After about three weeks, I feel as if I am beginning to get into the swing of classes here in Viña del Mar. So far, university in Chile has struck me as quite different from my experience at Northeastern in Boston.
I’ll start with textbooks. Major difference here as no classes require them or even suggest them. As they are often a costly expense in the States, this was a nice surprise for my budget and rapidly shrinking bank account. In place of textbooks, professors distribute readings electronically via email or Dropbox and handouts and assignments physically.
As one would suspect, classes themselves are different too from those at NEU. To begin with, my largest class is only seven students. Although I have had small classes at Northeastern, I’ve never had any quite that small.
The small class size combined with most Chilean’s already laid-back approach, leads to a very relaxed atmosphere. Most classes begin late because either students or the professor is running behind — and this is entirely normal. Class time is driven by lively discussion fueled by the many perspectives of those involved. As my classes are all with other exchange students, there is a wide range of viewpoints based on everyone’s own varying backgrounds. For instance, in my Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development class, we were discussing the many definitions of poverty and what poverty looks like in our home cities or countries. This was an interesting conversation as we heard descriptions of poverty in places like Germany, Finland, Seattle, the Netherlands, South Carolina and elsewhere.
Thus far, my classes have been very interesting and thought-provoking. I am excited for the semester!
