<p>I dunno... I guess you can't really call them good. The average German university education is definitely better than the average American one, but that doesn't really help us that much, does it? It's much more effective if you have a few outstanding institutions. Tbh, it's prob more of a social thing. We don't really foster excellence and all that... Some of the universities are alright, that's it though. Even if you only have say a 2.0 Abi, you can still get into the top schools, which would be really hard in the states. So yea, that's why I call them crap, compared to the top US schools, of course. You can't love the German universities that much, can you? Lol, do you consider yourself an uberachiever? I'm just asking cos the way you phrased it kinda creates this impression. Gees, looking back at the development of this thread, I feel kinda bad. Sry OP for making your thread a discussions of random things we come up with, ^^</p>
<p>well I applied for acc & finance as I did not take Maths LK and thus would have had a disadvantage in Ec at LSE. They as well have an acceptance rate of ~ 10 % (though the academic level certainly is lower) + I can take economics as add on in year 2.</p>
<p>Of course LSE is a top choice and it is ranked number 2 after Harvard concerning the humanities in the world! It has a lot of prestige, you are in the center of London (with equally high living expenses - a daughter of one of my teachers attends Kings College and pays 780 € for a 17m? student room - per month. However, the attendence fee for eu citizens is kina low (~5000 €). I don't really like the British culture though and we must not forget: UofC has produced 27 nobel prize winners and about 3/4 of all nobel prize awarded persons were connected to UofC. It may lack the reputation on a lower level but it still gives you a great shot for grad school.</p>
<p>Didn't realize that you are German though, yet. What is your favorite beer? :D
Btw. I applied to UofC just because my chance is not too bad if I don't apply for aid. I would not consider myself or rather my parents "rich", but it would not be an impossible thing and who says I have to enroll if I should be admitted? It's the only school I did not apply for fin aid though.</p>
<p>Our German universities are not bad. No certainly not and they really shoot off the American public ones which must be more than terrible. A colleague of my father has studied in the US on a public with a realschulabschluss and she did not write anything but As. She said they couldn't count 1+1 together and I do believe that. Look at the SAT - it's a joke for natives. However, we have to see that if we have attended the Gymnasium, we already are within the top 10 % of our society and thus in the top 10 % of American hs. If you are even in the top ten of your class, you already are capable to ace out 99% of all American hs seniors. Don't forget we have 13 grades.</p>
<p>The starting position is much better in Germany - but you mentioned the key point: Since Hitler, we think of excellence as something disgusting. Everyone has to have the same chances and why shouldn't someone with an IQ of 75 study? Thats BS and what they are doing results in one thing: The elite studies elsewhere and thus is likely to live outside Germany. Of course that makes up only 5 % but these 5% are those who will own 75 % of the income and thus pay 75 % of the duty.</p>
<p>We don't feed our elites but force them to help not as bright (which does not mean they are worse human or less favorable - a society needs bus drivers as well and I know an Australian mate who is really proud on being a construction worker.) persons. This leads to an overall brighter and more homogenous society while we lack the genius ideas. When was the last great thing we developed in Germany? We have to be careful not to lose our leading position !</p>
<p>Back to our universities: Due to this missing commitment to excellence and by this a lack of working habits (I say this myself, thus I am surely not the typical hardworking student) and identification with school ("key word "streber"), our student body enjoys life and rarly attends university. Furthermore, you will be thrown in the mix with many who cannot follow the lessons or lectures (we don't really have classes in university) and instead join overcrowded universities where nobody cares about you. This connects with an impressive arrogance of the universities who still don't understand that their students success determines their success and reputation to a really unfavorable mix. They don't have any alumni thing and still don't understand that networking is important - career centers are absolutely nonexistent. A 2.0 Abi is not a bad thing - our grades are significantly higher and a straight As as in the US is as rare as the career centers ;) but still, you are in a group which is not as close together academically + our universities could not chose their students themselves until now (this begins to change).</p>
