American looking to go to college in Europe

Student Lounge International Students
1

Hello all! I am a current senior in high school, and although I do have my list of American colleges ready, (and it took my quite some time), I have recently though of doing my entire college career in Europe. The reason being that even before considering going to college there, I have always wanted to live in Europe, and I believe that attending college in Europe will help me to establish connections there, and lead to future job opportunities.

However, I do have a few questions:

  1. How would one earn a law degree in Europe? I am interested in EU law, but I am a bit confused. Would I simply do a bachelors in law? Or would I do a bachelors in something else, philosophy for example, and then pursue a masters in EU law?

  2. Is it worth it? My parents are a bit concerned, but supportive nonetheless. How big of a disadvantage is it to be an international student? I believe that I am making a wise choice with this decision, but I do realize that I am risking my chances at Hamilton College, which I had planned on applying ED 1, but won’t be able to if I decide to go abroad.

  3. How competitive is it? Also, does prestige of a college matter in undergrad, if I wish to go to grad-school? I think that I am a fairly competitive student in the United States, but I am not sure how European schools will view it. My stats are as follow:

ACT - 31
AP - English (5) Physics (3) Human Geo. (3) World History (3)
GPA - 3.8
SAT II - Literature (660) World History (620)

I realize that they’re not the best stats, but I am happy with them.

Based on all of this, what do you suggest that I do next? Which schools (or countries) should I be looking at? I realize that I may not be too competitive for UK schools, but would I do better in The Netherlands? Thank you for reading this post!

2

In most of mainland Europe, you would go directly into a law program. Admission can be very competitive, and many students are weeded out through very tough exams during their first year.

Your degree wouldn’t “count” in the US: you couldn’t practice law here.

Specifics of your European studies will of course vary depending on country. Some universities will require you to be fluent in the language, unless you attend an English-speaking program.

Keep in mind that college is different in Europe than in the US. Much of the time, you will be studying at a school without a campus, with limited (or no) university housing, with no sports in the American sense, few to no support services, and no ability to change your mind about your major. (Most European schools don’t have general education requirements: you’re expected to be generally educated already.)

Your best bet I think is to explore your options country by country, since “Europe” is a big place and the education experience varies greatly depending on where you are.