Ciao! As you know, while I enjoy touring Italy, I am actually a student here in Milan at The University Cattolica. As midterms are approaching, I thought I would take a break from studying to talk about the educational system here in Italy, and most importantly how it differs from the American system to which I am accustomed.
For context, all but one of my classes are “Americanized,” meaning the classes follow a typical American class model and are taught in English. These classes are composed of American or other international students and are graded based on group projects, a midterm, and several other assignments before our final.
However, I am in one “academic” class that better reflects the Italian system. This academic class is made up of students from Italy and several other EU countries who speak English. It is both an undergrad and master’s class, so students are either studying law or are getting their master’s in arts management. Unlike my more “Americanized” classes for international students, we have an oral final exam at the end of the year, and our grade is entirely based on that one exam. As you can imagine I will primarily focus on this academic class because I believe it indicates more about the Italian school system.
Regardless of the type of classes, they are much longer than those I am accustomed to at Scranton. My “Americanized” classes are about two hours a piece, whereas my “academic” class is two and a half hours. The biggest difference between the duration of the “Americanized” and “academic” classes is that we get a fifteen-minute break during the latter to chat, grab a coffee, rest our arms which are sore from typing and maybe get some air on a nearby balcony.
The “academic” class is intense, and I can promise that during actual these classes, students are not shopping for bikinis, playing Tetris, or doing other work. There aren’t any projects or benchmarks, it’s just expected that students study the necessary material and pass the exam. However, not all students attend classes. They’re not skipping like in the U.S., but either live far away, have an overlapping class or simply prefer to study on their own.
These students are allowed to study all the course material on their own and then take the exam based on the slides that are posted and the additional material. Sometimes for those who “regularly attend” classes there is a written final, instead of only an oral one, but it honestly isn’t that common to have a written final.
With five or six classes that are this intense, students study hard for their exams throughout the year instead of cramming. Interestingly, these exams may not be for weeks after classes end. If you fail, you have the opportunity to retake the exam, as
there are multiple exam dates over the course of the winter break and summer respectively. Should you fail all the exams, you will be forced to retake the class, a fate no student relishes.
Initially, I thought my “academic” class, Law and The Arts, was simply at a higher level of class due to the enormous amount of content covered in a single class, however, my classmates have confirmed that while our class is difficult, all of their classes have a similar amount of information to prepare for the exam. It’s hard to believe that they have to take five or six exams with the amount of content I’ve seen. I thought I had to read a lot as an English major, but I’m nearing my hundredth page of notes and we’re only about a month and a half into classes!
Therefore, it is beneficial that the professors are incredibly approachable, or at least the ones I have for class. One professor asks us to “give her a second” before class so she can grab a coffee from the coffee vending machine. Another is happily providing me with sources and advice about an article on sexism in Italian television I plan on publishing in a few weeks.
The professors are knowledgeable about what they teach, and while some classes can be long and boring, the professors are passionate about their subjects. Italian professors want curious students and welcome questions and thoughts, which is also true of the United States, but I do think that the difficult level of classes here, ameliorates some of the stress and anxiety because the professors want to engage with students. A lack of understanding isn’t equated to not paying attention, but the need for better clarification.
I would say at Scranton most professors are like this, but not all. Confusion about topics often arises, and having an understanding of professors has made all the difference. I’m not judged harshly for the mistakes I make but provided with an environment in which I can grow. For example, I forgot Italy does not have the death penalty, and my professor kindly explained that fact instead of quickly correcting a wrong answer I gave in class.
Further, it would be easy for Italians to be dismissive of a foreigner in their class, but they have been so kind despite having no reason to be. In the U.S. it’s not uncommon to befriend people in classes for notes if you don’t know anyone; maybe you become close friends or you don’t. Here in Italy, I literally cannot help anyone with the material in any way. Yet in my experience, everyone has wanted to be not just classmates, but friends, inviting me to lunch or chatting after class (Shout out to my friends Marianna, Elisa and Alessia who are helping me through Law and Arts, because half of the time I am really confused).
Besides being so incredibly kind and my new besties, the students here seem almost superhuman in their ability to study and retain information, and to be honest it’s inspiring. However, they aren’t competitive, they bond over difficult classes instead of being protective of notes. I feel very grateful to have them; I was welcomed with open arms. Interestingly, unless you attend school in a different city from where you live with
your family, most students live with their families during university, a measure which not only saves them money, but I suspect serves to eliminate “dorm life” culture like in the United States. In effect, people usually meet each other through class, sharing a common interest because of their course of study.
Being an international student, I’m constantly asked about my major in conversation, which touches on another major difference between the two systems: course of study. I was surprised to discover that Italy’s collegiate system of choosing majors is much more selective and rigid, at least when compared to the U.S.
While almost 50% of college students change their majors in The States, here in Italy, once you choose your major, it is highly unusual to change it. This does not come from cost, which for all four years at a private university is still less than what I pay for one in the U.S., but rather the rigid schooling structure. There are very few General Education classes, and while Italian students can choose certain classes within their major, the curriculum is almost completely predetermined.
Interestingly, particularly for me, law is a college degree, and by your second year, you have to choose the type of law you want to practice. If you are unhappy with your choice of career, it kind of seems that the prevailing attitude is “too bad,” as even if you have experience in one area, you will be expected to do the major listed on your degree. Whereas in the U.S., we can get a degree in one subject, but then transition into a completely different job.
Further, double majoring is almost impossible outside of the particular “faculty” in which a student studies. These faculties are similar to our different colleges within a university like “The College of Arts and Sciences” and “The Kania School of Management” at Scranton. However, “faculties” are much more specific, some examples here at Cattolica include “The Faculty of Law and Economics” and “The Faculty of Business.” Usually, when I try to explain that I am a Literature (telling people that I am an English major is also confusing), Theater, and Philosophy triple major with a Legal Studies concentration, people get really confused.