<p>They don't have the funds of course to offer you so many things. Our top university (Munich) calculates with something between 100 and 200 Million € a year (130 to 250 Million dollars) for - i've just read 62000 (dunno whether this number is correct) students. Oh and they complain that they have to bring their quota of graduates up to 40% (compare with Ptons 98%).</p>
<p>You get a solid background and we all could excell in Germany, but the (academic) climate as well as the lack of real career opporunities (we are a burned generation which basicly remembers years of recession) let me flee to foreign countries. In my social science class, 65% considered studying not in Germany as a wish or goal. This means, 65% of the brightest of our society may wander off to the UK, US or other countries in the EU. If I study in the US, I won't come back to Germany for sure. It will be a closed chapter and though I don't want to sound rude: I cannot believe that Germany's future is brighter with a generally educated mass of people who do not excell but are overqualified for their jobs and thus unhappy. Everyone has to find his/her place - we aren't born with equal traits, we don't die with equal traits and though I am all in for the chance for lower class but excellent people to jump to the top, a juice does not make this more probable (the numbers of increase / decrease in social position have stayed the same). The numbers won't increase if you hardly have the opportunity to excell in your study...</p>
<p>Dude, are you my lost twin brother? Cos I swear this could have been one of my posts, ^^. I second everything you've said about our school and social system, AMEN! Oh yea, my fav brand would have to be Becks. Not the gold one, though, just the normal kind. What about you? Btw, which state are you from? I don't know about you, but I feel like our Gymnasium is getting worse and worse. We don't have enough teachers or rooms or equipment or anything really. Most of our classes are pretty big and we need about say 10 min to even get started. Oh yea, and most ppl don't really care about school, which is fine, BUT they are soooooo loud and rude in class that we're so lacking behind in every subject. Oh well, let's just hope we both get to leave this dismal country, ^^.</p>
<p>Haha no I am not your twin brother. My twin brother wouldn't drink ****ty Becks.</p>
<p>I drink Fr?h K?lsch with pride.</p>
<p>lol... I take it that it's suppossed to be Koelsch? For some reason some letters were cut out, I guess they don't have Umlaute. Well my comment on your fav brand: Koelner und ihr Lokalbier, lol. I like to transgress the borders of my local town and that's why I love Becks, with pride, too, ^^. Think big man, think big, :-D</p>
<p>I just want to say that I love all you Princeton-y German people, even though I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.</p>
<p>hahahahahahaha.</p>
<p>haha, we love you too mates.</p>
<p>That's why we wanna attend Pton!</p>
<p>Be assured that IF I should be accepted RD, I will throw the greatest parties with the best beer and the hottest chics you have and will ever experience(d).</p>
<p>I hope you understand what I am talking about now ;) </p>
<p>@ pearfire: Yeah think big. I don't follow a lame export beer but will build Koelsch to a high-value brand. XXXX is better than Fosters, too.</p>
<p>lol... is that your reason for applying to Pton? So you can become the CEO of Koelsch and make it a world brand, ^^? I dunno about the good parties, though, mate. Cos tbh I've been to a few amazing ones, ^^</p>
<p>Wow... I really dunno what to say. What you've written... yeah, I find, that's really impressing and I have to admitt, that you scared me a lot. Now I'm thinking about my plan and if it is not better to give them up...
I never would have thought that it might be so hard to get in to Princeton or other Universities like that.
Well, I want to leave Germany as fast as I can. My heart is beating for America at least for a few years and I always talked about that.
My mother always tells me, that I won't have any chances because I'm not such a ?berflieger. I have to work and learn a lot to get good marks. And I'm in no club in school, neither in SV nor anything like that. I never have been Klassensprecherin (I don't know the right word), because I wasn't that popular in my class. Although in my and my friends opinion I would have been a good one.
Although I'm dreaming of living in America for so many years, the idea for studiing there just came a few month ago. And now I wonder if that wasn't too little too late.
