Oh, so this is how it differs…

As of today (3/24) I have completed all midterms, with the exception of one paper due after break. HALLELUJAH!

When I first began learning about the education system in Scotland, I knew that my assessments would be different- they would be fewer, longer, and involve more writing.

In between all of the excitement of the Ceilidh and rugby game, I did find what I thought was an adequate amount of time to study. I had reviewed my notes and lecture slides like I would at AU and thought that would be plenty.

When I began my first midterm on Tuesday evening, I had obviously not been prepared enough. I struggled to identify the tree leaves in front of me and recall the various soil types, mapping, and other outdoors-y things I had learned about in the past weeks.. needless to say, I do not think anyone is looking forward to those results. Oh yeah, it’s also 25% of my grade, the other scores include  a 25% final and lab exercises resulting in 50% of the grade.

I will not even begin to tell you my frustration with this, especially since I will probably never need the information in this class(my professor confirmed this). Also, this class is supposed to cover the lab portion of Bio 102 at Arcadia… where they are currently dissecting animals. I do not see how the two classes could remotely cover the other, and I am afraid that when I return to AU, I will not have the same skills as the other students.

With this all behind me, I took the night to study my physiology notes for the midterm the next day. In the morning, I felt confident, until I looked at the exam. The multiple choice was not much different than the Bio 101 course at Arcadia, but some questions were worded oddly and I have never had to write essays about biology; up until this point everything has been multiple choice. (This is 30% of my overall grade, along with a 10% essay and 60% final.)

This new assessment style is forcing me to learn in a new way and process information differently. After so many years of doing things the same way, I am afraid that I will not be able to adjust myself.

As of now, I am looking on the bright side with Spring Break just around the corner. I am also beginning to study for my finals now and hope I am not surprised again in May, but I am not looking forward to my GPA after this semester.