has changed the level of confidence I have in myself, and I’m looking forward to taking the knowledge I’ve gained and applying it to my final year of study at UCD.