As I am sitting here waiting for the Packers game to come on, I figured I would give you a run down of what my typical class week is like. (Yes, it is 12:30am here, and the game doesn't come on until 1:30am)..dedicated fan here.
Monday:
I
have Geology lecture at 9am at Penrhyn Road, which means I have to
catch the bus from the Kingston Hill Uni. I try to leave the house by
8-8:15 so I have enough time to walk and catch the bus. I also try to
leave early because they will close the doors once the bus is full and
it is no fun when the person in front of you gets on, but you don't, and
have to wait another 15 mins.
Depending on the time I get there, I can stop to grab a coffee/tea, or just head straight to lecture.
I
have a break from 11-1 where I normally meet up with friends and walk
to a sandwich shop to have lunch. There are many places all around the
campus to eat and most places have lunch specials. I can get a sandwich,
crisps (potato chips), and a drink for 3 pounds. Sandwiches I have had
here are the best I have ever had.
I then head back to campus for my Geology Tutorial, or Lab, which runs from 1-3. It is pretty self explanatory, we work in groups to complete the assigned lab. There is an instructor plus two tutors walking around if we have any questions.
We
get let out of class about 10 minutes early and luckily, my Operations
Management class is on the same campus so I have enough time to get
there. We have lecture for the first hour/hour and a half, then for the
rest of the time, we have a tutorial. Group A and Group B stay for the
tutorial alternating weeks.
After class, I generally either meet
up with people to grab a bit to eat in town, or head back to my place to
cook with my housemate Remmy, and we make some good dinners!
Tuesday:
Once again I have class
at Penrhyn Road at 9am. So I leave the house by 8:15 to make it on
time. Electronic Business Processes, EBP, has its tutorial first, so we
meet in a computer lab to work on our projects/assignments together. My
professor combined the EBP tutorial with one of her other class
tutorials, so there is really two classes in the lab. This makes for a
much more independent tutorial session. We had to make groups for our
projects, so I am with two second year students from the UK, and one
second year student who is from Poland. I really like our group because
everyone takes part and we have some in depth and knowledgeable
discussions and debates over different topics we should/should not
include in our project.
We are free to leave 10-15 minutes early
for a break, or if we need to use the bathroom or get a drink/snack. We
then have to be in lecture by 11. Professors here are very strict about
allowing people in. We have to swipe our card to have access to the
classroom, so if you show up more than 5 past the hour, they will tell
you to go home, or come back after break for the second half of class.
We normally get a 5 minute break after the first hour.
After class, I either meet up with some friends for dinner, or once again head back to my place and cook some delicious food.
Wednesday and Thursday:
Off.
Off, as in no classes that is. I use my free time to normally do my homework/go to the library and I also catch up on stuff that needs to be done whether it is groceries, laundry, or cleaning up my room. Sometimes I will meet people in town for a bit to eat for lunch in between their classes, so it forces me to get up in the morning and not catch a few more zzz's.
With group projects more of a focus here as well, we also set up times to meet and discuss/work on our projects/papers. I always try to vote for Wed/Thurs since it works best for me, but it really comes down to when everyone is free.
Friday:
I have my class, Business Environment, from 2-5, with the first hour being a lecture, the next two being a tutorial. I really enjoy this tutorial because the teacher brings up the topic for the tutorial, and lets us take up a debate.
Well, that is all for now. I have had a long day. I woke up at 6am to catch a bus/train to London and then on a tour of Windsor, Bath, and Stonehenge. I was then dropped back off in London and had to catch the train back to Kingston. I will write a post about the trip here in the next couple of days and be sure to upload some pictures. This same student tour company is offering a trip to Amsterdam next weekend, which I am considering going on. Hopefully I will have my decision made up here soon.
I also booked my flights for over break. I will be flying into Poland and going to Auschwitz, and then catching a flight to Trapani in Southern Italy, and then onto Barcelona for the last part of the break. I am catching a flight back to London a day early since The Airborne Toxic Event is playing here, and well, I couldn't miss their show here.
Well..GO PACK GO!
Night!
-Nick
