Last week we wrapped up
Physics I and right now we’re just getting the ball rolling with Physics II. Most
of our time here in Cyprus is mostly spent in lecture, lab, or the coffee shop
studying. Since class takes up the bulk of our trip I thought I’d break down
our class schedule and take you through what it’s like to be a physics student
at UNIC.
Our week is made up of
three different schedules, lecture days, lab days, and a combination of the
two. We have lecture days every Monday and Wednesday, lab days on Tuesday, and
on Thursday we combine the two.
Lecture Days
Most of my days begin at
9:15 am when my alarm goes off for class. We begin lecture every Monday,
Wednesday, and Thursday at 10 am, and even though it doesn’t seem early it feels super early. When we were staying
at the Altius hotel we would all convene for continental breakfasts in the
lobby. However since we’ve moved into the apartments most of my breakfasts
consist of yogurt, granola and some cereal. Since UNIC is only a five-minute
walk from the apartments forty-five minutes is plenty of time to prepare for
the long day of physics ahead.
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| Breakfast at Altius |
After breakfast we make the
short trek to class. En route to class is everyone’s favorite dog, Cow. Cow
lives in an apartment near the university and mostly everyone stops to say hi
to her before we get the day started.
We begin lecture at 10 am
and end around 1 pm. We usually get a ten-minute break in between the hours
depending on how quickly we’re going through material. Lecture is very similar
to lecture at UCLA, except the classroom is more intimate and there are only 30
other students. The low-key setting is really nice since the pressure that
comes with asking questions in class is alleviated. The hardest thing for me
was getting adjusted to such a long lecture and learning how to stay focused
but right now I think I’ve somewhat gotten the hang of it.
After lecture we have a
one-hour lunch break until workshop. Most of us get lunch at the cafeteria
right underneath the lecture room but some groups make the journey to the
restaurants on our meal vouchers. After lunch we have a two-hour Workshop until
4 pm. Workshop is dedicated to problem solving and asking the professor
application or theory related questions. It’s similar to a discussion at UCLA,
except it’s led by the professor. During workshop we work on Problem Sets, go
through confusing concepts from lecture, or finish up whatever material we
didn’t have time to go through earlier in the day. Workshop is nice because it
has the one on one elements of a discussion but the feedback is directly from
the professor. I’ve learned that stamina is the most important part of these
days, it’s hard to be involved with the material after 5 straight hours of
class, but paying attention in Workshop is a really integral part of tackling
the Problem Sets.
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| UNIC Library |
After workshop we’re
finally free from classes! Except we’re not. Since each day is dedicated to
absorbing new material it’s really easy to get behind, and so after class most
people head to the library or Coffeeology, the Kerckhoff of UNIC. The library
closes at 6 pm, so only two hours after class ends but is a really ideal place
to sprawl out and study. Lecture days usually end with dinner at a meal voucher
restaurant, and then finalizing the lab reports due the next day.
Lab Days
Tuesday is Lab day and is
the most relaxed of our week. Labs take place in the RT building, a little off
campus, and so Global Semesters has arranged a bus to take us back and forth.
Lab lasts about three hours and is led by a TA and two lab assistants. Each lab
consists of doing experiments and projects in small groups to apply the
concepts learned in class and develop a better understanding. It’s usually set
up so that different groups do different experiments within one lab section,
and so the lab assistants really bounce around trying to explain each experiment
to everyone. Performing labs are easier when we’ve learned the concepts in class
beforehand, but sometimes we have to do labs on material we haven’t touched
yet. Initially it’s pretty tricky, but it helps when the professor goes through
the material later in class.
Lab Days and Lecture Days
Thursday is when our long
week concludes and our long weekend begins. It also happens to be the hardest
day of the week. We have two hours of lecture in the morning before heading off
to lab in the afternoon. Time in between is usually spent eating, cramming in
the library, or trying to fit in a quick nap. Even though Thursdays are
stressful, we end the day preparing for the long weekend which makes it all
worth it.
Right now we’re prepping
for our last midterm next week! See you soon!
