First week of classes

My first few days of classes did not go as well as I hoped they would.

I was actually looking forward to taking classes here, as I think I had mentioned before. Unlike in the U.S., the students at university in the United Kingdom don't have to take "gen. eds" as we call them, which include any class that has nothing to do with your major. My school, City University, is known for its business and journalism programs, and they offer journalism classes that seem much more interesting than the classes at Marquette. I am enrolled in History of journalism, British media, visual journalism, editorial production and historic London. All of them seemed pretty interesting, and I'm sure they would be if I had a clue as to what was going on in the classes...

On Monday I had my history of journalism class, and as soon as I walked in the door the professor started lecturing. There were no introductions, no syllabus, no books...just a teacher picking up where he had left off. After confirming the room number to make sure I didn't walk into the wrong room, I discovered that this class had already met the semester before. In fact, all my classes this week– with the exception of one– have been in session since the previous semester, which for full-time students, began in the beginning of January. I was livid! How could nobody warn me about this? How am I supposed to pick up and learn what all the other students in the class have already gone over with no reading list or previous knowledge of the subject? It seemed very strange to me, and still does. My plan is to just finish up the week, email my teachers, and see how things work out.

Even though I was extremely discouraged after my first two days, I was excited to go to my historic London class today! Many of the friends I have met here are in this class, along with the other Marquette students studying at City. The class is comprised of walking around London and learning everything about the city's history. Today we were in a classroom getting to know each other and learning about the various rulers who have either brought great triumph or great tragedy to Britain, but next week we are meeting at Monument ! I think this class is going to be a lot of fun...I'm excited!

My weekend starts tomorrow after my two sessions of editorial production. After my bad experiences on Monday and Tuesday, I do not have high expectations for the class, but maybe I will be surprised. At least I have a workout class to look forward to!

I believe that is all for now! I have a lot of "homework" to do tonight...booked my flights for Bordeaux and Paris but I still have Berlin, Amsterdam, Dublin, Scotland, and Rome to add to the list. I'm going to have to do a lot of studying to find the best prices – tough life I have, right?

Cheers!
- Katie