Education: Australia (MAS)

Education at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia

I would say the education system, especially at the university level, in Australia versus America is one of the biggest differences I have noticed.  Children attend pre-primary (preschool), primary (kindergarten through seventh grade), secondary (eigth grade through year twelve), and then uni (university/college).  However, the divisions between primary and secondary change depending on which state you are in.  My friend from Canberra went to college for the last two years of "high school" which is terribly confusing when I tell her that I am at college now in the States.  

Some people start choosing their subjects towards the end of secondary schooling to be prepared for their program at uni but I feel like most high schools in the States do not even have such an option.  Also, it is during secondary that most people do their studying away, as opposed to studying abroad during college like we do in the States.  But like the SATs in the States, students here must take a test at the end of year twelve to determine what programs they can enter at uni.  However, not everyone goes to uni; a good deal of men go straight into becoming a tradesperson.  

Overall, most universities in Australia are pretty good, even though they have no idea what a liberal arts education is.  A university education in Australia is not paid for until the student is settled into a career earning a certain amount of money.  Once they make enough they start paying the government back for their education.  I think that makes much more sense than having students pay upfront for college because as teenagers, most of us must rely on other people or loans to afford uni.

Like a lot of the other Americans here I am studying marine biology and geology, but how can I not when James Cook University is one of the best in the world in the subject?!  But even the option to study marine sciences is very different from Allegheny.  I would never have the opportunity to learn so much about reef fishes and corals in the States (it doesn't hurt that visiting the Great Barrier Reef is a normal field trip for class).  As you can see in the image below, my course schedule is unique to a coastal city: Evolution and Biogeography of Marine Organisms, Coral Reef Geomorphology, Functional Biology of Marine Organisms, and Australian Vertebrate Fauna.  The number of courses I am enrolled in and the amount of time I spend in the classroom are about the same as at Allegheny.  However, I spend far less time in the labs here; in fact one of my labs is not even mandatory.  I find this to be very strange and something I hope I do not get too used to since I will be returning to Allegheny's labs in the fall.

My class schedule for the semester.

As far as the lectures go, the class sizes are much larger and attendance is optional.  Most professors here record their lectures so you can keep up with the coursework from your very own bed (another thing I hope I don't get too comfortable doing)!  The professors are not very involved outside of presenting the lecture material.  They have their graduate students running the labs and they provide very minimal feedback on assignments.  But there are very few assignments due so you could actually go the entire semester for certain classes without doing anything academically related.  For example, I am about two months into the semester and I have handed in a grand total of three assessments (an abstract, an essay brief, and a lab report).  However, I find it terrifying that 60% of your final grade comes from the final exam.

I don't have much to base my grades off of at this point but I am aiming for the highest marks possible: HD (high distinction).  On a typical day here, I finish with classes in the afternoon, go to the gym or hike before dinner, and do my homework after dinner.  Well, I actually rarely have homework so I take notes from my lecture notes to make sure I am keeping up with the material.  I am hoping this will help greatly when it comes time for finals.

My condensed lecture notes that I have taken thus far.

I enjoy having so much free time on a daily basis here compared to days at Allegheny.  If I want to go watching a sporting event one night, I can just push my note-taking back for a few hours or even a few days.  Because our education here is so independent I am grateful to have a strong work ethic and determination to do well in school.  I force myself to review lectures even when there are many other things going on around campus.  These are habits that I developed at Allegheny and will return with.  But from James Cook University, I have learned how to identify the most important points in a lecture.  I have also learned to task myself with creating my own practice exams to prepare for the final.  I have become a much more independent learner and rely much less on professors and their daily guidance.  I think I will go back to the States much more confident in my learning abilities which will aid me in the comping process.