Academic Life in Europe

We’re going to talk about the academic differences and some important terms to know that pertain to academic life in Europe.

Slide 1: On Your Mark

Lesson 3: Academic Life

So in this lesson, we're going to talk about the academic differences and some important terms to know that pertain to academic life in Europe. But before we get into that, I want to talk about the word “program.” Because when you apply to a school in Europe, you're not applying to the school as a whole. You're applying to a specific program at that school. So it's like knowing your major ahead of time. And then, the three year program is fairly structured for you. Your Gen Ed requirements are going to be requirements about your program. So if you are a Chemistry student, you're not going to be taking, you know, Introduction to Economics, for instance. You don't have those Gen Ed requirements. You'll probably take Introduction to Chemistry, or something like that, but not those non-chemistry related courses. Now, you will have time throughout your program to explore other interests through electives, through your study abroad term, and in other ways, but the majority of the program will be structured for you. 

Slide 2: Programs and Types of Universities

  • Research Universities
  • Universities of Applied Science
  • Business Schools (and other specialized)
  • Research Universities

So you have your program, but it's also about how you would like this topic presented to you. So there are a few different ways. There are research universities, and these have the goal of preparing their students to go on for their master's degree, a research-focused master's degree. So you will always take, you know, statistics and research methods, along with the courses about your program. And the topic will be presented in sort of research centric ways, if you will. 

  • Universities of Applied Science

And then, there are universities of applied sciences. And these, they're like nothing we have here. It’s a full bachelor's degree program. But the goal of these programs is to help their students acquire the knowledge and skills needed in employment. So they often work with businesses to say, “Hey, what skills and knowledge do you need our graduates to have to work in your company?” And there are often these collaborations, which are kind of nice and benefit students not only with internship opportunities, but with future employment opportunities. And actually, some of the universities of applied science, sometimes their accreditation is based on employability. That's specifically in the Netherlands. 

I will say, speaking of that, there are some countries in which universities of applied sciences are seen as sort of subpar from an academic snobbery perspective, if you will. But I don't find that in Austria, and I don't find that in the Netherlands. I would not hesitate to send my kids to universities of applied science in either one of those countries. It's a lot more of a practical based knowledge, which I personally find more interesting. It’s just kind of something to know about yourself, how you best learn. Because there'll be some topics, if you think about it, like graphic design, that needs a hands-on practical approach. Not a research approach. So you will find graphic design at universities of applied science, but not at research universities. 

And then there are programs like philosophy, which really don't have a practical focus, and you will find those only at research universities. But then there are programs like international business, which could have either approach, and you'll find those at both universities. So in those cases where there's that overlap, it's important to know about what your goals are, how you best learn, where your interests lie. Research universities keep open the option for going directly on to your master's degree at a research university. Universities of applied science though, you can get your master’s at another university of applied science, or back here in the US where the two systems aren't so stratified. Or if you want to go to a research university in Europe, you just take some bridge classes. It’s usually about a year of classes, which are those research and stats type things that you likely did not have in your program.

Before I move on to business schools, I will say the other thing about research universities in the Netherlands, each research university has a self-contained program that's called a University College. And these are good to know about because they are liberal arts programs. So the first year is more broad. And then the second year, you choose your major based on what they have to offer. So if you see University College, the only time it necessarily means that, is if it's in the Netherlands. There are some countries that call their universities of applied sciences, University Colleges. So what's important to remember there is universities of applied science, more practical. Research universities are more research-based and have liberal arts.

  • Business Schools (and other specialized)

And then, there are business schools. And I'll tell you, if you are interested in business, I think that these schools offer a great combination of the practical and the theoretical. There are a lot more freestanding business schools that are really, really reputable, and offer bachelor's programs in Europe than there are here. Here, you'll find a reputable  business school as part of a university. These are freestanding schools, and many of them are just really incredible with their offerings. 

