tell us about the country you live in...

[Gingerale]

Doesn't sound like the grading is as hard, 70% here is a C . Do they ask for volunteer's to do experiments on at the University there?

[Polaris]

Ahaha, I thought so too when I first got here. The content and learning style here is way different from what I was used to back home! A 40% is the passing grade here (I think around 65% is the equivalent in the US?), the bare minimum, and you're kicked out of uni or made to switch to a different course if you don't at least pass your first year. I was so used to getting 80's and 90's back home, when I took my first test here and got a 60 I nearly screamed; but all is well! A UK 60% = B range, which is 80% for the US.

80's and 90's are super hard to come by here (even the lecturers struggle to achieve a 90-100 after taking the same exact exams as us!), so I've really had to work on readjusting myself to the new grading scale.

As for volunteers though, I can't speak for all courses that have experiments, but in our third (and final) year of Biomedical Science we have to conduct our own research experiments and we get to ask all uni students if they wanna volunteer for it. We have these things called practical classes (or practicals for short) - each course has them - and the medicine & science courses all have practicals in the form of lab work. In these kind of experiments, we all have to do them for a grade so no volunteer stuff their (unless we're working in small groups, where we get one of us to volunteer become the victim and we zap them with electrodes or something).

[Lemon Cheesecake]

I had to do practicum's where we worked on patient's but we had to be each other's patient's first! It's a little nerve racking to trust another person who is still learning!

well, interesting the scoring is much higher over there. New coming foreign students should take practice exams and see how they do before going over...otherwise it sounds like it could be a rude awakening.

[NerdyAliCat]

Currently Australia is hosting the Commonwealth games.
I haven't been watching it but i watched the opening ceremony and i never realised how many countries were part of the Commonwealth...

[Polaris]

Ohh how are the Commonwealth Games? I haven't heard as much about it here in Northeastern England, there far more focused on football/soccer matches here (there was a whole Liverpool v. Man thing recently I think??). Aren't the games being held in Australia this year? That must be exciting!

[Lemon Cheesecake]

I really only know the bigger commonwealth countries.

[NerdyAliCat]

Yeah it's being hosted over on the Gold Coast i think?
No one here is really making a fuss about it.
It's not as popular as the Olympics or the winter Olympics but i think Australia's doing well medal wise

[Lemon Cheesecake]

do these games determine who will go onto the Olympic teams?

[Polaris]

do these games determine who will go onto the Olympic teams?

To my understanding, they're kinda like the Olympics except it only features countries that are/were commonwealth nations and/or territories of the UK. So Australia is one, India, Pakistan, Canada, New Zealand, are some of the main ones, but there are also countries like Singapore, Jamaica, and tons upon tons more (because as they used to say, The sun never set on the British Empire darn greedy brits)

TL;DR Basically what the UK did was host their own version of the Olympics, but it's exclusive to british commonwealth nations and current/former territories.

(The US doesn't count because we revolted and declared independence and rose up against the Brits nyahahahaha >:D

[Hero]

Oh boy where do I start.

Where I'm from Mental Illness is seen as a just being sad. Men are extremely sexist, games are extremely frowned upon. Holding a normal life is seen as weird. People expect you to be an outstanding individual.

I'm from a 3rd world country so society is pretty behind or late with certain things. Homosexuality is seen as a taboo aswell.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

Hero, it's sounding like where you live you might have a lot of pressures to excel, aren't you allowed to live a quiet life being satisfied or content with what you have? I would think that would bring on depression or mental illness in itself. Maybe you can be part of the change, or at least the part of changing people's expectations. Are you allowed to pursue employment in the field that intrests you?

[Clouded Dreaming]

3rd world country too, but we moved to the UAE. :>

[Adol Christin]

I'm in China. Lots of pollution, smog. Lots of corruption. But lots of history and beautiful scenery when away from city. Overall, I like China.

[ChiffonOrange]

Tropical weather; mostly sunny and I hate it. Sometimes it rains and other times it doesn't. Most people are kinda so-so unless you encountered some rude people in public. *sighs* ...The lack of freedom of speech/religion, while not as bad as some countries, there are some people who are overly sensitive and somewhat very close-minded. Same-sex marriage/Homosexuality and gender identity/expression are illegal in where I come form.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

I hope that the lack of freedoms does not affect you directly as a hardship.
Do people protest the lack of rights at all and try for a change or is that not a possibility?
Its ok if you don't say, I don't want you to be put in harms way.
Many people like to go to the tropical weather to visit but not everyone likes to live there long term if it is very humid. I like the sun and warmer weather, I've lived where it has been very cold before.