Going Overseas for College

[Anonymous]

OP, does your child speak fluent (really fluent) German? Classes and most of the reading material will be in German. German colleges are very different (not as many lifestyle perks if that's what your child is into) and the culture is very different. I got a master's degree in Germany, so I have a frame of reference. It can be a cool experience, but do your homework. I wouldn't do it because it's "free."

[Anonymous]

We attend German Immersion in FCPS. I've know about this for awhile due to our German national friends. I kinda thought that it was only for German citizens and that my friends were crazy for pushing it. I think my German friends are a little less crazy now. We have middle schoolers, so our conversations have revolved around AP vs IB, but this article has made me make the IB choice for next year.

So, I'm willing to do it. I don't mind my kid being away. And if it comes down to grades, I'm all for that instead of fighting the quotas against Northern Virginia kids in the VA schools.

I am a product of FCPS and I can still name the 4 kids from my school who got into JMU 20 years ago, and the list of us who didn't get in, all with the same grades and scores.

[Anonymous]

Having studied both in the US and overseas extensively, I would not generalize. I would agree that the elite SLACs offer an experience unlikely to be matched other than by very few and far between European universities. On the other hand, most in the US are not attending elite SLACs. And if you would compare average state flagship university (general pop, not honors college) to a German university? Education might well be superior in Germany. And once you start talking about not the flagship state university but those lower down the chain (again, gen pop, not honors) - I think many European universities will outshine.

It requires intense research into options - universities/colleges in Europe have changed quite a bit over the last couple of decades. And depends on what your kid wants to study. For instance, I would think that a college/medical school education in Germany at very low/reasonable cost followed by a US residency/fellowship would be an unbeatable combination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This'll probably raise hackles, but having studied at both US and foreign universities, AND being closely connected to academia now, I would say that the US college experience is superior -- there are certainly exceptions, but I think that generally you'd need to go to an Oxford/Sorbonne/top of the line school for your educational experience to be similar. At my US (liberal arts) college, my professors knew who I was. I wrote papers and got feedback and was encouraged to speak in class and took classes in a variety of subjects. At my foreign college, 100% of my grade was based on one test -- sometimes there would be a paper in there as well -- and ALL of my classmates were "tracked" based on their performance on exams they took in high school. So, you're in biomedical engineering -- and you take biomedical engineering classes, none of this "explore your interests" stuff we have here. Creative, engaged thinking was a struggle for students at my European college. Certainly, this isn't a guarantee, and on some of the "metrics" many foreign colleges probably score better than US ones, but be careful.

Furthermore, outside of the top top schools, you don't have the same quality of faculty. In Europe, at least, faculty are paid much less than they are in the US, and there are insane rules for hiring nearly entirely based on where you publish. Most PhDs I know, even those who came from Europe, view US schools as much more appealing placements, all things being equal. And, again excluding the Oxfords of the world, once you teach at a foreign school, it's VERY difficult to come back, at least for professors, because foreign universities are generally not seen as on the same level as US ones. I know you're talking about a student, but these people will be teaching your child.

Hate away, but that's how I see it.

I agree. I spent a year of undergraduate school at a German university, and got my master's at the Sorbonne after a BA at a well regarded (top 30) private. Foreign universities have large classes and close interactions with professors is simply not part of the experience. There are exceptions of course, but tread carefully. I would consider a foreign grad degree (depending on subject matter) well before a foreign undergrad experience. There is a reason so many wealthy international students choose to study in the U.S.

[Anonymous]

Not worth it.

1) Cost of flying
2) Non-transferable degrees (engineering, medicine)
3) Job networking
4) May stay for good if falls for someone

[Anonymous]

My DD's have many many international students, including many from England and elsewhere in Europe, who have chosen to come to the US for undergraduate degrees (at Princeton) because they feel the undergraduate educational experience is so much better here, and so much broader. Everywhere in Europe besides St Andrews which is set up to attract high paying Americans with a structure more similar to US colleges, a student is admitted to a specific course of study/major and there is no flexibility to change, take much outside your major. You may meet with a tutor once every few weeks in humanities courses. So rich internationals come to the US. Also much more in the way of career advising. They plan to go back maybe for graduate school