University (Uni), Books and other Boring Stuff

I am trying to keep in the pattern of posting weekly but, honestly with my class work during the week, I hardly want to even look at my computer on the weekends. This leads me to put off posting later and later. Nonetheless, here I am, with my promised post about school. I mean Uni. I may post again after this one because Uni, and telling you about Uni, is boring and much more exciting things have happened since my last post. Something to look forward to once I get the motivation to type it all up. :D

My first impression with the university was much like my first impression with London. I saw it on google maps (aka the most untrustworthy creation in human history) and had no idea what I was getting myself into. This sense of anxiety heightened as I realised that I had no clue what building I was to meet my adviser in for our first meeting. However, I did not worry knowing that Iowa's campus was well labeled with discrete buildings for discrete purposes, so here should be about the same. That is when I realised the first difference about here and home:

College v. Uni Difference #1: Nothing is labeled... as you would expect. Each building has a name and most buildings have a generally unique purpose, but know one knows what that purpose is.

I found out, via walking all around campus and asking several confused-looking security guards/information desk people, that there is no such thing as a “psychology building” or “affiliate students center” or even a legitimate entrance. All of the buildings are referred to by name, and you just know that's either where you're supposed to be or basically what courses are taught there. If it's a really important function, like financial aid, they might warrant a room within the mass building of other important functions (aka. The South Cloisters). Therefore, when I asked for the psychology building I was met with a blank stare and to give the name of the person I was trying to contact (promising).

After being sent all around I ended up wanting to get into the student center. I say wanting because I'm pretty sure only celebrities and government officials can enter this room owning to how unnecessarily long the queue (line) to get in was. After about 5 minutes of waiting, a poor soul with a UCL sash came up to me informing me that it was about half an hour wait. I must have given him a face because he quickly asked what my purpose was and if he could help. After explaining my plight and that I just needed to see my adviser he directed me towards the study abroad office which, surprisingly, no one else had thought to send me to despite my obvious foreign accent. Finally, I had answers and even though I had to go to two more buildings after that, at least each time I was now getting closer.

After that day and the many more meetings I arranged to get myself on track, I was finally an official student and off to my first class! I was so prepared for the British wisdom that would rain down on my little head and the thought of being around so many Brits made my eyes well up in a doe-y, cartoonish manner. This is when I learned:

College v. Uni Difference #2: British people don't actually go to UCL. I mean I'm sure they're here somewhere, but I feel like every other conversation I hear is painfully American in accent and content.

All of my professors are British or Australian or some other highly enjoyable accent, and a good number of people in the cafes and libraries are too. But I'm convinced that they are just there for show and don't actually go to class. I'm not even in “affiliate student only” courses, but every day I enter into the same annoying, shallow, predominantly preppy female overrun rooms and listen to several excruciating minutes of what these rich sorority girls did with their expendable money over the weekend. I hate it. I hated listening to this crap in America and how the psychology majors are so cute and fart rainbows and think their major is so hard. Not to dis psychology (it's my major too), but complaining that you don't understand the science kills me. Especially when you turn to me and ask, “did you read this?” or “did you do this?”. Naw, I just thought the knowledge would come when I sat down to write my three hour essays at finals. Really? The complaints go on and on, so I will talk about something a little more neutral. Like how cool some of the rooms are.

Some of the rooms have the best set-ups. (Yes, you know school is school and is boring when I start talking about the chairs) In one room the chairs fold out, the seat comes down, the back leans backwards, and the desks fold out from underneath leaving so much space to walk to your seat when they're all folded up. Brilliant! So much better than the awkward movie-theater side-step thing I had to do in every room at home. In another room, though, my professor keeps the window open and doesn't use her mic. If I were back home in the middle of a corn field this wouldn't be an issue. However, I'm in London where the police whiz by every few minutes and the angry cars honk at each other for driving on the wrong side of the road (I assume this is why they're so angry). It is impossible to hear her. Some of the other rooms are tucked away in a labyrinth or on floor -3. Which brings me to:

Difference #3: They use negative numbers for floors here instead of the super American “basement,” “lower basement,” “uber super lower 7^th-ring-of-hell basement.” Neil DeGrasse Tyson would be so proud.

The only other thing that is worth commenting on about classes in general, is how freaking much reading I have to keep up with! I only have four classes and a seminar that total nine hours physically in class a week. However, I am on campus for MUCH longer than that because of:

Difference #4: The professors want you to be an expert in every book ever written about that one lightning-fast lecture before you come to the next lecture.

I spend, no joke, about six hours each day in the library alone, reading and trying to catch up on reading, and stabbing my eyes out so I don't have to read anymore. I am so behind on reading that I've just resorted to reading the textbooks instead of all of the articles they “recommend” until I have time. The good news, however, is that I have had to buy zero textbooks myself since they're all either highly accessible at the library or easily found at the Grand BL (British Library)! Just another way that London is Brilliant! But back to it. The outside work is intense, mainly because they don't tell you what to do. They give you “recommended” chapters, then you're assumed to be an expert. It's a lot, but I think I can do this. It seems like the final is basically the writing portion of an AP exam anyway, so I hope it's nothing new and I don't fail.

That ended up being longer than I thought it would, so I will save my more exciting adventures for another (unreasonably long) post. More pictures next time too!!! I didn't add any this time because... well I don't take pictures in class. Plus no pictures adds to how boring the topic is. But now when my family asks how class is going, I can tell them, same as usual and they'll understand. I only see library.