Classrooms Abroad

Faculty-Directed programs have the most varying classroom settings. You may be in a hotel conference room listening to your faculty member lecture, then transition outside to a historical monument to see something in its original location. Then you may hop onto a bus, listen to more lectures during the transport to another city, and get to your next night of accommodation. In the evenings you may be at your lodgings, such as a hotel or homestay, to complete your homework.

Some programs that are provided by partners may have their own office space/study centers. These may not be at a university, so the partner may ask an international faculty member to teach a class in their study center. In this situation, all the students would gather in this off-campus location for the class. In this classroom setting there would be limited interaction with locals.

You may be going to class on a traditional university campus. Here you'll be taking classes with other international students and locals. The classroom environment may be different than what you're used to. The instructor may be a bit more distant and may have few assignments. Your entire grade may be one paper and one final. It's up to you to keep up with reading and attending lectures. The faculty member might not realize you're an international student, so you may have to go up to them and ask specifically how to write a paper in their standards. In this circumstance, you may have to be your own advocate in finding out ways to be successful in each class you take.

You may think studying abroad is a piece of cake. But students can struggle with the change in their study norms. You may skip a class here at home, not read an article, or write a paper the night before. However, those strategies may not work for you abroad and could result in a failing grade or struggle that you weren't expecting. It would be good to do some research on good study habits and tips for your host country.