<p>I am a British student thinking of applying to study abroad at Mount Holyoke and was wondering what the work load is like? If I got a place, I would be going there for one semester in my sophomore year and I am a History major. </p>
<p>At my university in England we have 6 or 7 journals/ articles/ chapters to read each week just to help us better understand what we are discussing in our classes and then 4 or 5 essays due each semester with two weeks to spend on each essay. I would say for the half of the semester that I dont have essays due I spend about 2 hours on homework a day and for the half that I am working on my essays I spend about 4-5 hours on homework a day. We then have one big exam at the end of the semester. For the week or two leading up to the exam I will do about 6 hours revision a day. How does this compare to your workload at Mount Holyoke? How often do you have an essay or test that counts towards your final grade?</p>
<p>Sorry to ask such a boring and pedantic question. I am attracted to the studious ethos of Mount Holyoke but I am also someone who treasures having a work/play balance; studying abroad is a oncein-a-life -time opportunity and I dont want to spend my whole semester in the library.</p>
<p>I’m going to take a stab at your question even though I am not a Bryn Mawr student or alum.</p>
<p>I think the main difference you will find is that American colleges use continuous assessment (exams, essays, etc.) throughout the semester, and your semester grade is the result of the weighted numerical average of those assessments. The UK system in my experience was somewhat different, one’s grade being based on exams at the end of first and third years. Roughly speaking, the US system rewards day-to-day diligence, while the UK system rewards cleverness and the ability to pull it off at the last moment. </p>
<p>During midterm and final exams, you will probably be studying (US usage for revising) more than 6 hours a day at Bryn Mawr. At other times, you will be able to shift/balance your time,but you will be assessed more frequently and the rhythm of life will be different. as a result. It’s not necessarily harder but it’s a different system.</p>
<p>I actually just responded to a male student from the UK that UMASS was the best of his options for study abroad in the US, and the reasons really apply 10 fold to your consideration of Mount Holyoke. There really are no comparable experiences in the UK university system to the experience of attending a school like Mount Holyoke, Smith, Amherst, or Hampshire…and, as a student at MHC, you can sample all of these institutions. Northhampton/Amherst/Hadley…the “Happy Valley” is such a quintessential American college community, and is not something I ever encountered in the UK. Definitely a worthy experience for a UK student wanting a little slice of American life for a term or two…</p>