Slide 3: Terms to Know

  • ECTS
  • Faculty
  • Decentralized
  • Grades
  • BSA
  • Faculty

So let's move on to some important terms and differences to know. The first thing I want to talk about is sort of how universities are structured there. And the first word is “faculty.” And you might think, oh, I know what faculty is. That means professor or teaching staff, or whatever. Nope, not at all. What faculty means there is the academic department. So that's a very important difference to just start getting in your head now. Because across the board, faculty means your academic department. Now why is that important? Well, we already talked about how you had your academic department when you apply because you're applying to a certain program. And that program is part of a faculty, part of an academic department. 

  • Decentralized

And universities in Europe are very decentralized. And so, that means that each academic department, each faculty, they’re sort of run independently, and are almost like freestanding units. So they're part of the university. And they're going to have their own admissions staff, usually. They're going to have their own administrators. They often have their own little cafeteria in there. So they function almost as their own mini university. And that's because the university is decentralized. So at the university level, you'll also find other resources, but 9 times out of 10, you can find what you need at the faculty level. 

So decentralized, it also is a geographic thing. You know, all of your classes are going to be with your faculty. So it's not like in the US where you have to get from your Intro to Philosophy class all the way over to your Chemistry class. And so, you cut across campus. Here, you're going to almost always be at classes within your faculty. And so, the buildings are spread out throughout the city. So there's no true campus, 9 times out of 10. It’s kind of nice because then the city feels like a campus, especially when it's a smaller city than a capital city. The city just has a real — I don't know, like a college feel, like a campus feel, even though it's several universities that provide that. It's pretty cool. 

  • Grades

So let's talk about grades for a minute. You'll find different scales, depending on the school, depending on the country. It might be the A through F, it might be a 1 to 5, it might be the 1 through 10. But one thing I've pretty much heard across the board is that the big difference is that it's not like you have the goal of getting all A’s. And you're not going to get all A's. One professor in one country told me that, you know, A's are reserved for God. Another professor told me that when a student comes and says, “Hey, I deserved an A on this,” it’s basically like saying, “Hey, I know as much as the professors.” So the goal is more about passing the course. And it's also about acquiring the knowledge and the learning process than just getting straight A's. 

  • BSA

So one way that grades come into play is with something called BSA. So that means Binding Study Advice, and it's an important thing to know. Your school might not call it Binding Study Advice, but when you go in, you want to find out how many classes you have to pass in order to be invited back the second year. Because it's pretty common, since it's not as competitive to get in, they're saying, “We're not going to judge you. We're not going to decide whether you can get in based on your freshman in high school grades.” But what you do have to do is your first year in college, you have to show that you have what it takes. And so, you have to pass a certain number of courses in order to be invited back the second year. 

This doesn't go on every single year. If the second year, you don't pass classes, this same thing doesn't apply. But the first year, it absolutely does. So it's good to know about what it is ahead of time. 

Slide 4: Terms to Know

  • Resources
  • Schedule
  • Lectures & Seminars
  • Professors
  • Erasmus/ESN
  • Resources

It's also good to know about — I'm going to jump forward — resources, because there are resources, they're just not spoon fed to you. So often, some schools, if you're in sort of that gray area around Christmas, they're going to come to you and be like, “Hey, we got to get your grades up so that you can come back.” Some schools won't. You know, they'll let you know you're in that gray area, but you're going to be responsible for seeking out those resources on your own. They are almost always there, the resources are. But like I said, you need to seek them out. 

So one thing I really suggest is to find out about these resources before you need them. It can be a stressful enough time if you're struggling, and then trying to find resources. So just find out where they are, find out what they are, and have them on hand, just in case. 

