Here at Mahidol textbooks are usually unnecessary. One of my teachers even went as far to say he’d rather us not pay for any textbook when most of everything can be digital now. All my teachers have their resources and documents online so I didn’t need to spend a dime on a textbook. However, if a student did need to buy a book most of them range from $20-$60. That’s almost unheard of in states unless you buy it used or off of a friend. It was extremely nice to not have the additional fee of textbooks here and I have been able to put my money towards other things.
All of my classes are primarily lectures. However, all my teachers incorporate group discussion and time to work with other students. I had originally read before coming here that most teachers don’t ask questions for students in the audience to answer and that you just sit through most classes silently. That hasn’t been the case for me. Most of my teachers encourage constant participation from the students and want us to speak up.
I have been pleasantly surprised by all of my teachers and these are probably some of the most interesting classes that I’ve yet to take in college. That’s because it’s fascinating to have my courses taught from a cross-cultural perspective and there’s less teacher bias here. I’m in an ethics class and it’s interesting to see where subtle differences in beliefs affect the way someone navigates their moral compass. As for my psychology classes I like knowing that my professor is teaching us in a way that regards all cultures and less assumptions are made of what causes certain things to happen with people’s minds and behavior. And in my global resources class, my professor is very raw about the effects America has had on resources around the world, which I’m assuming wouldn’t be taught to the full effect if I were to take this course back in the states.
The classes are about the same size for me as they would be back at Northeastern. As a Human Services major most of my classes tend to run on the smaller size. A similarity I’ve noticed with my teacher’s from both Northeastern and Mahidol is they are really engaged with all the students and want to have a class where the students enjoy and grasp the material.
I didn’t have many expectations about what classes would be like before coming here, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I’m thoroughly enjoying my classes and I’m learning a lot more about the world from the particular courses that I’m taking.
