Student life at American universities is chaotic during the first week of each quarter or semester. Registering for classes, becoming familiar 【51】 the buildings 【52】 campus, 【53】 books, adding and dropping classes, and 【54】 fees are confusing for everyone. During this busy period there is little time for students to anticipate 【55】 they will later encounter in the classroom.
International students, 【56】 to their countries' educational expectations, must adapt 【57】 new classroom norms in a foreign college or university. Whereas in one country prayer may be acceptable in a classroom, in another it may be 【58】 . In some classrooms around the world students must humbly obey their teacher's commands and remain absolutely silent during a class period. In 【59】 , students may talk, eat and smoke during lectures as 【60】 as criticize a teacher's methods or contradict his or her statements. It is not always easy to understand a new educational system.
There is considerable variety in university classrooms in the United States. Because of diverse teaching methods and non-standardized curricula, no two courses are 【61】 . Undergraduate courses are considerably different from graduate courses. The classroom atmosphere in expensive, private universities may differ from 【62】 in community college s 【63】 are free and open to everyone. State-funded universities have different requirements and expectations than 【64】 parochial colleges. 【65】 , there are shared features in American college and university classrooms 【66】 the diversity of educational institutions of higher learning.
Participation 【67】 the classroom is not only accepted but also expected of the student in many courses. Some professors base part of the final grade 【68】 the student's oral participation. Although there are formal lectures during 【69】 the student has a passive role(i, e. , listening and taking notes), many courses are organized around classroom discussions, student questions, and informal lectures. In graduate seminars the professor has a "managerial" role and the students 【70】 presentations and lead discussions. The students do the actual teaching in these seminars.
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