Significant differences in Lifestyle between American and German Students

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject Cultural Studies - Basics and Definitions, grade: 1,3 (A), University of Cooperative Education Villingen-Schwenningen (International Business Administration), course: Intercultural Knowledge and Conduct, language: English, abstract: Everybody, who has ever been confronted with typical American students, whether it was in real life or on television can tell, that there is something special about them. Somewhere along the way, American college life even attained cult status with movies and books about 'the college experience', like 'The Animal House' or 'American Pie 2' etc., which are popular all over the world. A student lifestyle, no matter where it is, consists of an assortment of expectations, rules, traditions, relationships and communicative strategies employed by prior education and fellow culture members. The average student is in his early twenties, has not left parents' home for too long and is basically adapting to a new life. This new phase is filled with the ambition to learn as much as possible to enlarge his personal sphere of knowledge in order to ensure a high future earning potential, whilst never forgetting the 'fun factor', which is also characteristic for a typical student. Although students all over the world have these similar lifestyles in common, there are also significant differences. The author, who herself is a student too, wants to identify and explain major between the American and German student lifestyles.