Studying at OU

A few days ago I walked across campus with a couple OU students. We talked about what we did so far that day. I spent the afternoon in the library to finish a paper for my International Peace class, so I said that I worked. “You work? Man, aren’t you banned from working with your visa?” I had to rephrase. “I worked on this essay earlier” I said. “Oh, you mean school work” was the answer. Yes, I thought in that moment, school work fits this style of working quite well.

It is true I think, college is more like school than the type of learning at university back in Leipzig. That kind of studying where you get readings assigned each week and dates for the final exam at the beginning of the semester, and it is up to you if go to the lectures and seminars. Sometimes nobody will check on you, especially if there is just one final written exam to take. Although the American Studies Program is an exception with its written assignments throughout the semester, it is still not like here. It has been six weeks so far, but I probably read and wrote more during that time then in half a semester in Leipzig. Four written assignments a week (the homework), as well as additional essays and presentation throughout the semester. A lot of readings each day. And attendance is obligatory, in one class I even have to use an app to confirm my presence (never heard of TopHat before). One might think that this must be annoying, a thought I maybe had before coming to OU, but it definitely has its benefits. I already figured out earlier that I can remember course material better if I work with it through writing, rather than just reading or viewing. The classes are much more interesting with the instructors’ use of various types of media to teach course materials. And especially for a nonnative speaker it is helpful to argue by writing, my English vocabulary rejoices.

Another difference is the course structure, which seems to be not that fixed as it is in Germany. There is everything between one hour lectures, one and a half hour mixtures of lecture and seminar, or two hour seminars that often are comprised of extensive debates. The steady switching between lecture and small group work and subsequent discussion in the course is a good way to keep peoples’ attention. But at the same time it was stressful for me in the beginning, if you walk in a room and expect to listen to someone for ninety minutes and take notes (like the typical German lecture). But the longer you do it, the more accustomed you become to it. It is normal now to write at least one and a half thousand words per week, or to read a hundred pages for a single seminar session. By the way, the next reading response is due in three hours – here we go again.