End of the semester and finals time
It is that time of the semester. All students know what I mean by that. The end of the semester is drawing near, and I just have a general sense of existential dread. It can not just be put on exams and papers, like it usually is in the US, because abroad there are more concerns. I think it is partly that I just do not know how the system here works nearly as well as at NAU. In Arizona, at least I know what format are test are likely to come in and what expected of me on a paper. Here all of that is different, and that terrifies me. I am a person who obsessed with my GPA, and every test or term paper feels like the end of the world. Since this is all I can think about right now, I will explore this topic in this post,. Hopefully I will provide some useful information along the way.
First I will talk about the difference between exams in Konstanz and exams at NAU, since I am fresh out of one this morning. In Konstanz, exams are a much bigger percentage of your grade than in any class I have seen in the US. This particular one was â…” of my grade. I think that is completely nuts. How are you going to judge a students performance over and entire semester based on one presentation and one test. They did not ask me what I thought about it will designing the educational system here, so that is the way that it is. So be prepared for this when in Konstanz. The test are also more difficult that what I have experienced in the past. Multiple choice test are basically non-existent, which was quite a shock to me. Almost every exam in the US is multiple choice, or a combination of multiple choice and written answer. I highly suggest studying through the semester, so you are not trying to cram a semester worth of information into your brain at the last minute. This is what I generally do, and did for this class, but I still ended up study for 8 or more hours yesterday. When I got to the exam, I still did not know everything.
The expectation for papers is also different here. You probably will not be asked to write a paper for a class unless it is the term paper, and if you are it will not be that major of a project or a large part of your grade. Term papers, however, are a different story. If you have a term paper, rather than a final, it will likely be 15 - 20 pages. It will also involve more research than American students are accustomed to. One class that I was considering taking required a term paper that was 15 pages long and required one to conduct research, and then gather and analyze data. Given the fact I have zero experience with this, I did not take that class. You will liley have a lot of time to write them, however, as they may not expect the paper until some time in September. German universities are not nearly as structured as American universities. Classes officially end on the 20th of July, but Summer semester does not end until the Winter semester begins on October 1. So some classes end early July, and others end on the 20th but do not require there final paper until september. I think the NAU is better, but once again no one asked me. If you need grades earlier, you need to talk to your professors individually.
A view from inside of the library, where I have lived for the lst two weeks
Aother view of this great of the office