Masters applications

On a slightly lighter note and definitely less whiny, I have decided to apply to the Paris campus of Science Po, a highly respected political science and business school, for a Masters in European Affairs. I am also applying to Swansea University for an MBA and to University of Sydney for a Masters in International Business.
With each degree I have found a way to tie it back into my undergrad, I know mom and dad are thankful about this, with an emphasis in film and the international production, distribution and marketing of media and cultural goods. Hopefully I get in and hopefully everything goes smoothly with the visa application processes.

The French University System

Unlike the US where most teachers give out syllabi, the French university professors give you a list of books that they feel will be advantageous for you to read throughout the semester. And again unlike the US they do not give you specific sections to look over but simply give the author and title and leave it at that. When pressed for what will be covered in the semester they respond with a "show up and see" sort of response. Not that this is all bad but it is a bit of shock coming from the States where the professors make sure you know what will be covered and when, so that you can follow along, aka "hold your hand". However, being given 5 books to read and no direction as to what will correlate to the class is a little daunting to say the least, then take into account that it is in a foreign language and you can see how I am a little stressed. Additionally class time is spent with the professor talking at not to you without power points or other electronic visual aids and you have to hope that in each class the professor remembers chaulk or a dry erase marker so that they can attempt to draw simple illustrations. Also there is no formal structure to the lectures and tangents and asides are common as are repetition, which makes it all the more difficult to follow along and nearly impossible to take notes!
And the French final exam systems... they are comprehensive, no shock there, of the entire semester but the approach to the final is much different; 1) they tell you it will be during the week of finals, no date 2) that it will cover what is talked about in class, again not shocking 3) you will be given 1 maybe 2 questions to answer and usually you are given 15 lines to give a precise and detailed answer. Its that last bit that I am having issues understanding, how am I supposed to answer a complex question in detail while pulling from an entire semester of convoluted information and fit it all into 15 lines? And one question, that doesnt give much room for error and 15 lines definitely doesnt give room to talk your way around a subject that you are trying to describe in detail.
While reading this, it doesnt sound that difficult and if in the States I might not have a problem but as I face the thought of having to 1) comprehend the questions 2) think in French about how to best respond and 3) then write precise responses, it is more than a little unnerving. However knowing that this system makes it very difficult for one to pass the French University system has built-in re-take periods about 3 weeks after the first exam to give you a second chance, seeing as how you will most likely fail the first go around. To me if your setup is so difficult that you have to allot a week for re-takes I would thing they would add a little more direction to the students and only give them one chance to pass (refer to French bureaucracy, for explication of the French thought process). Yet I understand, different country, different history, different culture and a different outlook on education.
I think the biggest issue Im having with all of this, and Im going to be really honest here, is that Im actually going to have to study and prepare for finals. That being said I believe I just annuled all of the previous concerns and you now understand why Im complaining!

Les Alpes

This last weekend I spent a little time snowboarding and skiing in the Alps. I stayed at a friend's Chalet in Samoens and skied le Grand Massif. It was amazing and just as beautiful as I expected! The runs (called pistes here) in Europe (or at least where I skied) were a lot thinner than in the states, just like everything over here I guess. At home the runs are as wide as 4 lane highways which was not the case at le Grande Massif, there were a lot of runs that were really small connector runs and some were just straight up tiny where you had about 6 ft between a cliff and a snow wall!
Anyway I started off my adventure in the Alps by snowboarding which was going really well the first day until I was on the last run and literally about 3 min from the bottom when I caught an edge and biffed it HARD and straight onto my left cheek. I remember the sensation of falling and the impact of hitting, upon which I saw a mesh of green and blue which quickly turned to all white. I also remember the feeling of my body moving but not a clear sensation much more like falling in a dream. Luckily, Griff and two of the girls who were in the group with us were behind me and they all stopped to make sure I was all right. Apparently Griff was the first to stop but I dont really remember him being there until after one of the girls skied up, which I was told a good 5-10 seconds later. Griff had to hold up my head because it was wobbling about and I remember trying to talk but not really being able to make coherent sentences. Griff also told me that I landed straight on my face without any hands blocking the fall and then my body just stopped moving other than the flip I did because my board went over my head and drug my body with it. Other than that tho the first day was amazing and sunny and really great. But because of the fall being on the last run of the day I was a proper scarredy-pants the next day and decided to just do a half day as well. So Laura, the friend who's chalet we stayed at, and I drove to Geneve to pick up her friend who was flying in to meet us. I also decided that I was going to ski for the rest of the trip because I was not feeling the whole boarding idea.
I surprised myself at how good I still was at skiing seeing as how I haven't done it for over 5 years! I was able to keep up with everyone else a lot easier and I was a lot more confident than I ever was on a board. And on the last day I was doing jumps, not huge ones but a couple seconds of airtime.
Oh and I also bought a helmet after the fall as did one of the girls who saw me fall. I guess if youre going to fall you should be proud of the fact that you can take a beating so hard that you inspire others to buy helmets to protect themselves from a similar fate. haha
Hope you enjoy the pictures, it was amazingly beautiful! It also snowed while we were there which was fantastic and surprisingly not that cold! There was also an inversion layer of fog that made the mountains look that much cooler.