Being a student in the UK

Being a student in the UK has really thrown me for a loop! And for those of you who read the previous post, no, it's not just the size of the paper. There are so many subtle differences to the environment and the culture of a classroom, and also the structure of the program. Granted, I have never done a masters program at any other university, but from my undergraduate experience to now there are some changes that I'm finding challenging.

Let's start with the basics of the grading scale...

70-100 is Distinction/Excellent

60-69 is Very Good

50-59 is Satisfactory

Anything below that is failing

Anything 70 or over is amazing! And from what I hear, somewhat rare. This has the potential to hurt my ego a bit once we start turning in assignments.

Which brings me to turning in assignments...

Each of us is assigned a number and that is what we use in replacement of names on any assessments turned in. We have to upload it online through a program called Turn-It-In that evaluates levels of plagiarism as well as submit two hard copies at the main office to be graded (marked) by two separate people... anonymously. And once graded work is ready to be handed back it is put into our specifically assigned cubby hole.

Class Schedules

Classes start at random times in the semester... Some start this week and carry through until next year, some start this week and end in 5 weeks, some start in November and only last a few weeks. It's quite a lot to keep up with!

Instructors

I have no idea who my professors actually are. Well, that's somewhat a lie. I have no idea who is running the course until pretty much the day of the course and then that person will introduce the class, go over the assessment (usually one presentation or one test or one essay). After our initial meeting we may not see that professor for weeks as the subsequent meetings will be led by a "guest speaker" on their field of expertise as it relates to the course objectives. 

Professionalism

Students call every one by their first name... Not Dr. Jones or Professor Smith. That is a norm that I am not accustomed to, and I'm not sure I can become accustomed to it either. Instructors in the US, especially with PhDs are very attached to that title. They earned their doctorate and expect to be addressed as Dr. So-and-so.

Resources 

We have no textbooks (so far) which is flipping AWESOME! But we do have endless lists of "suggested" readings on top of required articles, excerpts, and sound bytes such as radio interviews.