<p>Could anyone please answer to:</p>
<p>1) Campus work.. How easy is to combine it with studies?
2) What are the possibilities and expenses during spring/winter/autumn holidays?
3) What do you do during the summer (what are the opportunities and costs)?
4) Do you find the education offered in the States good/better compared to the one in Europe?
5) How much extra money per month would a typical intl student use?</p>
<p>All these really depend on where you go.</p>
<p>Sorry for not making myself clear enough at first. I was more or less adressing this to people attending LACs. However everybody’s still encouraged to share their experience mentioning the school they attend :)</p>
<p>
I think that the academic standards are lower in the US, but I feel that I am getting more out of my classes than I did in Germany. I would attribute my better learning curve in the US to more work being assigned and an emphasis on student engagement and participation. </p>
<p>An undergraduate education in the US, especially a liberal arts education, is fundamentally different from an undergraduate education in Europe: the emphasize is on exploration rather than specialization. In Europe I might spend 6 semesters studying math, and nothing but math, as an undergraduate. In the US, I can get that same math degree with 3 semester’s worth of math classes and 5 semesters of work in other fields. I have taken random classes in sociology, psychology, economics, computer science and geology that have literally changed my view of individuals, society and the world!</p>
<p>Nicely said B@rium!</p>
<p>I’ll dwell on what B@rium didn’t talk about.</p>
<p>1) Campus work: I think it is relatively easy to combine part-time work with your studies. You can only work 20hours/week during the semester anyways. It’s all about time mgt.</p>
<p>2) Most international students in my school go home. A few stick around in the summer and take classes, but most of them work as well. If you’re not working, or taking classes - I see no reason why a student would stay. In my school for instance, it is quite expensive to stick around, especially in the dorms during breaks for a variety of reasons.</p>
<p>I guess before you actually talk about the quality of the education, specify which undergraduate institutions you are specifically talking about. The quality of education varies greatly within a country.</p>
<p>Are you referring to me? I was implicitly comparing Bryn Mawr, Haverford and the University of Pennsylvania to my local public university in Germany. Other European students in the area have expressed similar feelings of expectations being lower in the US than what they were used to. </p>
<p>I don’t have much experience with public universities in the US - I hear that they are stricter on standards than private universities.</p>
<p>
This is interesting barium.Could you explain further?(I mean,do you think they grade less harshly at privates or is it that the material is easier?)</p>
<p>Private universities might be more generous with grades. </p>
<p>A new faculty member at Penn said that the departmental guidelines for grading in intro courses are more generous (giving better grades for the same performance) than the guidelines at his previous public institution. I don’t want to name the university so not to identify him, but it is notably less selective than Penn. </p>
<p>The old faculty handbook at Bryn Mawr discouraged professors from awarding grades below a B. Something to the extent of, “Most students work hard and are disappointed with grades below a 3.0.” I have had two classes at Bryn Mawr and Haverford for which I completed less than 50% of the work and still got a B. </p>
<p>Professors at my schools are looking for excuses to give us better grades whenever possible. When I was stronger towards the end of the semester, my final exam grade was weighted more heavily because I eventually understood the material and that’s what counts. When I struggled towards the end of the semester, my final grades were discounted because I was clearly a strong student and could have finished strong if my outside life had not interfered with my school work. A friend of mine used to say that it’s impossible to fail a class here: even if she did no work whatsoever, she’d still get a D as long as she came to class. </p>
<p>I have experienced the professors at private colleges to be incredibly accommodating. Have too much work due at the same time? Here’s an extension! Don’t like this topic? Do something else! Test anxiety? Write a paper instead! Too shy to speak up in class? Let’s talk in my office! </p>
<p>From what I hear, public universities tend to be much less accommodating. If you can’t complete the work that’s assigned when it’s assigned, your grade will take a hit.</p>