It has been a while since I have posted but to be honest I have been quite busy. This past weekend, I traveled to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. I am not a big drinker and instead chose to look at the weekend as more of a sociological case study. Oktoberfest is held in a park called Theresienwiese. For the past 200 years, Bavarians and tourists alike have been celebrating the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. There are tons of amusement park type rides and different foods to try. Most Germans come to the festival in traditional clothing. Overall it was a great experience minus the strange food. Usually, I try to be as accepting as possible when it comes to other peoples’ culture, but the food was just nasty. Breakfast consisted of a white sausage like object which honestly smelled like vomit. For the rest of the day, people feasted on ox knuckles. Bleh! In my opinion, Bavaria’s only positive contribution to international cuisine is pretzels.
Upon my return to London, I needed to prepare for the beginning of classes. I realize that I have no right to complain considering Hunter began about a month and a half ago; however, it feels very strange to be in school again. Here at LSE, I feel more like a Fresher (freshman) than a student entering my third year of undergraduate study. The campus is similar to Hunter in that there is no real campus but instead a collection of buildings. Yet, this is where the similarities with Hunter end. It is clear to see the difference between a public university funded by the City and State and a Private University with a hefty endowment. Although many of the buildings are quite old, the classrooms are immaculate and state of the art. Also, the school gives out free things like binders for no apparent reason. Classes here are also quite different from classes in the US. Instead of having 2 meetings a week totalling 3 hours of class time, each class meets as a lecture for only 50 minutes a week. The lectures can be as large as 500 students. Then, discussion classes meet weekly with a cap of about 15 students. There is weekly reading and coursework but no one really checks it nor does the professor care if you did the work. The Essays only purpose is to prepare you for the final exam in June. Also, the lectures are public so you can audit any course you wish. My classes are: Calculus and Linear Algebra, International Organisations, International Political Economy, and European Economic Policy. Also unlike in the US, professors and schools do not use the purchasing of textbooks as a way to make extra money or support their co-academics. Only one of my classes has a textbook, the other rely on articles that are free to read. There are no course packs like at Hunter where you have to pay at least $50 for a collection of papers you could have printed yourself.
The second major difference between LSE and American colleges as a whole is the attitude towards alcohol. Because just about everyone in University is legal, the consumption of alcohol is a regular part of academic interactions. In my first lecture, the last power point slide invited everyone in the class to a pub on a specific night so everyone could get to know each other. At my department party, it seemed as if the waiters were not allowed to keep a glass of wine empty. Even my academic advisor told me that he has a budget from the department to take all of his mentees out to a pub. Pubs even has student discounts.
Also, clubs or societies are they are called here are quite different. Like at Hunter, there is a club fair where potential members can find out information about different clubs. However, unlike at Hunter, a student needs to commit to a society while at the Fair. Once the commitment has been made, the tabler hands the student a sticker that he or she places on a paper the Student Union has provided. At the end of the Fair, the student goes to another room with students manning cash registers and the student pays the membership dues. Each society costs about 1.50 pounds.
Okay, thats enough for now. I need to get back to studying and problem sets.
My desk
