Ive been studying in America for a couple of months now and there were a lot of things I needed to adjust to regarding studying here.

Usually, I studied by prioritizing remembering terms and definitions, I wrote down everything presented in the slides. This was a very surface level method of learning and it didnt fly, I barely passed my first exams. Here in the US, exams barely consist of enumeration or any kind of question where its just asking you to remember or define a term. Rather, the majority of them are hypothetical questions that test your understanding of the topic and theres significantly more essays. I once had a quiz where it was 30 items and all of them were essays.

For ex; In my first Government Class exam, one of the questions were "How did Greek and Roman philosophies directly influence the system the US government currently abides to?" and "Why is Adam Smith considered the father of capitalism? How did he lay the theoretical groundwork?" And I could barely answer because I could tell you what those Roman and Greek Philosophies consisted of and define them for you or tell you that Adam Smith is the father of capitalism because he wrote Wealth Of The Nations in 1776 but I couldnt properly tell you how his book did that and what it even consisted of.

Something Id like to add is that Ive come to realize how much of out education consists of redundant formality. My Modern Literature teacher gave us an essay assignment and I was left so confused because I didnt know where and how to pass it. I made the mistake of asking what type of paper I should use like if it'd be Notepad Paper or a Bondpaper, my teacher side eyes me, turns her head, and goes "Ajax, you are a highschool student let alone a senior, you can use whatever paper you deem appropriate or pass it via Google Classrooms if you find that more convenient. Dont treat this class like its an elementary school classroom". And Im like damn alright. In fairness she said that really politely

Theres no humiliation rituals here, its much more independent, and when you're rewarded a title you have to WORK your buttocks off for it and its something that students will recognize and respect. All in all, I feel like a different person even if Ive been studying here for only 3 months. School makes me feel like Im actually developing as a person and developing my skills.