The rant from the other day.

I am preparing for finals just as my friends are back home. It doesn't seem like I have been going to school long enough to take finals.

I have had to turn in one essay on the significance of religion in Global Politics, and one project on the feminist critique of the medicalisation of childbirth--riveting, I know.

In three weeks I have two final exams, which would normally be a piece of cake...
BUT
I'm actually panicked about them.

Both are essay exams, which I have never had before. My exams in America are pretty much multiple choice.

On top of that, it seems incredibly impossible to get an "A" at this school. Don't get me wrong, the school itself isn't tough, nor is it tough to get into. It would probably be the equivalent of a community college in America. They just do not expect students to make A's. They have explicitly stated in class that we should all strive to simply pass the exams. "To pass this exam, you need to do this..." "To pass this exam, you need to do that..."

Nothing regarding actually excelling in the classes.

If you couldn't tell, I am extremely frustrated by this.

It really creates a "just pass" attitude in the students.

Which is why I don't think UWS is an appropriate exchange university for Mercer. At Mercer, or any other college in America, GPA's really, really matter--especially for students trying to go to grad school. Over here, graduate schools look at whether or not you passed or failed your classes. GPA's don't exist. Most kids are just trying to pass, which is totally what I would do if I were a student here.


But I'm not.
So when it comes time to convert my grades this semester, I will likely end up with a 3.0 because A's just aren't given. Every assignment I turn in ends up so close to an A.

Both professors have told us over and over that grades usually go down for the exams.

Fantastic. Thanks for the encouragement! 

I guess I could get creative with my answers.