可以搜索公号【璐璐的英文小酒馆】或者添加【luluxjg2】咨询课程or加入社群,查看文稿和其他精彩内容哦~
So far we've talked about your studies, we talked about your interest in your field, but let's move on to something that is more about life in America, or life in academic setting in America.
So first things first, let's talk about academic setting, because this is more specific. So far you have got degrees in British university, Chinese university and now doing a degree in American university. How would you compare these three very different university environment?
Yeah, It's one of those things. Ah, it's a little bit difficult to compare the environments. But I definitely think, one of the things that comes to mind immediately is they definitely look after you more in China.
So in America, they just kind of say here's some money, find somewhere to live, find something to eat and just take care of yourself. Of course, the Americans they think of this is freedom, right? I'm free to live wherever I want and eat and do whatever I want. But I do have to admit that I do like the Chinese system which kind of looks after you, right? Here's your room, the electricity is on this card and the canteen is down the road and it's tasty and it's cheap. Yeah, everything is sorted.
Yeah, I guess it's very beginner friendly, newcomer friendly. Because you don't have to spend all the time feeling disoriented.
Exactly! Right. And they'll usually have some kind of orientation does quite comprehensive and give you a nice map, and of course the professors and other students in America have been very kind to me and very helpful.
But it's a lot more informal. There is some kind of online induction and training, but it's nowhere near as detailed and comprehensive as the things I experienced in China.
What about British university then? Do they do anything like that for newcomers?
Yeah, somewhere in the middle, I think, cause you do have the canteens and they are a little bit more expensive and exclusive than the Chinese ones. And it's different when you're undergraduate as well, actually.
I think the undergraduates here get a little bit more guidance, just like I did in the UK. But I do think the UK, they kind of give you the training wheels a little bit. But they don't do too much to help you either. Yes, it’s closer to America than China, I think.
I see. But what about just this whole work ethics? I don't know if it's the right word to describe it, like in terms of hardworking, how hard, which would you… I know every country, every university has the really, really hardworking people. It has also slackers. But comparatively speaking, which country has the hardest working students?
I think it's interesting cause it's a continuum right? So I think in America they give you the most work, so you in terms of like the readings for the courses and things, they give you way more reading than it's humanly possible to do. And I think the idea is you have to kind of choose the important parts, find the important parts. So it's a kind of literature review every time.
When I was at Fudan, they don't give you as much. Like maybe we just read like two passages of the Laozi, but you've got to know every single character, of course you've got to be able to read them, but the history of that character. And you've got to know what Huangdi said about that character. And you've got to know what He Shan Gong said about that character. And you've got know, like, there's so much more detailed.
I see. This is sort of very two different styles, different focus.