<p>hi, im making a really tough decision right now and im asking for your help as i believe most of you, if not all, are experts in this study abroad thing. its like this. i graduated from high school last march 2005 and was accepted by the University of the Philippines -- the best school in the Philippines. Only the best of the best can get in (not that im bragging, but you know what I mean.) I got in under its BS psychology program, which is an honors course and only the top 5% of the applicants would be accepted to their honors program. And since the University of the Philippines is subsidized by the government, I practically have to pay nothing for my whole undergraduate studies.</p>
<p>however, i got accepted to international university bremen, too -- it is an international university, for crying out loud. and it is in germany -- a first-world country. no doubt studying abroad and meeting people from different countries would surely make my horizons broader. and getting a degree from a first-world country would surely increase my chances of getting good jobs.</p>
<p>international university bremen gave me a scholarship of 8,500 euros per year for three years (their undergraduate program is only for three years), but i have to pay 3,000 euros yearly for three years, and a take out a loan of 7,500 euros per year for three years. my family has no problem with the 3,000 euros per year tuition, but the idea of loaning out 7,500 euros per year for three years kind of scares me. im afraid that after i graduate, my family wouldnt have the funds to pay off the loans. do you think it is a good investment to loan out 7,500 euros per year (approximately 23,500 euros for three years)? or should i just study in the philippines for free? after my undergraduate degree, im planning to go back to the philippines to do med studies, which i believe would cost a lot. however, it's still different and advantageous to be educated abroad, no doubt about that. </p>
<p>right now im taking a year off between high school and college and am currently spending my time as an exchange student in japan, so i have about half a year more ahead to think what path i should choose.
please give me your opinions. i would really appreciate them. thanks. :)</p>
<p>International University Bremen has a good reputation in international circles, but in America, as well as many other countries, it is unknown. Living in Bremen wouldn't be easy. It would cost you more than you think, and it is depressing, cold and rainy in winter. Assuming you go back to the Philippines for graduate school, what do you gain by racking up big debts for a German education? Will it lead to more money or more prestige 10 years down the road? You certainly wouldn't make any major professional connections. For less money, you could spend a summer semester at Stanford or Harvard and get a taste of international life.</p>
<p>man this is a world apart from me to be worried about 7500 a year. like the way i see it, its not that much to make, you could probably if you got a job during school take a chunk of it away.</p>
<p>Another factor would be where you intend to work after you graduate from medical studies. Do you want to move to the US to work, or stay in the Philippines? Also, could you do a study aboard program at the University of the Philippines?</p>
<p>I have a rather weird case. I'm Japanese and stayed in the Philippines for more than 5 years now. I recently graduated from International School Manila (ISM) with no honors received. I applied to several US schools; this is a customary at ISM. I got into some of the big schools in the UK, namely: CAL-Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton, Michigan, Stanford and UCLA. I was rejected at MIT, (Cambridge in England) and at the University of the Philippines (!!!). </p>
<p>I think the University of the Philippines (UP) has different selection criteria. The admission committee in that school is very quantitative and is crazy over gpas and stuff. They like… accept you if you belong to the top 5 of the graduating class or something. It's kinda crazy because some of the really smart ones from my school have not received offers... </p>
<p>Anyways, I guess you're lucky that you got into UP. I would go there if I were you and take advantage of the free education which I think you rightly deserved. Then when you're there, you can apply for their exchange student program during your junior year. I’m sure they have lots of excellent tie-up schools in the US and Europe (Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Cambridge, etc). That's certainly a way cheaper approach for your case. Good luck!</p>
<p>I am from Germany, but if it hadn't been for my own search for English speaking institutions in Germany, I would have never heard of IUB. It is completely unknown in its own country!!!!
And don't overweigh the term "international university". The majority of students is in fact German. The only really international thing about it is the SAT or ACT requirement. You can also find some English speaking academic programs at public universities in Germany, which don't charge you any tuition at all.
Is English your native language by the way?</p>
International University Bremen has a good reputation in international circles, but in America, as well as many other countries, it is unknown
[/quote]
I disagree. Yes it is probably unknown to normal everyday citizens in the U.S, and other countries but is most likely recognised by grad school admission commitees, CEOs, reputable companies, etc..
Even with what Barium said ("It is completely unknown in its own country"), Barium is probably a highschool or college student, not in a company commitee or a CEO.
This shadows the idea that some freshman/soph students in the states have not heard of SATs or Ivyleagues.. (my cousin said the majority of her senior class cannot name all the ivy leagues - and some do not even know what an ivy-league college is, and that this applies to all the schools in her area).</p>
<p>If you are planning to go to gradschool, I think you should go to University of the Philippines for your undergraduate degree and go somewhere else for grad school. In the end, it's your grad degree that counts, not your undergraduate.</p>
<p>ian kavanagh said
"man this is a world apart from me to be worried about 7500 a year. like the way i see it, its not that much to make, you could probably if you got a job during school take a chunk of it away."</p>
<p>No he can't. You are not allowed to work while on a student visa in Germany. And to get one, you have to proof that you are supported with at least 600 (about $765 right now) per month that you plan to study here.</p>
<p>@NoFx: Yeah, you're right, I'm just a high school senior here and not a grad school admission officer. But I still think that it is not a good sign if hardly anyone here knows it. About half a year ago, I talked to a (German) college counselor and asked him what he thought about IUB, and he didn't know it either. Well, maybe he was just completely incompetent.
