I didn’t expect classwork abroad to be so different! I’ve been studying at the Richmond American College in Chiswick Park for the past two months, and by this point we’re halfway through the semester. With my first midterm this week, it’s a good moment to reflect on the academic environment here in the United Kingdom.

To start, my college is dual accredited, meaning full-time students receive both a UK and American degree upon graduation (hence the name). As such, I suspect my experience to be more of a hybrid learning environment compared to more traditional UK colleges- this hasn’t stopped me from noticing several differences from Pitt. I take four classes that each are three hours long. However, many classes structure only an hour or two of “lecture,” with the remaining time going towards seminars and group work. While this provides a more collaborative academic environment, it also places more burden on learning outside the classroom through readings and supplemental revision as part of homework.

I honestly prefer this approach compared to the more “American” style of lecture-heavy classes with workbooks and exercises as homework. Being able to read and digest material on my own before coming prepared to discuss and present helps me be accountable to understand what we’re covering on a weekly basis. I find in the states I am often lagging behind, before cramming for exams and quizzes. However, if I am too busy to get a reading done, it’s not punitive as I can still contribute to class discussions and haven’t missed an assignment with a due date.

My classmates are a diverse mix, with less than a quarter being from the UK. From this, our classroom discussions are a fun mix of experiences as people bring in their home life and relevant politics and stances. Additionally, the rigor of different countries secondary and post-secondary academics is evident. But since Richmond is a tiny college with small classes, there is a high degree of variance around group project expectations and general class difficulty.

One significant downside to British academics is the lack of preparation and focus on careers during the program. Many professors are deep into the academic and theoretical side of their class, which means not spending nearly as much time on application and real-world scenarios as an equivalent American class. In some ways this feels more natural for an academic institution, but conversations with peers have made me worried about their post-secondary preparation due to the lack of networking and marketable skills. However, Pitt does a thorough job preparing students to enter the job market, meaning my bar is significantly higher than perhaps it should be for equivalent European jobs. That is definitely something I want to learn more about as the semester goes on!