In our previous blog, we talked about the importance of global citizenship and the role international exposure plays in that development. We discussed the financial challenges the US study abroad programs present as well as the fact that some of these programs even limit integration with non-US students. Less than 10% of US college students study abroad. In contrast, study abroad is an integral part of being a full-time student in Europe. The EU sees study abroad as aligned with their policy agendas for growth, jobs, equality, and social inclusion. Further, the EU has set a goal that all citizens should have…
We often hear from students who earned their bachelor’s in one area of study but are now interested in a master’s degree in a different field. We also hear from people who are interested in changing careers. Another group we hear from want to pursue a master’s degree in Europe but don’t meet all the requirements of the program. Is it a lost cause for these groups of students? No, it’s not. There are options, such as a Pre Master, which is a series of courses designed to fill in the missing pieces on the transcript. It’s impossible to generalize…
Did you know that there are thousands of graduate school programs in Europe that cost a lot less than US grad school tuition? In 2015, I stumbled on the existence of English-taught full degree programs held at European universities. My kids were teenagers and I had a number of concerns about higher education in the US-from ever increasing cost to opaque admissions process to varying quality- so I decided to explore whether to keep this possibility on our radar. Prior to this, I assumed that an international student would have to know a foreign language to study in Europe. I…
In 2015, I stumbled on the existence of English-taught full degree programs held at European universities. My kids were teenagers and I had a number of concerns about higher education in the US-from ever increasing cost to opaque admissions process to varying quality- so I decided to explore whether to keep this possibility on our radar. Prior to this, I assumed that an international student would have to know a foreign language to study in Europe. I certainly had no idea that, in non-Anglophone countries in Europe, there are over 700 accredited universities offering almost 8,000 full bachelor’s and master’s degree…
Did you know that there are thousands of graduate school programs in Europe that cost a lot less than US grad school tuition? In 2015, I stumbled on the existence of English-taught full degree programs held at European universities. My kids were teenagers and I had a number of concerns about higher education in the US-from ever increasing cost to opaque admissions process to varying quality- so I decided to explore whether to keep this possibility on our radar. Prior to this, I assumed that an international student would have to know a foreign language to study in Europe. I…
I visited six Netherlands universities during my recent trip. Whenever I plan these trips, I have a preconception of which schools I'm most excited to see. I’m often proven wrong, and this trip was no exception! There are two schools that particularly excited me during this trip-a research university and a university of applied science. I’m so eager to tell you about both of them that I had to flip a coin to decide which one to start with! One of the main reasons I chose to visit Utrecht was convenience. Two of my days involved three hours train rides…
I arrived in Budapest to write about the options to study in Hungary for my third week of travel. I had a long train ride without WiFi from Prague, my taxi driver overcharged me, and I had trouble checking into my Airbnb - which was a bit of a dump. These factors, along with the fact that I hadn’t seen the sun for almost a week and that I was tired of Eastern European food, had made me quite grouchy for my first few days. By the end of the week, though, the sun was out, I'd learned about some…
When we post this blog, we don’t expect to know the winner of the US presidential election. It’s a time of uncertainty around so many issues in the world. Regardless of who is in the Oval Office in January, though, studying in Europe is still an idea worth exploring. We truly hope to see changes around the cost of American higher education. However, even if we have a president who is proposing real reforms, the process does not move quickly. Changes will take some time to be approved and then implemented, if it even gets that far. Until then college…
I strive to be totally transparent about college in Europe. Studying in Europe is a fantastic option but, like anything else in life, their are benefits as well as obstacles. That’s why I thought it was important for you all to know about Sam’s experience, so that you/your kids can be prepared in aspects of his situation applies to you. I realized, though, that sharing his experience had other effects as well. I received so many emails from parents. These emails talked about how they, themselves, also struggled their first year in college (in the US), or how their own…
There is only one type of tour you will find me on, and that is a food tour. I wasn't able to schedule a visit to learn about one of the very few English-taught programs in Slovakia, but we decided to take a day trip (less than one hour by train from Vienna). Since we just had one day, I scheduled a food tour to learn about the food and culture, while also seeing the city. Ellie and I were the only people signed up for the tour that day. Our guide, Simona, was in her mid twenties and received her…
