In today’s meeting we were talking about our typical day at university and at home. When we wake up, when we go to university, what studying requires, when we come home and what we do in the evening.
I especially found it interesting that after actual classes, Chinese students are required to stay at university to do assignments or homework until ~10pm because in Germany we as students are not obliged to do anything in that regard. We can come to classes and leave them whenever we want to and we do not get homework generally. We do have assignments when they are mandatory for our grade and exams at the end of the semester but no such thing as homework – it is our own responsibility to learn the topics in order to catch up in the class. If we cannot, it is our problem.
Moreover, in Germany we do not stay as long at university as Chinese students who have classes from 7am/8am to ~6pm plus the time they must spend at university afterwards. Therefore, it is common among Chinese students to take naps at lunch break. Usually, we stay at university from 8am to mostly mid to late afternoon. Sometimes we need to stay until ~9pm as well. It also surprised me that one of my teammates lives in a dorm room together with 7! people. Living together in Germany is common among students as well but not as such a big group. Compared to my small university in Fulda (see picture) that consists of about 10,000 students, the Chinese university is huge having about 40,000 students.
Additionally I learned that in High School, Chinese students must follow a dress-code and wear a school uniform and that girls are required to wear short hair because otherwise they would focus more on their hair than on the lecture which I thought is a very creative yet weird reason, especially considering that such obligations are illegal in Germany (actually, they would violate the German Constitution).
Overall a very informative meeting.
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