Exams at foreign universities

    With the final exams only a week away, many Ewha students dream of a school with no exams. But alas, the dream of having no exams will never become reality. For those who need a little time to relax from the stress of the upcoming exams, Ewha Voice offers a glimpse of exam seasons at college campuses in other parts of the world.  
In Russia, college students take oral examinations for most of their courses. To take oral exams, students make appointments with professors and visit their offices.
     “When we go to our professor’s office, we usually pick paper slips with key words written on each of them. Then, we have to explain everything we know about the topic,” said Constantine Craze (’06, Moscow University of Foreign Languages). “If we fail to present sufficient answers, we have to retake the exam until we pass. When we do pass the exam, that’s when our vacation begins.”
    In some counties, universities give students a study period before the examination period. “In the Netherlands, we get two weeks off before the examination period and during this period we get time to study and chances to ask questions to our professors,” said Kim Keun-young (Hanyang University, 4), who was an exchange student at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. This kind of period is also given at universities in Hong Kong.
Compare to Korea North American universities, midterms and final exams seem to have a smaller proportion in a student’s total grade. “Midterm and final exams, whose outcomes often play a key part in determining a student’s GPA in Korea, often do not contribute much to a student’s overall grade in Canadian colleges,” said Ko Young-taek (Toronto University, 3).
     “Students here take quizzes almost every week, and term papers are the really an important factor that determines their grade. Although we study hard for our midterm and final exams, we have relatively a lighter burden compared to Korean students,” said Ko.
    However, students in Finish universities have a wider choice when taking exams. “In Finland, professors do not suspect students of cheating. So there are no supervisors for the exams. Also, there is system where students can make their exam questions throughout the semester. I guess the trust between students and teachers is quite solid,” said Choi Seung-eun (Sookmyung University, 4), who was an exchange student at University of Tampere in Finland.
     Whether students like it or not, it is mandatory for them to take exams. However, this applies to university students all over the world. Although different in how the exams are conducted, they are parts of the lives of every student irrespective of where he or she lives.