Class/Internship Update

Almost every American student here at PUC would agree with me if I said that professors at American institutions generally have higher expectations than what we have experienced here. Of course, everything is always easier for exchange students. However, I am finding that the semester requirements for the Brazilian students here are comparable to half a semester's requirements in the States. A "5 page final paper" is extremely common here, which is not even mildly intimidating.

Here is a list of general school-related observations:

Every class starts 15 minutes late and ends 15 minutes early (thankfully so, because the shortest classes here are listed as 2 hours).

The classrooms are kept extremely cold (strong air conditioning seems to be one of the most common ways for people to show their wealth, but that's an entirely different issue). Some teachers do not allow the air conditioning to be turned off, while others will turn it off and on repeatedly throughout the class.

Professors maintain an informal relationship with their students; we may address them by first name.

The University has a 75% attendance policy. Students who do not attend at least 75% of the class sessions will fail the course automatically.

Lectures are more common than any other teaching style, but group discussions are a close second.

Most classes are not held in the same room for each session. I think this is simply due to the lack of rooms available, but it is actually better for the brain in terms of long-term retention.

Socially, campus feels like high school. Students are clique-y and status oriented. Campus housing does not exist, so students live with their parents and commute each day.

In conversation, Brazilians use the verb "fazer" (to do) to ask what my major is. Instead of "What do you study here?" they ask, "What do you do here?" This always strikes me as a strange word-choice, and the first time I heard it, I didn't understand. Perhaps it is just a colloquialism, or perhaps there is a sense that whatever each student chooses to study truly defines who they are.





Internship with U.S. Department of State-EducationUSA

I found out about my internship opportunity through a mass email that was sent out by the international office here on campus. Over 40 students applied, and they selected 6 of us to make up their team of interns. I work 12 hours a week, and the office is on my campus which is extremely convenient. Of course, the internship is unpaid. It is actually illegal for someone with a student visa in Brazil to get paid.

So far I have been put in charge of various tasks, mostly technology related. In general, the office is in charge of facilitating the application process for Brazilian students that wish to study in the U.S. My favorite thing to do is converse with the students and try to give them tips! Sadly, they all want to go to California. I suppose we all do, don't we?

The full-time employees in the office all speak perfect english. Since they all spent a lot of time in the U.S. learning English as a second language, they know what it feels like to be away from home and trying to learn a language. So, they give us all our directions in portuguese. If we don't understand they quickly revert to english, but at least they give us a chance!