Fresno State Education

Most international students coming from Europe to Fresno State claim the education system is easier but also more practical.

The way of teaching and learning at Fresno State is very different to most European universities.

In countries like Germany, Sweden and the UK most classes aren’t mandatory to attend and instead of many exams, presentations and papers, there is just one final exam to determine your grade.

Marko Djordjevic, 22, an exchange student from Germany said: “Here you have much more stuff during the semester, homeworks, exams, papers. At Passau University we just have one final exam.

“It’s easy here to get better grades because you have to learn every week and in Passau I don’t learn the first month, just the last month.”

Another student, Supreet Prasad, 23, from India prefers the education here. He said: “I think the education is better and harder. It has helped me gain more practical knowledge.”

This ties in with what Tatyana Ryabora, the Program Administrator for the International Business Program, thinks. It’s her job to help exchange students select their courses and make sure there is a program for them at Fresno.

She said. “The education system over here has a more practical approach with the real business environment.”

Andres De León, 25, who has studied in both Columbia and Sweden is now at Fresno doing his masters in marketing and finance. He said: “The education’s very good, in my case it’s a little bit different from Europe and Columbia, but it’s been very interactive, more practice, more real cases and more practical.”

Originally from Siberia Ryabora explained: “In Russia education’s the same as Europe. It’s very theory based, you have a big room, maybe 100 students in one room, and there is a lecture just being given by the professors.

“Over here the classroom size is much smaller so there is more interaction, so you can feel free to ask questions and get some feedback from your professors. International students are saying that American professors are more approachable and they like this interaction”

But still there are some international students who feel that the more casual environment will not prepare them for school back home. Students like Jonathan McManus, 19, from England, worry about having to go back to what he sees as a tougher education system.

“It’s more strict back home, they really do push you with the grades,” said McManus, “At the moment the assessments that I’ve got back I’ve hardly put any effort into it, and I’m getting good grades. Which is unlike in England where I try really hard and get not so good grades.”

Fresno State track and field athlete Rosie Sanchez, 20, from Mexico, has heard this before. Last year she had a roommate from Germany who seemed to spend more time travelling around California than studying in her room.

“She was always comparing the American education to the European education. She was always saying that it was way easier over here, that over there it’s harder,” said Sanchez.

The majority of international students who come to Fresno State do achieve highly in their classes. “From the past 5 or 6 years I think the majority are A and B students,” said Ryabora.