Adjusting to Academic Life in the U.S.

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Adjusting to Academic Life in the U.S.

• International Student Orientation
• Emory University

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The Cultural Foundation of U.S. Education

• Individualism and Privacy
• Equality
• Informality
• Future, Change, and Progress
• Goodness of Humanity
• Time
• Achievement, Action, Work, and Materialism
• Directness and Assertiveness

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Individualism and Privacy

• Separate Human Beings
• Own Opinions
• Responsible for Own Decisions
• Individualistic, Self-reliant
• Independent Person
• Need Time to Self, Alone
• Recover Spent Psychological Energy

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Equality

• Created Equal
• Potential to Achieve High Status
• Deserve Basic Level of Respectful Treatment

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Informality

• Informal Relationships
• Egalitarian Approach

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Future, Change, and Progress

• Sets Goals for the Future
• Works Systematically to Achieve Goals
• Can Change Most Aspects of the Physical and
  Social Environment
• Environment Subject to Human Domination and
  Control

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Goodness of Humanity

• Human Nature is Basically Good
• People can Make Themselves Better
• Get more education
• Rehabilitation
• Democratic government
• Volunteerism
• Educational campaigns
• Self improvement

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Time

• Punctual and Considerate of Others Time
• Admire Organization
• List of things to do
• Schedule for getting things done

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Achievement, Action, Work, and Materialism

• Conscientious, Persistent, Successful Completion
• Admiration for Achievers
• Lives Centered on Accomplishment
• Hard Worker, Efficient, High Standard of Quality
• Doing vs. Being
• Define People by Jobs Done
• SuccessAmount of Money
• Materialism is Natural and Proper
• Work Hard, Acquire More Things

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Directness and Assertiveness

• State What They Think, What They Want From Others
• Conflicts Settled by Forthright Discussion
• Uses Constructive Speech
• Often Convey Reaction Non-verbally
• Restrictions on Expressing Things Openly
• Considered excessively personal
• Want to say no, but not hurt feelings
• Not acquainted with the other person
• Dont want to create negative feelings

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• Avoid Direct Confrontation unless
  Constructiveness Assured

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The Academic Year

• Orientation
• Registration
• Semesters
• Holidays
• Final Examinations
• End of Semester
• Semester Break

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The Academic Year
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Orientation

• Varies by School
• Structures
• Regulations
• Resources
• Graduation Requirements
• Meet Faculty
• Meet Students
• Meet Administrators
• Obtaining Advice
• Paying the Bill

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Registration

• Varies by School
• Choosing Classes
• Registering for Classes
• Pre-registration

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Semesters

• Varies by School
• Fall Semester
• Fall Break
• Winter Break
• Spring Semester
• Spring Break
• Summer Break

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Holidays

• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas (Winter Break)
• Martin Luther King Day
• Other Holidays
• Columbus Day
• Halloween
• Veterans Day
• Valentines Day
• Presidents Day
• St. Patricks Day
• Easter

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Final Examinations

• Exam Week
• Reading Days
• Varies for Each School

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End of Semester

• Varies for Each School

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Semester Breaks

• Fall Break
• Winter Break
• Spring Break
• Summer Break

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Teaching Methods

• Lecture
• Class Participation / Discussion
• Discussion Section
• Reading Assignments
• Seminar / Seminar Presentation
• Independent Study
• Group Project
• Research Paper
• Book Review
• Journal / Reflection Paper
• Labs
• Internship

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Lecture

• Professor does talking
• May Ask Occasional Question During Lecture or at
  the End of Lecture
• May Leave Time at the End of Lecture for
  Questions from Students

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Class Participation / Discussion

• Professor May Ask Leading Question to Begin
  Discussion
• Questions May Ask for Different Kind of Responses
• Definition
• Analysis
• Comparison
• Synthesis
• Opinion
• Etc.

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Discussion Session

• Also Called Recitation or Review
• Used Mostly in Undergraduate Classes
• Material Presented in Lecture is Reviewed and
  Discussed

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Reading Assignment

• May be Asked to
• Discuss in class
• Write a short paper
• Use as basis understanding the lecture or other
  course material
• Use as basis for a quiz

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Seminar / Seminar Presentation

• Enroll Fewer than 20 Students
• Cover Specialized Topics
• Involve Discussions and Presentations by the
  Students
• Requires More In-depth Study of the Course
  Materials

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Independent Study

• Study a Topic Under Professors Direction
• No Classroom Instruction
• May Involve Reading Books, Articles, and Other
  Material
• Meeting Frequently with Professor to Discuss
• Writing Research Paper or Other Assessment Product

