Daily Duties
My friend's schedule is very similar to my own. Being a co-op student comes with a certain prejudice. Professors automatically assume that you are here to travel and explore the world (true) and put your academics on the back burner for the semester (true, depending who you ask). However, before I get into specific daily schedules, it is important to understand the dynamic of the university I am studying at for the duration of the semester.
There are four distinct categories at the university I am currently spending my time at. One being comprised of the students who are devoted to four full years here and intend to graduate from said university. It is also important to note that this is the smallest sector. Then you have the study abroad students, who, like I previously mentioned, are here to stay on track to get their Bachelor's Degree on time but also to travel. Followed by them you have American students who are (for the most part) freshmen and got rejected from their first choice school. That being said, their first choice school granted them this option basically as a "prove yourself" period. So, in short, they are CRAZY about their grades because they NEED to get into this high coveted Southern California college. Finally, you have those students who are filthy rich. Have you ever seen Gossip Girl? My temporary university could be easily equated to Constance Billard High School, or the high school that Serena, Blair, and friends attended in the CW series. It is a rich kid's paradise.
The daily routine of my friend is absolutely out of the ordinary. I mean, he is living in Paris for five months with close to no responsibilities - and this is reality, not some wild dream! It is typical for a co-op (study abroad) student to have only 2-3 days of class per week. The real reason why the student is here is no secret to the university. He only has classes two days a week - Monday and Thursday. Which means that he essentially has two weekends every. Single. Week. And one being three days. There is a lot of time on his hands.
At first this sounds like the best deal ever. I mean, who wouldn't pass up the opportunity to attend class only two days per week and spend the remaining days galavanting around Paris or elsewhere in Europe? One would think that it is not a bad trade off until you get the syllabi for each class and realize that the university and the professors are one step ahead of you. It is no coincidence that the student does not have a single exam from the start of the semester until the end - there is no one date forcing anyone to show up. It also did not just happen that the university has a strict attendance policy; miss X amount of classes and the student fails the course - so students must show up, regardless, but with some lee way.
Every Monday and Thursday my friend is in class all day. He has a 30 minute metro commute so he leaves about 45 minutes before his first class that starts at 10:30 in the morning. Since he only has to take four classes this semester because each class is worth more credits, it worked out that he can take them on the same day. However, he has them back-to-back-to-back-to-back without a break in between. There are pros and cons. The major pro being that he does not have an excuse to skip a class, especially when the sequential class is right after the other. The con being that he has to have all of his work done before Thursday and Monday AND be ready for a long day - which is easier said than done.
If he is not in class, then he is either doing work or checking a "must-see" or "must-do" off of his abroad list. To much surprise, abroad students do not sit around all day twiddling their thumbs. There is much to be done during the days. If it is not a common household chore, then it is a sight see. And fi it is not a sight see then it is homework. And if it is none of the above, then it is going out plans... and good for them!
If I, and my friends. learned anything while abroad it is one thing - time is of the essence. When the plane touches down the first time in whatever country one decided to study in, 3, 4, or 5 months seems daunting. It seems like a lot of time to be away from the comforts and familiarity of home. However, after orientation comes to a close, and students come to a certain level of comfortability in their new home, time passes quickly. Having classes two days a week is a blessing and a curse. It is nice to have all of this free time on your hands, but it is also a challenge to time manage because the weeks will go by quickly.
There are four distinct categories at the university I am currently spending my time at. One being comprised of the students who are devoted to four full years here and intend to graduate from said university. It is also important to note that this is the smallest sector. Then you have the study abroad students, who, like I previously mentioned, are here to stay on track to get their Bachelor's Degree on time but also to travel. Followed by them you have American students who are (for the most part) freshmen and got rejected from their first choice school. That being said, their first choice school granted them this option basically as a "prove yourself" period. So, in short, they are CRAZY about their grades because they NEED to get into this high coveted Southern California college. Finally, you have those students who are filthy rich. Have you ever seen Gossip Girl? My temporary university could be easily equated to Constance Billard High School, or the high school that Serena, Blair, and friends attended in the CW series. It is a rich kid's paradise.
The daily routine of my friend is absolutely out of the ordinary. I mean, he is living in Paris for five months with close to no responsibilities - and this is reality, not some wild dream! It is typical for a co-op (study abroad) student to have only 2-3 days of class per week. The real reason why the student is here is no secret to the university. He only has classes two days a week - Monday and Thursday. Which means that he essentially has two weekends every. Single. Week. And one being three days. There is a lot of time on his hands.
At first this sounds like the best deal ever. I mean, who wouldn't pass up the opportunity to attend class only two days per week and spend the remaining days galavanting around Paris or elsewhere in Europe? One would think that it is not a bad trade off until you get the syllabi for each class and realize that the university and the professors are one step ahead of you. It is no coincidence that the student does not have a single exam from the start of the semester until the end - there is no one date forcing anyone to show up. It also did not just happen that the university has a strict attendance policy; miss X amount of classes and the student fails the course - so students must show up, regardless, but with some lee way.
Every Monday and Thursday my friend is in class all day. He has a 30 minute metro commute so he leaves about 45 minutes before his first class that starts at 10:30 in the morning. Since he only has to take four classes this semester because each class is worth more credits, it worked out that he can take them on the same day. However, he has them back-to-back-to-back-to-back without a break in between. There are pros and cons. The major pro being that he does not have an excuse to skip a class, especially when the sequential class is right after the other. The con being that he has to have all of his work done before Thursday and Monday AND be ready for a long day - which is easier said than done.
If he is not in class, then he is either doing work or checking a "must-see" or "must-do" off of his abroad list. To much surprise, abroad students do not sit around all day twiddling their thumbs. There is much to be done during the days. If it is not a common household chore, then it is a sight see. And fi it is not a sight see then it is homework. And if it is none of the above, then it is going out plans... and good for them!
If I, and my friends. learned anything while abroad it is one thing - time is of the essence. When the plane touches down the first time in whatever country one decided to study in, 3, 4, or 5 months seems daunting. It seems like a lot of time to be away from the comforts and familiarity of home. However, after orientation comes to a close, and students come to a certain level of comfortability in their new home, time passes quickly. Having classes two days a week is a blessing and a curse. It is nice to have all of this free time on your hands, but it is also a challenge to time manage because the weeks will go by quickly.
Erin, Good job of describing the dynamic at your university. This is a good way to structure this narrative, by beginning with this discussion. It adds nice coherence to your essay, while also informing your audience. Good job of detailing how time is spent while studying abroad as well as discussing the importance of time as you study abroad.
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