Time to Go to Class!

I’ll admit, it’s been a while since I’ve been in a classroom. Well, it’s been since May, but that feels like years ago. My schedule here is interesting and my classes are thought-provoking. There are certainly many differences and similarities between Dutch classes and classes in the states.

One thing that is pretty nice is that I only have two classes so far. Both of my classes are each 12 European credits, which translates to six credit classes at my home school. I’ve taken courses for three or four credits back home, but never six.

The classes also meet once a week. For now, I only have class on Tuesdays. After my fall break next month, I will add a class on Wednesdays worth six European credits or three American credits. My classes are both in three hour blocks, making it a little hard to concentrate. Luckily, the professors give us breaks in that time.

Since the classes meet once a week, the focus is mostly on work outside of class. After my first day of classes, I had about 300 pages of reading to do for the next Tuesday. Luckily, I had plenty of time to do it all.

The grading is also a tad different. Rather than letter grades, everything is graded on a scale of one to 10. However, a 10 is nearly impossible to achieve. One of my professor prefaced the class by saying that none of us will ever get a 10 in his class. Anywhere between an eight and a 10 is an “A.” It’s weird for me to think that a seven out of 10 is a “good” grade.

Overall, I am really enjoying my classes. I was very lucky to have gotten classes that genuinely interest me. I can’t wait to delve deeper into my studies. I’m already learning more than I could imagine!