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Group Projects

• Students Work Together as a Group
• Production of a Project
• Each Student Receives the Same Grade

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Research Paper

• Choose a Topic
• Do Research on the Topic
• Write an Essay Based on Your Research

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Book Review

• Summary of the Book
• Evaluation of the Book
• Positive
• Negative
• Justification for your Evaluation
• Final Evaluation

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Personal Journal

• Diary
• Day by Day Record of Events
• Personal Reflection on your Experience
• Your Personal Development or Growth in the
  Subject of the Course
• Changes as you Experience Various Parts of the
  Course

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Reflection Paper

• Combination of Book Review and Personal Journal
• Personal Response on the Content of what you
  read, saw, heard
• Your Reaction

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Labs

• Practice in Classroom Learning
• Hands on Experience

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Internships / Practicums

• Practical Work or Training Experience
• Applying Classroom learning in a Work Situation
• Theory to Practice
• Experiential Learning
• Theory-Practice Learning

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Meeting Academic Standards

• Evaluation
• Academic Rigor
• Academic Honesty / Plagiarism
• Grading System
• Credit Load
• Attendance

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Evaluation

• Quizzes Short tests on assigned material
• Pop quizzes
• Scheduled
• Examinations Short replies, longer responses /
  essays, or both
• In-class
• Take Home

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• Homework
• Takes various forms
• Usually outlined in course syllabus
• Individual and Group Projects
• See previous discussion
• Class participation
• Ask/answer questions
• Discuss issues in class
• Analyze, think critically

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• Presentations
• Individual or group
• Evidence that you understand
• Improve your public speaking
• How well you explain points with out a lot of
  preparation or memorization
• Research paper
• See previous discussion

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Academic Rigor

• Knowledge
• Comprehension
• Application
• Analysis
• Synthesis
• Evaluation

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Plagiarism

• Academic Dishonesty
• Fraud
• Using others words as if they were your own
• Using others unique ideas without giving them
  credit
• Quoting others without proper citation

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Grading System

• Determined by each professor
• Straight Scale
• Curve

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Credit Load

• Full-time / varies by program
• Part-time
• International Students must be full time, in most
  cases

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Attendance

• May not be required
• International students should
• Attend every class
• Try to be early
• Listen attentively
• Record as notes as you can
• Enter discussion often
• Get as much benefit as possible

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Relationships

• Faculty/Student
• Student/Student
• Classroom Etiquette

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Faculty/Student Relationships

• May be informal
• Generally encourages freedom of expression
• Go to professor with questions
• Other

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Student / Student Relationships

• Take initiative to meet U.S. students
• Participate in activities with other students
• Dont isolate yourself
• Other

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Classroom Etiquette

• Informal
• Lack of structure
• Students often chew gum, drink Coke or coffee
• Professor may dress informal, sit on the desk,
  etc.
• Student expected to actively participate

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Role of the Academic Advisor

• Extremely Important Person
• Choosing an Advisor
• Managing the Relationship
• Choosing your Thesis or Dissertation Committee

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Academic Advisor / Extremely Important Person

• Helps with course selection
• Offers guidance for success
• Advises about rules and regulations
• Helps with developing academic skills
• Ultimate responsibility is yours

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Choosing an Advisor

• Get to know all the faculty in your particular
  area of the field
• Develop Rapport
• Talk with older students
• Choose someone that you communicate with well
• Other

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Managing the Relationship

• Establish rapport
• Meet regularly to report how things are going
• Discuss your academic and professional plans
• Ask for advice on dissertation topic
• Keep advisor informed on progress on the
  dissertation

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Choosing Dissertation Committee

• Faculty that are helpful, good rapport
• Knowledgeable about your academic area
• Available
• Relates well with other committee members
• Other

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Skills You Need to Succeed

• Courage
• Spoken English
• Critical Thinking
• Note Taking
• Computer / Internet Abilities

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Important People to Know

• Faculty Advisor
• The Writing Center
• Campus Life Professionals
• International Student and Scholar Programs
• Reference Librarians
• Your Fellow Students

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Summary of Main Points

• Graduate Students
• Take a specified number of courses
• Do a large amount of work
• Begin studying at the beginning of the term
• Speak up in class
• Usually treat other students and professor
  informally
• May have to do a lot of work individually
• Read and skim a large amount of written material
• Analyze material

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• Synthesize material
• Schedule use of time
• Determine which professors encourage questions
  and challenges and which prefer students to be
  quieter
• Handle lab equipment
• Use computers
• Complete exams in a limited amount of time
• Go to professors with questions or problems