Ever wondered what YSJU looks like to a visiting student? An American visitor helps us to see things differently.
By Emily Gorin
I am an American study abroad/exchange student from Union College, an institution located in upstate New York. At Union, I am an English major with a minor in Law. In America, it is not uncommon to study in two different disciplines – such as having a major and minor, or two different majors, etc. – and we usually use the terms “major” and “minor” rather than “programme” to describe our courses of study. Furthermore, at home, “college” and “university” are used interchangeably, as we go from high school to “uni.”
After my six-hour flight, a long customs line, and a two-hour drive from Manchester, I arrived at YSJU. I am taking two modules in the English department: Cultures of Childhood and Shakespeare: Perspectives. My third class is more of a traditional American class. Given that fifteen other students from Union are also studying at YSJ this semester, and a professor travelled over with us, we are all taking a class together with the Union professor.
In my British classes, I was surprised to find out how few assignments there are, particularly in relation to how few assessments count toward our grade. In America, not only does attendance and participation count toward our grades, but we are usually assigned at least two essays, if not three, in an English class, in addition to a few smaller writer assignments. The essays we have tend to be longer in length than those assigned here; in America I have rarely, if ever, been assigned an essay with a word count of only 1500 words. As a result of the number of assignments, we have things due regularly throughout the term, rather than having either one essay due at the end of the semester or one due in the middle and one at the end.
I have loved living in the UK and studying at YSJ. It has been brilliant getting to know my classmates and professors. I have also enjoyed figuring out the differences in customs between America and the UK. I was somewhat surprised, though, when someone first commented on my accent, particularly when I was told that they “love” my accent and wanted to know more about where I was from. For me it was the complete reverse—British accents sounded really cool, while American accents do not seem like accents at all!
I have loved meeting and getting to know my flatmates. While learning to call our living space a “flat” rather than a “house,” it was great being able to meet new friends right away. They helped to explain some of the differences between America and England right away. For example, it is very common (and pretty much expected, actually) for American students to live on campus for their entire university career, rather than for just their first year. Furthermore, uni is four years for an undergraduate degree, not three, and we distinguish what year students are differently. Rather than progression being related to your year (ie. First-year, second-year, etc.), we are a freshman our first year, a sophomore our second, followed by being a junior and senior. So I am a third year here, a junior at home, and still over a year away from graduation. I have also had to get used to not having a meal plan and an on-campus cafeteria opened at all times. Back home, having a meal plan rather than a kitchen is more the norm, and there are always multiple cafeterias and places to eat on campus that are open.
It has been a terrific experience being so immersed in another culture while being able to explore different places. I have visited London, Whitby, the Lake District, and Leeds, and have plans to visit Edinburgh. Since I have not been in the UK since I was three, I have really enjoyed being able to explore York and these other places so easily. Being so close to the city centre has also been wonderful, as I am always discovering new streets to wander and sights to see.
The semester has definitely been flying by – I cannot believe most of my time here is already over! I am looking forward to the next few weeks here and finding even more new things to discover.