<p>hi
i'm a second year math student from europe and i'd like to hear your thoughts about what i've been contemplating lately:
i'm at ETH Zürich in switzerland.</p>
<p>i've always wanted to go and see the united states, so i thought it would be nice to study there. many students here go abroad for a semester or 2, but i thought of doing a full degree there.</p>
<p>unfortunetally, he US system differs in some ways from the European one and since the whole academic world is quite new to me, i need some advice on this.</p>
<p>over here, it works like this: after 12-13 years of school you go to university, after 3 years you get a bachelor's degree, after 2 more years a master's degree and then you can apply for a PhD program.
do you know, if it is possible and a good idea to apply for a grad school in the US with the European bachelor's degree? do you happen to know someone who has done this before?</p>
<p>Then, is there any chance i could be accepted by a university like Berkeley? i'm probably not the next einstein, my grades are not always the best, but I'm interested, dedicated, and willing to work.
what does it take?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Then, is there any chance i could be accepted by a university like Berkeley? i'm probably not the next einstein, my grades are not always the best, but I'm interested, dedicated, and willing to work.
what does it take?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Marsupial: I think you should consider this as two questions. The first: can you get into a university in the US coming from the different European? And I think there is no question it would be possible. The second question: can you get into a graduate program in math of the caliber of Berkeley with sometimes not-so-stellar grades? Of course, it is hard to answer without knowing more clearly what your performance was, but Berkeley is one of the best math programs in the world and chooses its students accordingly. If you feel you record would merit your being numbered among those, I would say you have a shot at it. The program does draw talent from all over the world.</p>
<p>I would not let what people say on this board determine for you where you could get in. I would contact the universities you are interested in, find out what they need for admission, identify a number of schools (including some that are unlikely to let you in but where you may fluke in (reach), some that are somewhat likely (slight reach) and others that are more likely (match) and others that are very likely to admit you (safety)).</p>
<p>so you're saying it's no problem enrolling for a US PhD or master's program with a European bachelor's degree?
that's already something. the berkeley thing, well, that's some kind of dream i want to look up at. i guess i need to be good at my specialized field and write a good bachelor's thesis about it...
i mean, these things will come in farther future, i just wanted to check out what it would take.</p>
<p>It sounds like you're still pretty early in your undergraduate years. If that's the case, working hard to get very good grades and recommendations for the next couple years will help a lot.</p>
<p>I don't think it's difficult for a European with a good record to enroll in a US graduate school. I think what DSP just said above is key. If you are early in your career, work hard and do well, and as he/she stated, make sure you get good recommendations from professors. You should do what you can to impress them. </p>
<p>I wish you the best of luck. I don't think you'll have a problem being able to come to the US to study. The questions may more have to do with a) is it challenging for you to obtain money to do so? and b) are you able to get to the caliber of dream school -- a Berkeley or similar -- that you would prefer?</p>
<p>The Berkeley grad admissions website says that a minimum of 16 years of schooling is required for international applicants. Therefore, 13 years of pre-university education plus a 3-year bachelor's degree should be OK. </p>
<p>Having said that, even though US master's programs routinely accept students with 3-year UK honours degrees, it appears that many universities are still reluctant to accept 3-year continental European Bologna degrees for admission into grad school. The old 5-year German * Diplom * on the other hand was normally considered equivalent to a US master's degree and allowed direct entry into a PhD program. I assume the same would be true for the new Bologna master's degree (maybe that would be an interesting option for you).</p>
<p>Anyway, why don't you contact Berkeley and ask them directly if they would accept a 3-year ETH bachelor's degree ? They can give you far more reliable information than anyone on this forum.</p>
<p>thank you very much for your input!
i know that i could get more reliable information directly from them, but i wanted to assess the situation first through your feedback. i thought maybe there some people out there who have already done anything like this, or who know someone who has, before i bother any officials with potentially presumptious questions.</p>