And for the next school year I change school, because we're moving away. Although I will go to that school where I had been about six years ago for one year, so that people won't remember me and I had changed a lot too. </p>
<p>So what do you think? Should I try? Or is it senseless? I would have to apply for fin aid, too...</p>
<p>Well, in the moment, I really don't know what to think and it's nearly impossible for my to get a clear thought, because there are so many things rushing through my head.</p>
<p>@DavidAlex i have to thank you for such a great answere. I hadn't reckon with something like you've written, but it is great and you helped me a lot.</p>
<p>Omg I'm so naive that I could have thought that it would be easy and just take up less time. But four months?My mom would drive crazy if I really do this.
But in the end it is my life, isn't it?</p>
<p>I will write another time, when my nerves have calmed down a little. And I need time to think about everything.</p>
<p>no offense intended here, but you will need to read lots in order to improve your language skills. try to find something that suits your interests, it's easier that way.</p>
<p>No offense, but they way you worded your post, I'd advice you to give it up. To be honest, you will be competing with ppl who are just amazing. So I'm not saying that you don't have a chance, but considering the sacrifices you would have to live with, I'd rather enjoy the rest of your high school career. Unless there is something unique about you that you haven't told us yet? Any special awards or talents?</p>
<p>Why give it up? As I see it, GermanYalie still has one more year, right? I mean it is hard to turn into an "amazing kid" in just one year but it's worth a try. :D </p>
<p>Anyway, I do admit that there are sacrifices :D haha.</p>
<p>DavidAlex you BETTER get into Princeton RD. I want to come to these parties, although I will not really benefit from the hot chics since...I'm a girl. But still. We're going to party together, okay? ;)</p>
<p>GermanYalie, it seems like you really want to study in America, and I think you should definitely give it a shot. But I do agree that devoting your life to getting into an Ivy League school a) sucks and b) is a waste of time, because even if you're the best applicant you could possible be... well, you're one of about 15,000. So don't put all your hopes into Princeton, and don't go out of your way to have be president of a million clubs or get perfect SAT scores.</p>
<p>Just do your best in high school and on the SATs, get involved in whatever intrests you, and have fun (sorry, this is starting to sound kind of corny, just go with it). When it comes time to apply to college, find schools that you think you can get into based on what you've done. Remember that there PLENTY of good schools in America, not just Ivy Leagues.</p>
<p>karen ... ur creepy</p>
<p>ay j07 :D </p>
<p>Just party? ok that was a bad one but a must - and I hope that you will be one of the amazingly hot chics attending my parties ;) (I've never seen her btw.)</p>
<p>Of course we will party together jeez I just have to get in... maybe you could write the adcom a letter: "David must get into Princeton because he is willing to give huge parties with lots of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll" - something like that :D </p>
<p>PS: Who says that you could not profit from the hot chics ? I've just saved myself the rights on a beautiful handy camera video of two cousins - they seem to have fun ;) </p>
<p>PPS: As long as I am not admitted, please practice (and if I don't get into Pton spread) the best refrain of Germany:</p>
<p>Und da simma dabei dat is prima
Viiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiivaaaaaaaaaaaa Coloooooooooniaaaaaaaaa
wir lieben das Leben, die Liebe und die Lust,
und wenn es nichts zu ficken gibt dann jon ma in the poff.</p>
<p>In the case that you don't know:
<a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hw5HmEjSyM4%5B/url%5D">http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hw5HmEjSyM4</a></p>
<p>That's carnival - I'll miss it. Just 6 days - thus time for 6 blackouts, well maybe I'll manage 7 :D</p>
<p>^ dude, DavidAlex is running game on a princeton forum?!? hahahaa</p>
<p>i have a friend for munich and she's CRAZY about partying. i think it's in the german blood. :P</p>
<p>Haha maybe...I'm half-German. Well, way back. But still, I guess it's in my blood too.</p>
<p>And props to DavidAlex for "running game" on the Princeton forum. That's why ours is the best.</p>
<p>Well, I think I will try it. More than ever I now have this feeling, that I have to do something or I'll drive crazy. I'm supported by some of my friends and I think with their help I'll manage the application.
but I'll need a lot of help from someone who mad these experiences yet and I hope I'm allowed to ask you when I need some.</p>