Kultur Hausaufgaben

I think the draft thing is really funny, however I would not be able to survive without having some sort of airflow. I also liked the article about odd illnesses in Germany. As someone who doesn't love taking antibiotics or any prescriptions in general, I can appreciate the fact that they avoid taking them. In fact, lots of issues with medications in the US and countries that practice medicine similarly stem from over medication.

As for the saunas I don't think I could go for those. I'm not a saunas person as it is but stripping down for everyone to see isn't really my thing either.

Their university system is so different. Sure there are many students who take a while to graduate in the U.S. however the majority of them are not in their 30s when they are done. I think I would go mad if I studied into my 30s.


Universitatskurse
The lecture set up is similar between Germany and the U.S. we have big lectures with joint discussions. We also have smaller seminars. Also, the more difficult classes have less students in them similar to the Hauptseminare.

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The idea of taking qualifying exams in Germany is very different than the U.S. Also, when the mention that if a student is denied admission to a Numerus clausus program they are sometimes directed to another university with an open spot in the program. That would certainly never happen in the U.S. Universities are a lucrative business here, they certainly wouldn't send a student to another school they would convince them to study something else at their university.

Wie Studierende ihr Studium finanzieren
I don't know if German students appreciate how little it costs them to attend college. It would be upsetting for tuition to rise, but comparing to the U.S. they pay barely anything at all. In the passage it also describes that German students might work during their semester breaks to financial a trip or major purchase...not their education. I would say that they are still lucky when it comes to tuition.

Das deutsche Schulsystem
I cannot believe that by third and fourth grade children are being evaluated. I can't imagine having my scholarly path initiated at such a young age. And I certainly can't imagine selecting the type of work I wanted to do in only fifth or sixth grade!

If I went to Gymnasiasten I would be really nervous about the final tests. I was surprised to read that in 2000 PISA ranked German's secondary schools in the bottom third internationally. I guess there is the stereotype that the German educational system is extremely challenging and superior to most others.