Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

We're about half way though the exchange program now. My colleagues back at Georgetown just finished their finals for Mod 1 and this week is career week at ESADE so we don't have classes. 


When I first started classes at ESADE I was pleasantly surprised by the work load. There weren't a lot of deliverables, and much of the team work could be completed in class. What this means is that instead of going home and studying, I could go out with friends or go away for the weekend. What I've since come to appreciate is that what is more laid back in deliverables, is made up for in stamina during classes. 


The standard US business school format is 75 or 90 minute classes two times a week in 4-5 subjects. Continue for 7 weeks. Take a week for finals and a week off, then repeat. The Spanish format more of a marathon than a sprint. Some of my classes (economics and international finance) meet once a week for three hours for 10 or 11 weeks. While the rest of my classes are these mini-class format, where we meet every day for up to 6 hours for a week or two. 


The marathon aspect comes from the 3-6 hours of classroom time a day. Also in contrast to US business schools, in Spain the professor does not necessary cold call the class or ask for or even expect participation. Instead, class can be a three hour monologue with a 20 minute break for 'breakfast' at around 11 am. In last week's economics class there were a total of 2 questions in 3 hours and both of them were from American students. 


For me, the Spanish structure is equally challenging to the US structure. Mostly because I don't yet have the stamina to listen and absorb 3 hours of information delivered in this format. This is magnified yet further on the mini courses as we cover an entire subject in 4-5 days. If you zone out, you miss a huge percentage of the course. 


This shouldn't have been a surprise to me though. This is exactly how my undergraduate degree in England was taught. However after eight years of doing things the American way, its taking me some time to return to the European education format. I know my preference is for the American Socratic method of education, but I think its simply a matter of personal preference. I know that there are students in my class in the US that HATE getting called on -- they would much prefer to sit quietly and take it all in. For me though, communication has always been a two-way street and its interesting to experience this again now I'm older, more invested in the subject matter and have more defined goals of what I want to achieve from each course.