Posts by Alisa Silven
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!
Alisa Silven, University of Maryland, Post #2: Traveling, Studying & Combining
Hi all,
It has been a while since my first blog post, but in the meantime I have done so much, here is a small update!
I think I can say that I’m used to living as a student in the USA now, combining studying with doing several fun things; it is getting better and better. Since my last post I’ve visited Boston, completed four midterms, had a million quizzes, homework assignments and project deadlines, turned 21, celebrated Halloween the American way, and visited New York City with my parents.
A new experience for me: midterms! I am not used to the American way of studying, learning definitions, and theory by memorizing the exact words in the exact sequence, but in the U.S. I have to. This required me to develop a new way of studying. In the end, it turned out well and I passed all the midterms.
On October 29th, I turned 21, which means I’m an adult in the U.S. now. Two days after my birthday, was Halloween. Since Halloween is not a big deal in the Netherlands, I was curious about the celebration of Halloween in the U.S. Well, it’s a huge thing here. Everybody wears his or her costume (even to class!) and celebrates Halloween not only on the 31th, but also on the 30th, and the 1th of November (actually it is more like a HalloWeekend).
On Wednesday the 5th, my parents came over! I showed them around campus, Washington DC, and we spent the weekend in New York City. It was amazing and we saw so much in just a short time!
Bye!
DC seen from the Lincoln Memorial
NYC from the Brooklyn Bridge
Visiting MIT in Boston
Alisa Silven, University of Maryland, Post #1: First experiences
Hi all!
My name is Alisa Silven, a bachelor student at the Delft University of Technology. My major is Technology, Policy and Management, but this semester I’m studying Civil Engineering at the University of Maryland. With blog posts I want to give you an insight into the life as an exchange student in the United States.
At August 26th I flew into Washington Dulles International Airport and my abroad adventure started!
The first week all the exchange students had an orientation week. It started on campus; it was so huge! We’ve also visited D.C. and went to our first football game; I didn’t know these games were so long (we left after halftime, after a solid two hours!), but fortunately we won! It was an amazing experience; everyone wore red or something with the print of the Maryland state flag, there were fireworks after every touchdown and during halftime the marching band performed. I always heard everything in the United States was big, and it is true; even the marching band consists of 600 students!
I have planned trips with the group of seven international girls I met during orientation week. We are often visiting D.C.; we have done the Capitol Tour, seen the Washington Monument and the White House, gone on a shopping trip and had a night with diner and drinks at the busy U-Street.
Last week we went to our first Baseball game: the Washington Nationals versus the Miami Marlins. Unfortunately we lost, but it was a great experience. Baseball is also a very long game, the game started at 7 and ended at 11 PM!
All these activities are a lot of fun, but I have to study too! The educational system differs a lot from that in the Netherlands. Each week I have a million deadlines, (homework) assignments, discussions, quizzes, midterms, projects and finals. Studying in the United States is hard work, but combined with the fun trips and activities, it has been an amazing experience!
I’ll keep you updated!
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