Kultur 8 - Jake Freund

I want to start this post off by saying; I am no longer a fan of the Spiegel articles. I don't think I ever was. I know they're supposed to be a joke and not taken seriously, but the least the writers could do is make the articles a little funny. I want to be able to like them and I try to. I'm sure the people who write the articles are normal people who see something funny in the cultural differences. I, however, cannot bring myself to enjoy them. Perhaps it's because I'm too cynical. On the other hand, I read them for every Kultur assignment and I shall write about my thoughts on them, even if it kills me!

I find German's fear of drafts quaint, I'm sure every nation and culture has unique diseases and ailments, I like saunas too, I think it would be cool to stay in college for 6 to 8 years. There, finished. On to the book articles.

The description of die Vorlesung seems very similar to an American lecture. There are lots of students listening to a professor, with a discussion section to go with it. There is group work with grades and students can move on to a Hauptseminare, which to me seems like an honors course. It's fun to read about things that are similar between German and American cultures, but the article insinuates that it is much easier for American college students to talk directly with their professors. The next article about German students applying for limited spots in University programs also seems very similar to the American way. However, it seems that American have more options for programs and schools, and most Americans only stay in school for 4 years as apposed to 6. The article about the costs of going to college in German made me quite envious. Only 30 Euro per semester is about a zillion times cheaper than American college. That's probably one of the most stressful things about college; how much it costs. It also puts enormous pressure on students to get done with school as quickly as possible, so not to accumulate too much debt......... Sorry, I was just thinking about all the things I could do if college only cost 30 Euro a month, like go to the chophouse for dinner every night. The last book article made me laugh more than any Spiegel article ever could. The progression of educational schools in Germany seems so convoluted and needlessly complex, even though I think it would be cool to be an apprentice. On the surface, it seems beneficial to have many more options for early students, but the statistic at the end seems to state otherwise. I'm not saying the American school system is perfect, far from it, but it's much simpler.