When you see fellow peers and friends studying abroad you see all the fun and exciting things they are doing and experiencing, but what you might not be seeing is the school side of things. No one really tells you what academics abroad is like, but just like being at NIU, everyone’s workload will vary by class, number of classes, and the amount of time you are abroad.
Classes
For my program I was gone for six weeks over the summer and took two, three-week
long classes. My first class was a photography class in Copenhagen,
Denmark. I attended this class Monday through Friday for three hours a
day, and attendance was required. During this class there were lectures
on the history of photography, the basics of photography, and hands-on
experience where we went out into Copenhagen and did mini photography
sessions. After those mini sessions we critiqued everyone’s photos and
learned from each other. Homework-wise,
each day there were one or two readings for the class that were
discussed the following day and two big photo projects with small write
ups. I personally found this class to be on the easier side from what I
was used to back at NIU. The photo projects were a little tricky but a
new learning experience that I enjoyed.
For
my second class, I took a women, gender, and sexuality class focused
around Scandinavia. This class was in Stockholm, Sweden and met Monday
through Friday for an hour and a half in the morning, and another hour and a half in the afternoon with an hour lunch break in between. This class was mainly discussion-based, and attendance was required since it only met for three weeks. Homework-wise
I had a few readings to complete each night that would be discussed in
class the next day. I also had a group project and a final paper. This
class included a study tour where I traveled with my class to Berlin,
Germany for five days. For this portion of the class we went to various
historical and important museums and places that were relevant to
Berlin’s LGBTQ+ community. After this trip, I had to complete a travel
journal for class.
Excursions
Each class also had a few excursions. We went to a few different photo galleries within Copenhagen. I loved going to each exhibit because I liked learning about Danish culture through imagery; it’s a unique experience that I would not have gotten if I hadn’t taken this class.
In
terms of excursions, beyond the study tour, we visited a lot of
activist organizations that are related to the LGBTQ+ community in
Stockholm and broader Sweden. It was interesting to see how their
activism works differently than in the US and I was able to bring some
good ideas home.
When completing homework, I usually did my work at night after
exploring the city or right after my class while my friends were still
in their classes. It’s good to remember that academics are still very
important and will
affect your GPA back home. I had to find a new routine of getting my
work done because I wanted to ensure I had time to explore the new area I
was in. It’s best to be organized and figure out which days things are
due and plan time to work on those assignments. Also, you can also plan out the different things you would like to explore in your city or country around those dates and times.
Written by Sam Lindberg