Academic Culture Shock

Every schooling system denotes what makes a ‘good’ student and a ‘poor’ student according to certain criteria. Students quickly learn that if they do a), the result will be b). For example, if they study for a given test by doing the practice questions the teacher assigns to them, they should be able to pull off a decent grade. But, in every educational institution these criteria are bound to change depending on what is valued most. How should a student cope, then, when entering a completely new educational system? Many students experience what we can call academic culture shock. Grading systems, criteria, teaching styles and even languages change. What is expected of you as a student shifts, oftentimes causing that students who are accustomed to attaining certain results at home realize that they no longer fit the mold of a ‘good student’.

My exchange experience at the National University of Singapore in Singapore proved to be academically challenging. While my friends and I worked hard in all of our classes, we found that Singaporean professors valued completely different things from our professors at home. For example, my professors at home rewarded students for originality in their work, while my Singaporean professors wanted me to show that I had the most thorough understanding of the course material without necessarily presenting anything new. It took a few disappointing grades and long conversations with T.A.s and professors for me to better understand what was expected of me. Although I left Singapore with a transcript that showed grades much lower than the ones I attained at Queen’s, I did gain a better perspective of what kinds of academic settings I worked best in and what was expected from the average Singaporean student. Furthermore, I refined certain academic habits, such as attention to detail, that, while not as highly valued in my work at home, will still undoubtedly help me in the long run.

Sometimes though, a new educational institute can work to a student’s advantage. For example, a good friend of mine went on exchange to Barcelona. While her classes back home were taught in English, she was taking all of her courses in Barcelona in Spanish. This did pose a significant challenge for her, but it was balanced out by the fact that her classes were much smaller, far less homework was assigned and the professors were much more easy-going about deadlines. As a result, she finished her semester abroad with the best transcript she’d ever had in her university career.

Academic culture shock is just one part of going away on exchange, along with the shock of being away from your family and friends and the culture you’re familiar with. Just as one can learn from the other trials that living and studying in a new country and culture ultimately introduce, a change in academic criteria can help a student learn how to be more flexible and skilled in a variety of academic settings. Not every new institution poses the same challenges, and you will either fit in better or worse depending on a variety of factors. Every educational institute is different, just as every cultural setting is different. One of the biggest benefits of travel is learning how to adapt to these settings while overcoming the challenges that they present.

Joanna Plucinska, Political Studies 2012