School & Classes: UCD vs. UCLA

This week marks Week 8 at UCD. With almost 4 1/2 weeks of the teaching term left, I should mention the courses that I'm taking here. I'm also going to highlight the differences and similarities.

Classes

I will just list the course titles. If you want to know more about an individual class, fill free to comment & ask.

• Introduction to Irish Archeology
• Music & Words: Irish Identity & Folklore 
• Sociology: Research Design
• Sociology: Contemporary Irish Society & Culture
• Social Policy: Sustainable Development and Community Development
• Geography of Latin America

Differences: 

Teaching Term & Number of Classes
UCD: 2 semester: 6 classes during each semster
UCLA: 3 quarters: 3 classes during each quarter
At first I was afraid about taking so many classes at once but I seem to be managing well.


Time
UCD: Lecture: 50 mins
           Discussion: 50 mins
UCLA:  Lecture: 1 hour 50 mins

              Discussion: 50 mins

Terminology 
UCD: Chooser
UCLA: Teacher Assistant

UCD: Module
UCLA: Course

UCD: Tutorial
UCLA: Discussion

Class Meetings
The time classes take place doesn't seem to make sense to me. One of my classes meet on Mondays at 3 pm and the next meeting for it is Friday at 12 pm. At UCLA, I know my classes will take place at the same time either it be on Monday and Wednesday, or Tuesday and Thursday. Also, tutorials are once every two weeks.

Exam Times
UCD: Exam times aren't announced until the middle of the term
UCLA: You know your exam times when you sign up for the class.

Similarities

UCD and UCLA both have big lecture halls. When I first walked into class I thought I was back at UCLA. Both schools have sports teams and numerous clubs. Students are involved in school and student body elections are big issues.