(I had no idea what to call this, hence the title)
Sorry I haven't updated lately everyone! I've been busy and I don't think everyone wants to read about what I did each day, so I haven't had much of an occasion to blog. But I'll update everyone on what's been going on the past few weeks!
I turned in my two procedural essays in the past few weeks. Procedural essays for both history and archaeology are around 2000 words (essays are assigned by word number, not page length like Wooster), and your tutors give you feedback, but the grade you receive doesn't count towards your final grade. It's a way for you to get a sense of where you stand, and receive feedback so you can do even better on the final project. At first, it was a bit weird to adjust to, but then I really appreciated the system. It allowed me a chance to adjust to the new education system and the kinds of expectations they have for written work without being penalised grade-wise. I actually really appreciate the set up, once I found motivation to actually write the essays!
I got the first one back last week, and I got a 68%, which sounds HEINOUS to Americans, but on the English scale, that's actually really quite good. The percentages are assigned to a degree type: First, Second (Upper- 2:1, or Lower- 2:2), or Third, which are the types of honours you can receive. In general, you aim for first or 2.1. A 68% is a 2.1, so I got some advice on how to get a first on my final papers that count for my grades in a feedback session with my tutor. So while I think the grading system is really weird, I do appreciate the way the system allows for you to improve, especially since there are very few assignments counting towards the final grade.
Campus has been quite busy this week since it's YUSU election season! YUSU is the student union, and there are actually a ton of positions to run for. Campaigning is super serious around here! Everyone comes up with some kind of slogan or icon and makes signs which are posted EVERYWHERE (I'll see if I can get a picture of the main walkway near my college), there are debates which are streamed live online- ours managed to be one of the trending topics on twitter in the UK, which was amazing- and the candidates are all over the campus canvassing. It's quite something to behold. This week is voting, so we'll soon know who won. Personally, I'm voting to Keep Kallum and Carry On! (Kallum Taylor, the current YUSU president, with the best campaign slogan so far. I'm voting for him for other reasons, don't worry). I haven't decided for the other positions yet, so I'm waiting to vote until I have some time to watch the debates and read through their platforms (aka after my seminar tomorrow). I know I won't be here for their terms in office, but it's always important to vote when you have the opportunity, and there are definitely things I feel strongly about as a York student, even after my short time here, that they're promising to try to change, so I want to try to help out future students!
What else? Arcadia isn't perfect, but they're doing a pretty good job so far. I had a meeting with an Arcadia rep a few weeks ago- they come twice during the semester to check in on us and make sure we're doing okay, which is nice of them, since we're not in London with the central office. It was a good chat, and he told me I seem like I'm having too easy of an adjustment haha. I'm just really happy and I haven't really had too much culture shock. I'm also registered to start working on my CLC- Co-Curricular Learning Certificate. Pretty simple- I have to pick some aspect of British culture (there are six general categories) and do three or four activities related to it, and write 2500 words about my experiences. I chose British food and culture, since there's so many amazing food related things in Yorkshire- there was an international food market last week, every month there's a local Yorkshire products market, and I can go visit some farms and such in the countryside to count for my activities. The CLC is optional, but I might as well go for it, if I have the opportunity to get some quantifiable certificate of my study abroad experiences. And I get to eat yummy homemade products doing it.
Classes have been going very well. I'm glad I decided to take my Arabic LFA module, since I'm getting exposure to different Arabic dialects and accents, and keeping my vocab fresh in my mind! I really do love the language so, so much, and I'm thinking about doing something with it in my future studies. My favourite class is my Childhood & Adolescence module, although I really enjoy my archaeology practical on artefacts quite a lot as well. It's a bit of an adjustment, because I really don't feel like I'm doing very much work- there are days were I'm done by 10.15 am or I have no classes all day, so I almost have a pseudo-weekend in the middle of my week. I'm doing enough reading to participate in discussion and write my essays, although I feel like I'm doing less work than at Wooster. Senior I.S. might be a wake up call in the fall haha.
My flatmates are the best, seriously I love them all and it's weird to think that I won't be seeing them daily next year as they plan for their housing and module selection for the fall. It's really refreshing to live with them, and get out of the lull of Wooster's suffocatingly small social world where everyone is connected to everyone haha. It's great that everyone gets on so well, and the pranks are great fun, although most of the time we sit around chatting in the corridor/kitchen or watching Netflix (Walking With Dinosaurs anyone?) or making toasties-the English relative of grilled cheese- although it's dangerous! I burned myself again on the toastie maker this week :-( And some of the time, we go out to bars or clubs, which is all good fun. We live right above V-Bar, the college bar for Vanbrugh, so sometimes we'll go sit there and hang out, and on Monday nights there's live jazz music, which is wonderful. It's going to be strange to return to America where the drinking age is 21 and I won't just be able to chill in a bar with many of my friends. But yeah, Le Page is the domb diggity.
Things are going great! I'm going to Oxford this weekend on a trip with the International Student Association, although I haven't seen any kind of itinerary, so I'm sure exactly what I'll be doing there, but hopefully I'll get to see my Wooster friend Wyatt! The term is almost finished, and I'll be in Ireland the three short weeks at the beginning of the Easter holiday! I'm still sorting out my travel plans for the rest of the break- it's five weeks long- but hopefully I'll get to go to Europe and around the UK. But first, I have a few final papers to push through- these actually count for a grade!
