Ever since coming to college, I have been repeatedly asked what the most notable difference between the U.S. and home was. While there are many, the educational system is probably the one I noticed the most. The differences between the U.S. school system and that in my own home country are astounding. Here is my take on some of the ones I noticed the most.
- Adding and Dropping Classes
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Getting to choose my own classes is something that I still get very excited about. In Slovenia, from elementary school to high school, and even in University, your schedule is assigned to you at the beginning of the year, without the possibility of changing it. Students have none or very minimal input on what classes they are taking in a certain semester. Here, the possibilities seem limitless. You can create a schedule that works best for you. You don’t want to have class until 10 am? Not a problem. Don’t want to have class on Tuesdays? You got it!
Not only do we get to pick our classes, but we can also decide to drop a class if it turns out it’s not a good fit. In Slovenia, once your schedule is made, you cannot really switch to a different class (unless something drastic happens). I still struggle with the idea that it is okay to drop a class if I don’t think I will like it. Even though all students do it, something about it just feels wrong to me. I have certainly taken a class before that I should have dropped, but I just didn’t think it would be the right thing to do.
- Relationships with Faculty
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One of my absolute favorite things about the USA is how friendly everyone seems to be. Even vacationing in Florida as a kid, this is the one thing that really stuck with me— everyone was always nice to me. I have noticed the same trend amongst DePauw faculty. They seem to genuinely enjoy their jobs and want to do everything in their power to help the students.
Sadly, the same cannot always be said for professors in Slovenia. While there are of course those who go above and beyond for their students, a lot of the faculty that I have had seemed to hate their jobs and dislike the students they were teaching. I could categorize the teachers and professors I had back home into three categories— those who cared and I am so grateful that I meet them, those who worked really hard to make students afraid of them, and those who lost their passion and didn’t care about teaching at all.
The thing I appreciate most about DePauw faculty is that any time you walk into someone’s office to ask a question, you are meet with a friendly face. Even if the professor is working on something else, they are never rude to the students that stop by. Coming from a system that didn’t necessarily support such a positive environment, attending office hours regularly was something that I refused to do my freshman year. I had bad experiences with professors at my high school, and I did not want to repeat those, so I avoided faculty offices at all cost. Looking back now, I wish I would have been more open to connecting with faculty – my mental state and my GPA would thank me for it.
- So Many Opportunities, So Many Expectations
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DePauw offers its students an enormous amount of different opportunities. From study abroad to undergraduate research to a variety of different clubs and organizations, the possibilities seem endless. There are opportunities like this in Slovenia, maybe not as many, but still a decent variety. However, what surprised me about the U.S. school system is that students were expected to be involved. In Slovenia, grades and exam scores tend to be all that matters. If you are in a science field, research experience is important too. However, students usually don’t get involved in a wide variety of activities. Here at DePauw, students are expected to be involved and to have experiences outside their majors as well.
Your involvement is also what graduate schools look at when reviewing your application. In Slovenia, in order to get into medical school, for example, all you need at a great GPA and stellar exam scores. Here, getting into med school requires a lot more than that. Research experience, volunteer hours, shadowing and leadership positions are all taken into account besides your MCAT results and GPA. Although, with more opportunities come a lot more expectations.