I have to explain that those are technically three different degrees, not one big one. Minors and concentrations don’t exist in Italy, and to be honest I’m not sure I’ve ever explained it well to an Italian student. However, after some explaining, particularly about wanting to become a lawyer, Italian students usually say something like, “It must be nice to have such freedom.” My one friend says that Americans have a more holistic education, which allows us to learn better because we study more than one thing before becoming professionals. I’d never thought of it in such a way; however, I do think, from what I can tell, that our schooling system is more creative, giving us greater freedom even from a young age. This is an insight particularly illuminated by comparing my own education to that of my five and nine-year-old cousins who live here in Italy.
I have this vivid memory of my aunt and uncle asking me during a visit to the U.S. what I was “making” for class. Apparently, when I was five or six, my mother was on a
business trip to Italy and explained to them that my father was at home helping me make a clay horse for school (spoiler alert, the tail fell off). They had laughed, confused about why I was making something for class, which at the time struck me as odd.
Looking at my cousin’s homework, I understand their reasoning. When I was five, I was making a horse, but my five-year-old cousin was learning multiplication, something I didn’t learn until I was nine or ten! As such, the age at which certain skills are learned is certainly ahead of that in the U.S., but it comes at a cost. I’ve observed the large amount of homework my cousin has to do, coupled with random examinations where their teacher will question them. I think I would have burst into tears or simply refused to go to school if I had to be quizzed in front of the entire class at five or nine (in fact, I think I burst into tears because I forgot the last line of the Gettysburg Address when I was twelve).
Constantly needing to study the material means that most Italians have a good work ethic and study skills that surpass most Americans. In addition, I can say that their education system is more effective. Despite my ten years of Spanish and four years of Italian, I cannot speak either language well, whereas my nine-year-old cousin is practically fluent in English. Of course, it helps to have American cousins, but almost every Italian person I have met who is about my age speaks English.
I think this culture can be attributed to the prevailing idea in Italy that school here is sacred, so it means on the whole students genuinely want to attend classes, creating an environment that allows a love of learning to be fostered. This specialized education continues in high school, where there are various types of high schools, offering different curriculums. Unlike public high schools in the U.S., students can choose which they attend, if they pass the entrance exam. Interestingly, classes are all at the same level in Italy, meaning that there aren’t higher levels of classes like honors or “Advanced Placement” (AP). What’s more, students remain with the same group of students throughout all five years of high school.
To receive a comprehensive picture of the Italian high school system, I consulted a dear friend of mine, Luisella Sanna, who is a freshman at Humanitas Universitya Milanese university dedicated to the medical and biomedical sciences. She is studying Physiotherapy. Luisella attended a “Liceo Scientifico” high school for five years, and as an expert of sorts, was kind enough to explain the Italian high school education system to me:
“There are three kinds of high schools: ‘Liceo,’ technical schools, and professional schools. ‘Liceo’ schools are more focused on theory, whereas in professional schools they teach you a practical job (like a chef, or bartender). Technical schools have both aspects, practical and theoretical, and teach skills like economics, surveying, or mechanics. A ‘Liceo’ is the most commonly attended type of school. There are different types, but all of them include classes in Italian literature, grammar, math, physics, history of arts, history, philosophy, and science.
“There are four main types of ‘Liceos.’ The Liceo Scientifico focuses on the subjects listed above with an added emphasis on physics, math, science, and Latin. The Liceo Classico focuses on Italian literature, philosophy, history, Latin, and Greek. The Liceo Linguistico is good at teaching languages such as English, and then students choose two other languages, usually
Spanish, French, Dutch, or Chinese. Finally, the Liceo Artistico focuses on the history of arts and has practical classes where students learn to paint and draw. Of the above, Classico and Scientifico are the most commonly attended, and are usually followed by University, while those who attend professional schools immediately go to work.”*
These more specialized high schools, particularly the “Liceo,” provide students with a rigorous education, and as the student usually chooses based on what they like, serve to adequately prepare them for their future careers. I also think it is beneficial that students are exposed to philosophy earlier and languages more rigorously, as it allows them to know themselves and the world better, something I feel was sorely lacking in my own high school education in America.
After five rigorous years of high school, students in Italy are therefore prepared for the intense academic environment I have observed at Cattolica. My friends here are some of the smartest people I know, able to converse about a wide range of topics and in different languages, seeming to prove that a more difficult level of schooling is allegedly beneficial to shaping minds.
Luisella says, “Here it is more strict because they want you to have good cultural knowledge on everything to develop critical thinking and to have an open mind. I think that’s why we all have to study literature, history, philosophy and arts. So that you will be ready for any choice you will make.”
Therefore, students are set up for success by their schools, which ensure they have adequate academic knowledge in all major areas.
Luisella also highlighted a common issue faced by Italian students, “In this way, it is more difficult for students to understand what they really like. In addition, many schools are too hard, so they force you only to study (as a matter of fact we do not have clubs connected to the school, not even sports).”*
I do wonder if too much studying and a curriculum focused on studying information here in Italy means that students are not taught how to make presentations for work or are taught professional skills we emphasize in the United States. Using the previous example of the clay horse, I was taught from a young age, and indeed through high school, to use my imagination and collaborate to solve problems. In these areas, I do think the United States succeeds as we certainly emphasize them more, even if we don’t speak two languages or know Latin.
In the end, I do believe that education is a matter of taste. The Italian system is far more rigorous, and I do believe better prepares Italians at all levels for university, whereas the U.S., in contrast, is more creatively focused. Overall, this writer is certainly impressed by the Italian education system and asks for your thoughts and prayers as exam season approaches.
*Please note, Luisella’s answers have been edited for grammar and clarity.