Culture Shock: University College London Student Edition

Welcome to my first blog here as an IES Abroad Fall Blogger! I have been living in London for almost a month now, and I have taken some time to reflect on the culture shocks I have experienced as a Direct Enrollment student at University College London.
 

1. Module selection process

Modules are the classes that you take in university. Calling classes “modules” still takes me aback, but I digress. As a Direct Enrollment student, you are an admitted student in your parent department (which is basically your “major” department) at UCL. The expectation is that you take at least 50 percent of your modules in your parent department. If you want to take a class outside your parent department, you have to obtain approval from the professor in the respective department. My parent department is the Department of Politics and International Relations (PIR), and I am taking three modules in the department.

To select modules, I had to log in to Portico, UCL’s academic website. When the day of the module selection process came, I was shocked to see that few of the modules I researched beforehand were not available online despite getting the approval from the professors to take the modules. This required me to contact my parent department to ask if the modules I wanted were still available. I realized that exchange students like myself have a different module selection process from everyone else. The department has to add (or remove) the modules for you on Portico. 

The module selection process in UCL took me by surprise since I am accustomed to simply adding or dropping classes in my home university back in the United States. Additionally, UCL’s system does not allow you to view if the modules you want are at capacity or not. It took me two weeks to sort out all my modules, which was highly stressful!

2. UCL Hour and module structure

During my orientation week, I learned about the concept of “UCL Hour.” The UCL Hour simply means that all modules will end ten minutes before the hour, giving students time to go to their class. I found this highly fascinating since I am used to my classes ending on time (or even a little over) in my home university. 

As a PIR student, I am taking four modules. Each module has one hour of lecture and one hour of seminar per week. That’s it. This means I have a lot of free time throughout the week, but the expectation is that I am doing readings for my modules since I do get a lot of them per week!

3. Module grading system

In American universities, professors post their class syllabi ahead of time to give you an idea of what the semester will look like. These syllabi typically have a grade breakdown, which outlines how students are graded throughout the semester and the percentage associated with grading criteria. For instance, a Political Science class’s grade breakdown is 40 percent papers, 30 percent final exam, 20 percent class participation, and 10 percent class attendance. In UCL? That is not the case.

All of my modules in UCL are assessment-based, at least in PIR. This means that assessments are the only determinant of your final grade in your module. Most of my modules require two papers as a part of assessment. The stakes are high here! Even though you only have one hour of seminar and lecture time per week, it is essential that you do all the readings since it is easy to fall behind when it is time to write the essays.

4. Attendance

While attendance is not a part of your grade, UCL tracks your attendance. Before going inside the classroom, there is a small machine attached to the wall where you tap your ID for attendance. We also use the SEAtS App to monitor attendance, just in case the system failed to record your attendance.

I found this attendance system surprising. I am accustomed to going to classes without tapping my ID into a machine. If attendance is required for the class, my professor would take attendance. The UCL shows that having your ID is important at all times!

5. University life in the city of London

My home university is smaller compared to UCL. Our main campus is in one area, and it is highly walkable. My farthest walk from one class to another is ten minutes maximum. Going to university in UCL, on the other hand, is a different experience. 

Since UCL is spread across Bloomsbury, there is a chance that your modules are far from each other (hence the UCL Hour). Your first module might be in Gordon Square, the heart of campus, then you find yourself in the School of Pharmacy after, which is a fifteen minute walk!

While I am still adjusting to the city feel of UCL, I found myself appreciating the beauty of London. There are a lot of green spaces on campus, such as Gordon Square and Russell Square, free museums, and food options! You will never run out of things to do around Central London.