Slide 5: Terms to Know

  • ECTS
  • Faculty
  • Decentralized
  • Grades
  • BSA
  • ECTS

So I want to go back to the other one to tell you about ECTS. And this means European Credit Transfer System. You never need to know the whole thing, you just need to know ECTS. And this is important. What this is, is this is how they calculate credit hours. So here in the US, if you take, you know, 12 hours, I think it is, you’re a fulltime student. And 12 hours is equal to the number of hours that you're in the classroom with your course load. It doesn't take into account, you know, how much work is needed outside of class. What ECTS does that’s pretty cool is that they calculate credit hours based on the amount of time the class will take in and out of the classroom. Which is pretty cool because, you know, you could take a class that’s worth three credit hours in the US because you're in the class for three hours that requires almost no out of class work. I mean, I know I took many of those. But those, when I took them, were equal to a class I took for three credit hours, which required three hours in the classroom, and many hours doing reading or whatever else. And they weighed the same, which is a little silly. 

So ECTS, you'll have courses with a different number of ECTS, that again, equate to the number of hours it takes, you know, not only in the classroom, but with readings, and in group work, and studying, and all of that. And so with BSA, it's not actually about like how many classes you have to pass. It's about how many ECTS you have at the end of the year. Because if you have the credits, that means you passed the class. 

Slide 6: Terms to Know

  • Resources
  • Schedule
  • Lectures & Seminars
  • Professors
  • Erasmus/ESN
  • Schedule

So let's talk about schedule. There are many different schedules you might see. It's really dependent on the school and program. And often, one school might have faculties that use different schedules. You know, more often than not, it's the semester system, almost always. I say almost only because I'm sure there's an exception, but I have not yet seen a school that didn't provide summer. You're going to have a summer break, you're going to have a Christmas break. And you'll generally have some sort of break in the spring. But some schools do semesters, some schools do quarters, some schools do block schedule. And again, that might vary at the different programs and faculties within a school. 

  • Lectures & Seminars

Lectures and seminars, and relationships with professors. You see a lot more with internationalization with the English-taught programs. You will see a lot more seminars and interactive works, interactive courses. Sometimes there's like a lecture, and then that course will also have a seminar type meeting or activity with that during the week as well. In Eastern Europe, you will find some more of the traditional just lectures and a few assignments a quarter. But even there, you know, even at some of the large public universities where that’s the overall kind of school culture, you'll still find faculties that are more interactive and doing more seminars and sort of, you know, allowing the big lecture stuff to die out. 

So again, let's go back to the US student who is taking their Gen Ed requirements. So everybody at that school needs to take Intro to Philosophy. So the number of students having to take that is huge. And that's why you have these huge lecture halls filled with students, because that is a core requirement for all of them. Whereas in Europe, your core requirements are going to be within your faculty. So there aren't that many students who have to actually take that course, which means that the lecture itself won't be so big. I hope that makes sense. 

  • Professors

So relationships with professors often depend on geography. You know, Northern Europe, you're going to see a lot more of — you know, there's a lack of hierarchy in a lot of those countries. And so, there's more casual relationships with professors. And you'll even call them by their first name or whatever. Whereas I do not advise that you call a professor in Eastern Europe in a large public university by their first name. You're going to call them professor so and so. So that's definitely more of a cultural thing. 

  • Erasmus/ESN

The final thing I want to tell you about is the Erasmus program. And this is really cool. It's this program by the EU that encourages student mobility, even for international students. So either through your school, or through the Erasmus program, you're going to have the opportunity to spend at least a semester in another country. So you're like studying abroad while you study abroad, which is pretty cool. And there are also opportunities for stipends with this. I mean, there are just some really incredible opportunities. 

But the reason I want to mention it, is that this can get confusing because there's also a school that you are likely to run across called Erasmus University  Rotterdam. They are not the same. You know, there is the Erasmus Plus program offered at Erasmus University Rotterdam, but that's the only way that they're connected. So I just wanted to clear up any confusion about that before it begins. 

So those are the major academic differences. The action step at the end of this week is about making a list of the things that you like about the differences, the things that you have concerns about with the differences. What appeals to you, sort of what doesn't, and what questions you have. So you might just want to go ahead and jot down your thoughts about that, about the academic life aspect now while it's fresh in your head. And because the next lesson is about student life, which I think that you'll enjoy learning about. See you then.