By tinavisc
As the end of the semester is approaching at the University of Cape Town, I've been reflecting on my time studying over the last 3 months. One of the biggest surprises I encountered when I first arrived in Cape Town was the academic culture of UCT. At first I was inspired by my world-renowned professors at the top of their respected fields in Southern Africa. Each professor was truly passionate about their research and sharing their knowledge with us young minds. After the first week, however, their projected tasks for the semester grew daunting.
My study abroad program, CIEE, explicitly warned us of the work load we would encounter at UCT. Often times Americans come in expecting a sort of working holiday while abroad. To succeed at UCT, however, only those on top of their game from day one will survive. The structure of courses is as follows: There are, on average, 2 essays assigned for the entire semester, perhaps a mid semester test, and finally, a final test worth 40-60% of your grade. And that's all. On first glance, this set up sounds like it leaves a lot of wiggle room, but in reality the greatest amount of your final grade is based on how much work you put in throughout the semester, teaching yourself the material and reading ~3 academic papers per class per week.
Much more emphasis is placed on the students -we're expected to put in a lot more work on our own than we're used to at home.
Navigating through this system was tough for me, as it was for many of us abroaders, because I was constantly tempted by the thrills of Cape Town as a city. I glanced at the syllabus, realized I had only a couple of essays and a test, and happily pushed off putting in the work in the beginning. Catching up has been extremely difficult, but my final exams are only in 2 short weeks.
Because I've had a difficult time balancing abroad life with academics, I have some very important advice for future study abraders: Stay on top of your readings from the first day you arrive in your host country. There will be plenty of time to do everything your heart desires if you maintain a manageable amount of work throughout the week. Getting behind may give you an extra day to explore the city in the beginning, but will have you reeling to catch up at the end, when you want to spend more time outside of the library to take advantage of your last few weeks before you arrive back at home (it'll be over before you know it!). Never forget to enjoy your free time abroad, but balance is key!