This year I will visit six cities in three countries to talk with students about studying in America.
I enjoy meeting new people and talking about St. Mary’s College of Maryland. If you want to schedule an appointment to meet with me, please send an email to: wpjordan@smcm.edu
Beijing, China Sept. 24 – 27
Shanghai, China Sept. 27 – 30
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Oct. 1 – 4
Hanoi, Vietnam Oct. 5 – 8
Bangkok, Thailand Oct. 9 – 12
Chiang Mai, Thailand Oct. 13 – 17
In America, the first Monday in September is a national holiday. Labor Day celebrates all of the ways people work. It also is a good time for a family gathering. The weather is turning cooler, but still nice. Students are returning to school, so Labor Day marks the end of the summer for many.
At my school, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, classes have just started when Labor Day arrives. It has become a tradition in my family to invite college students from Asia to my house for an American picnic. Some students have just arrived in the U.S. to attend St. Mary’s. For them, this often is their first outdoor picnic. We cook hamburgers and hot dogs, roast corn on the cob, and have traditional desserts like watermelon and chocolate cookies.
This year, about 20 students from China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Nepal came to the picnic. Here’s a picture.
- An American picnic
Hi, I am Professor Wesley Jordan. I am a professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. St. Mary’s is the State of Maryland’s honors college and was named after St. Mary’s City, the fourth oldest permanent English colony. Founded in 1634, the colony moved to Annapolis in the 1690s. What was St. Mary’s became Maryland.
I teach courses in the neurosciences and psychology. I’m interested in how brains learn and remember things. I also work with students from Asia who want to go to college in America. One of my jobs at St. Mary’s is to visit China and countries in southeast Asia to talk with students and teachers.
The American educational system is different from that in many other countries. Colleges in America focus on teaching and offer small classes and lots of ways for students and professors to work together. Universities in America are larger and more focused on research than teaching. St. Mary’s College of Maryland has 2000 undergraduates studying for a bachelor’s degree. The average class size at St. Mary’s is 16 students. That is why my school is called St. Mary’s College and not St. Mary’s University. Most St. Mary’s graduates continue their education by going to a graduate or professional school to earn a Ph.D. or become doctors, business people, or lawyers.
I will use this blog to talk about happens at St. Mary’s College and to chronicle my visits with people in Asia.
