It started the other night as we were playing ping pong and I was talking to my neighbor, a musician from southern Italy, about the university system in the U.S. "You guys are so lucky," he said, "your universities have everything." The girl sitting next to him, a student from Japan who normally attends university in Italy, nodded her head in agreement. A little taken aback by this statement, I asked him to clarify. "What do you mean our universities have everything," I asked, "how are they any different from the universities here?" They looked at each other, and then started talking about the marvel of universities with sports programs and clubs and multiple other opportunities outside of studying. "Do you live on campus?" they asked, and when I answered with an affirmative, their eyes grew wide with wonder. I think this conversation was the start of my consideration of the differences between universities in the States and the universities here.
On the one hand, my friends had a point. Although some clubs and sports teams do exist here, the concept of such a thing as school spirit is more or less non-existent (this fact is probably best observed in the complete lack of any type of clothing--sweatshirts, t-shirts, hats--bearing the school logo). One attends university here to study, not to do extracurriculars. In addition, because practically all of the universities here are public and more or less equivalent in quality (with a few exceptions for specific programs, such as medicine), most people stay within a one to two hour radius of their hometown, and it is not at all uncommon to live at home while completing university studies. In this way, the American university certainly does have a unique appeal, as the opportunities extend far beyond classroom studies. On the other hand, I tried to explain to them, this idea of participating in activities outside of studying has become in recent years more of a compulsion in American high schools and universities than a choice. Such participation is practically a prerequisite for attending a university in the upper echelons or maintaining a competitive resume for the workforce. That is not to say that such activities cannot be enjoyed--of course one is in control of the type of extracurriculars in which one participates--but at the same time, the concept of "being a well-rounded person" has been taken to such an extreme in the U.S. that at times it can become almost unhealthy. Such attempts to constantly "be involved" and maintain a competitive edge often lead to a ridiculous amount of unnecessary stress at American universities.
As I talked with a friend from India last night, she noted something similar. She is a graduate student here at the University of Innsbruck, yet she commented on the lower amount of stress present here than in universities in India where she completed her bachelor's and master's degrees. "Even if I come back from the lab late at night, I don't feel stressed," she said. And as I thought about this point, I realized that it was not something particular to the universities, but rather something common to the culture here in general. Although people here are still studying and working hard, more time is taken outside of work simply to enjoy life and relationships with others. This, I tried to tell my Italian friend, is the beauty of attending university here.
Of course, there are pros and cons to both systems, and I am really quite grateful for all the opportunities available at American universities, and particularly at Notre Dame. At the same time, however, I think I am discovering here the value of slowing down and valuing my relationships with those around me, and I hope this is something I can carry back with me to the States next year. As the saying goes, "Carpe Diem!"...or perhaps more appropriately in my case, "Genießen jeden Tag."
