Spanish University Classes, Or Lack Thereof
It started like every other first day of school in my life.
I woke up early, showered, put on nice-ish clothes, made sure I had all of my needed supplies and headed for my first class at the University of Sevilla.
I arrived at the classroom seven minutes early, double-checked to make sure I was in the right place and nervously waited for the teacher and other students to arrive. I waited…and I waited.
Twenty minutes later, I accepted the fact that the class wasn’t happening. It turns out that the dean of the department this class is in decided that classes in his department weren’t going to start until a two days after everybody else—a decision apparently made the night before and completely unannounced but somehow known to all but me.
Later that day, I attended a class in another university department. This time the students showed up, but the professor didn’t. We were eventually told that he had accidentally been scheduled to teach two classes at the same time.
That nightmare of a first day was a week and a half ago, and I’m still trying to figure out what classes I’m going to take.
My biggest worry about taking regular classes at a Spanish university was that I wouldn’t be able to understand the professors. That fear has come true, but it’s far from the most frustrating thing about my first 10 days as a student here. The “most frustrating” prize goes to dealing with the system, which is very different than in the Unites States.
To start, Spanish students don’t register to classes before they attend them. Instead, students receive various class schedules, attend as many classes as they want and personally let the professor know if they’re taking the class by the second or third week…or whenever. It’s very relaxed and kind of nice, but also a bit unorganized.
Then there are the classes themselves, which are apparently mandatory for students but optional for professors. When the professor does show up, he/she doesn’t show up on time, so classes ALWAYS start late (by 5-10 min) and usually end early too. Oh yeah, and for classes longer than an hour, there’s a five minute break after each hour. I know, I know, it’s pretty sweet.
Finally, there’s the system of evaluation. None of the classes I’ve been to (and I went to a lot in trying to figure out my schedules) have homework. Instead, there’s one make-or-break final at the end of the semester. That applies to us Americans too. Again, kind of nice but a little unnerving.
On the bright side, no class on Fridays!
My (still) tentative schedule:Spanish Art Seminar
Literature and the Spanish Civil War
The Image of Spain from the Cinema
Modern History of Spain
I will be blogging my adventures in Spain on the195.com, a multimedia site by Northwestern students studying abroad. Please follow me there.