I would also question how many grad schools actually know IUB, as it only has a student body of about 880 students (grad + undergrad) and a big part of them are Germans (and I GUESS most of the German students probably stay in Germany after graduation; if they wanted to go abroad, they would not have attended IUB in the first place).</p>
<p>I think you have to ask yourself why you want to go to Bremen. Is it because they have a program that you really want to do? Is it because you want to study German as well? Is it because you want the chance to live in Europe? Or is it because you really wanted to go to the US but none of the US colleges offered you a scholarship?
If the lack of money was not a problem, I would say go for it. Germany is a beautiful country, and if you have the money, you could really travel around Europe, and you can even learn German although I have to warn you that it is not the easiest language to learn, and attaining the fluency needed for employment in big companies is truly difficult.
If you think that getting a Bremen degree will make you marketable in the employment market, you should check where Bremen graduates are now working; whether companies come to campus to recruit; the possibility of getting an EU visa while you are a student at Bremen.
If you plan on returning to the Philippines after graduation, you may want to check the presence of German companies in the country.
You did say though that you plan on studying medicine, and so it seems irrelevant to think of employment after an undergraduate degree.
If you are determined to study medicine, graduating from Bremen will offer you no advantages unless they have a medical school as well.
Since money is being considered, you really need to set your priorities straight.
UP is an excellent school. Many of its graduates have gone on to prestigious schools around the world. You can always go for scholarships offered to Filipinos by the German government. And since you are in Japan, I am sure you have heard of the scholarships offered by the Japanese government.
Again, think of why you are going to Bremen. If it is just for international exposure, taking out loans that may be a burden in the future may not be worth it.</p>
<p>If you plan to continue Med in the Philippines, I really suggest you study in U.P. instead, especially if you want to get into U.P. Manila's Med School. From what I've observed, they're very selective and the bias more or less leans towards U.P. Pre-Med graduates. Also, aside from that, U.P.'s the Philippines' official university so you really have an advantage compared to other universities (in the Philippines) with Pre-Med if ever you plan to continue Medicine abroad.</p>
<p>True, it is exciting to study in a different country, but I couldn't live with the thought of having to pay so much (too much) after graduating. But if you really want to study in Bremen, you could always apply for scholarships aside from what the school offers you. But again, like the others, I believe studying in an international college doesn't necessarily get you prestige once you go applying for work.</p>
<p>@sansai: U.P. can get pretty selective and from what I remember, it really depends on what course you're applying to. For example, if you apply for Molecular Biology or the Med Fast Track, the QPI/GPA needed is high. And with the fact that it's a quota course too. So even if you have fantastic grades, if the quota is filled already, it's almost impossible to get in. Also, I think they reserve slots for people from the provinces. I remember stories of kids studying in Manila travelling to provinces just to take the UPCAT there.</p>
<p>Here's how I see it.
If the loan is interest free and easy to repay, consider the possibility. For example the Candian government gives out interest free loans you can repay once you start working. But if that's not the case, I would suggest you steer clear of that idea, because it will take the better part of your youth to repay it.
I don't know about UP's reputation and unless it has a very bad one that may prevent you from working in your field, I suggest you go for it. You'll have plenty of chances in your life to travel abroad if your line of work permits it.
Good luck.</p>
But I still think that it is not a good sign if hardly anyone here knows it. About half a year ago, I talked to a (German) college counselor and asked him what he thought about IUB, and he didn't know it either. Well, maybe he was just completely incompetent.
I think you might be right with your judgement about the college counselor. If they exist at all at most German schools, they happen to be rather incompetent, at least what I experienced...
About people knowing IUB: What do you expect? It is a very young university and is still building its reputation.</p>
<p>
I would also question how many grad schools actually know IUB, as it only has a student body of about 880 students (grad + undergrad) and a big part of them are Germans (and I GUESS most of the German students probably stay in Germany after graduation; if they wanted to go abroad, they would not have attended IUB in the first place).
Well, if you have a look at the statistics about where students end up after IUB, you will see many good grad schools in the UK and the US. Considering the German bunch of students: Their number is increasing (probably because IUB intends to be known better within Germany, see above), currently it is about 20%. However, the vast majority of German IUB graduates is going abroad to continue their studies.</p>
<p>Hey, International University Bremen! Aren't they newish? I was offered a full scholarship there, about 56000 euros, but it wasn't for me. I'd say, where do wish to spend your life? If it's in the Phillipines, or near that place, so Singapore and so on, go to UP. If you're thinking Europe, Bremen, because altho UP's the cream in the Phillipines, Europeans have a tendency to not recognise these places. But strangely enough, I believe US would prefer UP, seeing as how there's a close relationship between US and Phillipines.</p>
<p>Oops, about the loan, 7500 euros is a lot of money, but if you work during summer, let's say a fulltime 40 hours a week getting 9-12 euros, which is norm, for 2 months, you'll earn 2880-3840, which is 40-50% already. But why must you take 7500 a year? you pay only 3000 a year rite? that would mean you could pay that off by just working. If you're seriously thinking of going to IUB, write to them about this. It seems fishy.</p>