Semester Abroad: Comparing and Contrasting My Time in Spain vs. West Lafayette
This spring semester, I am studying abroad at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) in Madrid, Spain. The classes I am taking abroad directly transfer to equivalent Purdue courses, and by completing this semester abroad, I am one step closer to earning my minor in Global Engineering Studies through the Global Engineering Alliance for Research and Education (GEARE) Program. While I am absolutely loving my time abroad and having a very culturally enriching experience, life in Spain looks much different than life in West Lafayette. I want to reflect on and compare how my academic and daily experiences abroad differ from those I have grown used to at Purdue. Alicante, Spain Classes and Academics At Purdue, most of my classes are 50 minutes long, and they host office hours daily. Class grades typically consist of weekly homework and lab assignments, class participation, and two or three midterms followed by a final exam. I only have to walk 15 minutes from my dorm to reach my farthest cla...