You Say Tomato

There is vast potential in the chance to immerse oneself in another culture which is a vehicle for personal growth and self-discovery.  However, it is important to keep in mind that one responsibility in this experience is actually studying.

British universities are run very differently from American ones in terms of testing.  The University of Warwick employs a trimester system with Autumn, Spring, and Summer terms.  Typically, a student will take classes in one term and take the final exams for those classes the following term after a five week break.  This sounds really great, especially as a student may spend the whole five weeks preparing for his exams.

Here is the catch: it is not uncommon for finals, which are simply called “exams” here as they only occur once per class, to be worth up to 100% of the final grade.  Better not have the flu on test day.

I am enrolled in International Marketing, International and European Employment Relations, Ethical Issues and Social Responsibility in Contemporary Business, and Managing Human Resources.  Of those four classes, I only have exams in three, so I am feeling a little lucky.  Procrastination, however, could lead to panicked frenzy because in the UK exams are do or die.

Fortunately, my classes are interesting.  Each class has a lecture that meets once a week for an hour or two hours.  (I have two, two hour lectures back-to-back on Mondays, so sitting for four hours straight is literally a pain in the butt.)  Some of my lectures are taught by multiple professors.  Other classes have seminars which are led by other members of the staff.  I like the seminars because I get to do more hands-on, group-based work.

It is going to take some readjustment to get used to meeting with my classes only once a week.  At Carolina our classes have multiple meetings in a week which compels students to revisit the course material several times.  Repetition is key when learning, so I need to plan my time at the library accordingly.

Speaking of courses, when I first arrived in England, the other students in my dorm asked me what my course was.  I was puzzled as to why they wanted to know which classes I was taking, especially as they are all first year students and are, thus, not taking my third year, or senior, classes.  It turns out course means major (not class) and classes are called modules.  Life has been a lot less confusing since I figured that out.

Other English terms/phrases I have encountered include: chips (fries), crisps (chips), alright (what’s up), postbox (mailbox), lorry (truck), lift (elevator), and phone box (phone booth).  Plus a lot of words are pronounced differently.  A word of advice, watching TV shows like Sherlock and Misfits could help if you’re planning on spending an extended period of time here!

The other day I tried Skittles and Mars milkshakes with my roommate, a law student from France.  Skittles and Mars bars are from England, so I thought it would be appropriate for us to taste-test the two drinks.  The Skittles drink tasted a bit like strawberry au lait, a popular drink in Japan, gone wrong.  It had a slightly sour aftertaste which will not have me coming back for more.  Happily, the Mars drink tasted just like what one would imagine a liquified Mars bar would.

The University of Warwick is a little far from a lot of the touristy areas of England.  However, walking around the campus is fun and a source of novel experiences.  For instance, I found this fire engine (fire truck) parked out by one of the buildings:

You call 999 when in an emergency in England!

Other interesting facts:

• English trivia night consists of a lot of American songs from the 70s and 80s.
• The dairy in this country is absolutely amazing. I've had the best grilled cheese sandwiches here.