Sorry I haven't updated lately everyone! I've been busy and I don't think everyone wants to read about what I did each day, so I haven't had much of an occasion to blog. But I'll update everyone on what's been going on the past few weeks!
I turned in my two procedural essays in the past few weeks. Procedural essays for both history and archaeology are around 2000 words (essays are assigned by word number, not page length like Wooster), and your tutors give you feedback, but the grade you receive doesn't count towards your final grade. It's a way for you to get a sense of where you stand, and receive feedback so you can do even better on the final project. At first, it was a bit weird to adjust to, but then I really appreciated the system. It allowed me a chance to adjust to the new education system and the kinds of expectations they have for written work without being penalised grade-wise. I actually really appreciate the set up, once I found motivation to actually write the essays!
I got the first one back last week, and I got a 68%, which sounds HEINOUS to Americans, but on the English scale, that's actually really quite good. The percentages are assigned to a degree type: First, Second (Upper- 2:1, or Lower- 2:2), or Third, which are the types of honours you can receive. In general, you aim for first or 2.1. A 68% is a 2.1, so I got some advice on how to get a first on my final papers that count for my grades in a feedback session with my tutor. So while I think the grading system is really weird, I do appreciate the way the system allows for you to improve, especially since there are very few assignments counting towards the final grade.
Campus has been quite busy this week since it's YUSU election season! YUSU is the student union, and there are actually a ton of positions to run for. Campaigning is super serious around here! Everyone comes up with some kind of slogan or icon and makes signs which are posted EVERYWHERE (I'll see if I can get a picture of the main walkway near my college), there are debates which are streamed live online- ours managed to be one of the trending topics on twitter in the UK, which was amazing- and the candidates are all over the campus canvassing. It's quite something to behold. This week is voting, so we'll soon know who won. Personally, I'm voting to Keep Kallum and Carry On! (Kallum Taylor, the current YUSU president, with the best campaign slogan so far. I'm voting for him for other reasons, don't worry). I haven't decided for the other positions yet, so I'm waiting to vote until I have some time to watch the debates and read through their platforms (aka after my seminar tomorrow). I know I won't be here for their terms in office, but it's always important to vote when you have the opportunity, and there are definitely things I feel strongly about as a York student, even after my short time here, that they're promising to try to change, so I want to try to help out future students!
What else? Arcadia isn't perfect, but they're doing a pretty good job so far. I had a meeting with an Arcadia rep a few weeks ago- they come twice during the semester to check in on us and make sure we're doing okay, which is nice of them, since we're not in London with the central office. It was a good chat, and he told me I seem like I'm having too easy of an adjustment haha. I'm just really happy and I haven't really had too much culture shock. I'm also registered to start working on my CLC- Co-Curricular Learning Certificate. Pretty simple- I have to pick some aspect of British culture (there are six general categories) and do three or four activities related to it, and write 2500 words about my experiences. I chose British food and culture, since there's so many amazing food related things in Yorkshire- there was an international food market last week, every month there's a local Yorkshire products market, and I can go visit some farms and such in the countryside to count for my activities. The CLC is optional, but I might as well go for it, if I have the opportunity to get some quantifiable certificate of my study abroad experiences. And I get to eat yummy homemade products doing it.
Classes have been going very well. I'm glad I decided to take my Arabic LFA module, since I'm getting exposure to different Arabic dialects and accents, and keeping my vocab fresh in my mind! I really do love the language so, so much, and I'm thinking about doing something with it in my future studies. My favourite class is my Childhood & Adolescence module, although I really enjoy my archaeology practical on artefacts quite a lot as well. It's a bit of an adjustment, because I really don't feel like I'm doing very much work- there are days were I'm done by 10.15 am or I have no classes all day, so I almost have a pseudo-weekend in the middle of my week. I'm doing enough reading to participate in discussion and write my essays, although I feel like I'm doing less work than at Wooster. Senior I.S. might be a wake up call in the fall haha.
My flatmates are the best, seriously I love them all and it's weird to think that I won't be seeing them daily next year as they plan for their housing and module selection for the fall. It's really refreshing to live with them, and get out of the lull of Wooster's suffocatingly small social world where everyone is connected to everyone haha. It's great that everyone gets on so well, and the pranks are great fun, although most of the time we sit around chatting in the corridor/kitchen or watching Netflix (Walking With Dinosaurs anyone?) or making toasties-the English relative of grilled cheese- although it's dangerous! I burned myself again on the toastie maker this week :-( And some of the time, we go out to bars or clubs, which is all good fun. We live right above V-Bar, the college bar for Vanbrugh, so sometimes we'll go sit there and hang out, and on Monday nights there's live jazz music, which is wonderful. It's going to be strange to return to America where the drinking age is 21 and I won't just be able to chill in a bar with many of my friends. But yeah, Le Page is the domb diggity.
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| Fave babes: Faith, Clare, and I in V-Bar :-) (Thanks to Faith for the photo!) |
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| Typical, walking around York (again, thanks Faith!) |
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| Me, Saher- my neighbour- and Clare (photo credit to Saher) |
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