Alisa Silven, University of Maryland, Post #3: Saying thanks & goodbye
Hi all!
Before all the studying for finals started, there was Thanksgiving at the last weekend of November. I was very lucky that two of my roommates asked me to go with them to their families to spent a real American Thanksgiving in their families’ houses. It was exactly as I expected it to be: a lot of food! Turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, everything! These days were great and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to experience this.
Currently I’m almost done studying for the finals. Last week and this week I made three essays, five final exams, handed in three projects and did three presentations; it has been quite busy. Unlike the finals in Delft, the finals here don’t make up 100% of your final grade for the course. Homework, attendance, quizzes, midterms and projects together count for approximately 60-80% of your final grade, depending on the course. Even though the finals don’t have such a big influence on passing or failing the course as in Delft, you still need to put a good amount of effort in it, in order to remain a good letter grade. One bad final can bring your grade down from an A to a C (from a 10 to a 6, converted to our grading system).
Now I’m almost done with all my courses, it is time to say goodbye to all the friends I made here. It is so strange to say goodbye to people you lived with or spent so much time with, maybe I’ll never see them again (I don’t hope so though!). For now, I’m going to enjoy my last days here at the University of Maryland and then I’m off for a vacation, to return to Delft, where the “normal life” will start again.
Bye!
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