These past few weeks, we have been learning about how higher education differs around the world with a specific focus on the countries that our classmates are from. This was something that I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about. Our classmates have been so kind in sharing their experiences with us, and answering questions we might have.
It’s been interesting to learn about all of the different countries, how their educational systems vary and what the testing and application process looks like. By and large, it seems as though the primary and secondary schools are structured similarly to how they are in the United States.
I was surprised as how vastly different the application process for college was from that of the United States. It sounded far more competitive in other countries, especially in China, than what we do here. Additionally, there was a common theme of knowing what you wanted to specialize in upon applying. While some colleges here in the United States encourage you to declare your major prior to enrolling, it doesn’t seem as definitive as it does elsewhere around the world. I found it interesting that subject we value here in the states such as engineering and medical fields, are also valued and encouraged around the world as well.
For the majority of our classmates, additional languages were introduced and learned early on in their educational career. This is something that I wish we adopted here in the United States since languages are more easily acquired when you’re younger, rather than learning them as an adult.
I’m very thankful to have had the opportunity to have learned not only more about education around the world, but also more about my classmates and their educational backgrounds. I love that this course incorporates students from different disciplines. It is so interesting to learn about what other people’s experiences are like outside of the field of communication!
