Well I did it. I finally finished my first semester in Germany. I found the whole process of finals to be more stressful than at my home university. The first reason I think this is that you don’t have as much time to finish your tests. In California, we have a special 2+ hour period for each final exam. In Germany, however, we usually just take the exam during our regular class period, which can be as short as 50 minutes. You have a lot less information on what the exam will be like as well. I am used to getting study guides or otherwise going over EXACTLY what will be on the exam, but in Germany the professors give you very little information on the content and format of the exam.
It’s not all bad, though. There are some advantages to the way it is done abroad. The fact that the exam takes place during regular class periods means that you won’t have to get up early. That is a big plus for me. It also relieves some of the stress of it, because it almost feels like any other class meeting. some classes require a term paper instead of an exam. In this case, you wouldn’t have to submit your paper until the beginning of the following semester. That means you could focus on your work during your vacation months, which is nice.
Books are another interesting aspect of studying in Germany. Any given class can have up to five books that need to be read, but you are expected to read them before the class even starts. That, to me, is a lot to ask, but it is what it is.
Well, that’s just about all I have to say about finals in Germany. I hope you all have a good day., and I’ll post again soon!