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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My brother lives in a small northern European country and has never thought of funding a college. His kid is studying engineering and he doesn't need to pay a dime.
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+1.  Interestingly, in Europe, most people don't have to worry about the 2 issues that are the most stressful for Americans - (a) funding health care; and (b) funding a university education.  Maybe the quality of life in the US would be better if people did not need to be stressed about these things.[/quote]

True, but two my nephews in Germany were never given the chance and this decision was made for them at the start of 5th grade.  One was sent to Hauptschulen and the other to Realschulen. Only kids who are sent to Gymnasium and pass their Abitur are given one of the coveted spots in college.

I do think there are merits to selective schooling, but can you imagine the riots in the US if we were told that our kids college fate would be determined by their performance at the end of 4th grade? Selective schooling also falls heavily along racial and economic lines of division.  That is the trade off for a free education, at least how it is practiced in the EU and many parts of Asia. I did grow up in Germany and went to Gymnasium and was very very lucky to have parents with money and they allowed me to attend college in the US (met my DH there and here I still live 22yrs later, more of my life now spent in the US than Germany).

I have a 13yr old and when he was in early elementary he did very poorly on his standardized tests. I highly doubt he would have been placed in Gymnasium, he was very immature and did not care.  I sometimes wondered if he was ADHD. He is now in 8th grade, taking Algebra 2 and has all honors courses. So far he is all straight As this quarter and we are so happy the student he has matured into.  I feel like if he had been born in Germany, he might have been looked over, or we might have put an enormous amount of pressure on him when he was in early elementary do push himself to places he was not ready to be pushed to.

just remember, things often look great and they can be, but there is always a downside.  My kids are fluent in German and we have family there and my son has already talked about going to school in Germany which would make me so happy if he was able to test in as an international student, as I know my experience as an international student in the US was incredible. I'm not sure he will be so excited when he sees that German college is all about work and no fun whatsoever. There are no sports, no clubs, no dorms,  and the schools have NO FRILLS. There are no nice campuses, no beautiful gym facilities, no cafeteria filled with options. It is very much economical, spartan, and very business like.[/quote]

+1.  I think it’s parhetic that the PP doesn’t realize there is most likely a barrier to entry for something that is “free.”

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