How to introduce the US University System to Foreigners?

College Search & Selection
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<p>I'm going to be talking with some German students interested in studying in the US next week (mostly about campus life) and since I've only had my personal college experience at a small LAC and want to make it applicable to all, I was just looking to see if anyone had any feedback, especially if you are aware of the way the US system is unique in comparison to others. In particular, I'm not always positive about life at larger US universities which might be less insular than my own college and how exchange students would fit in. Also, though I'm going to basically just deal with undergrads, if anyone could fill me in on how much more independent graduate students are in relation to undergrads, that would be helpful!</p>

<p>Based on my experience, I'd say that the fact that each college has a particular culture is quite unique, and that there is a feeling of community on campus. Many students live on campus and colleges offer meal plans, lots of events, clubs, etc., which many students take part in (this is in comparison to my German uni which has no meal plan and dinner option and only some campus housing). Instead of just being a place to come to learn, the university offers a whole experience. Oftentimes, things like sports or Greek life can be important. Classes tend to be more interactive, but with more work.
Does this seem fitting? Thanks for any insights!</p>

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<p>I think there are more than sports and greek life. You might want to consider community service opportunities and the notion that many students do not go to college to merely indulge, but also to serve.</p>

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<p>Take a look at the US State Department supported website EducationUSA <a href=“http://educationusa.state.gov/undergrad.htm[/url]”>http://educationusa.state.gov/undergrad.htm&lt;/a&gt; you may get some good ideas there.</p>

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<p>One difference, albeit minor, is that in the US, the terms “college” and “school” are used to refer to institutions that are only called “university” in Europe. For example, in the UK, “college” is something else entirely - certainly not a place where you get your bachelors degree. So some knowledge of basic terminology differences might be helpful. </p>

<p>In the US, uni degrees take four years; not the three they take in much of Europe. That’s because in the US, we actually start school a year later than they do in much of Europe - they start younger, but they enter uni at the same age, so they’ve actually had one more year of studies than we have before they enter uni. </p>

<p>Thus in the US, when you go to uni, you have to take classes outside your major (outside your course of study) - things like history, English, foreign language, math, social science, science, etc. In Germany, you don’t have that breadth of non-major courses; instead, you focus primarily on the subjects required for your major. </p>

<p>German students would also have entered university already having decided their major, and once enrolled, its far more difficult to change majors than it is in the US. And there are no such things as minors there. </p>

<p>In Germany, university is free of tuition, if you’re from Germany. That’s not the case in the US, as you know. </p>

<p>In most of Europe, most student housing is in single rooms. In most US colleges, you share a dorm room with another student. In Europe, there is often a cafeteria or something like that in your residence hall; in the US, it’s often a separate building. In Europe, there may even be a student pub in your hall, or on campus, and a large part of the social life revolves around that pub. In the US, the drinking age is 21, and many uni campuses don’t have student pubs because of that; thus most drinking is done in the dorm rooms or, where they exist, in frat houses - sort of in private, rather than in a public establishment. </p>

<p>Naturally, there is no Greek scene in Europe. Sports are also different - in much of Europe, uni sport is far more low key than in the US. In the US, college sports are big business, while in Europe, that’s usually not the case. </p>

<p>In the US, it’s not unusual to go to a uni that’s 2+ hours from your home. In Europe, people tend to go to uni closer to home, and in some countries, as you noted, students live at home, not on campus.</p>

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<p>thanks for the replies!</p>

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<p>One major difference is that, in France and Germany, students do not normally live in university-owned residences like in the US or in some universities in the UK. In many cases, there isn’t even a “university campus” per se, i.e. university buildings are simply scattered around an urban area and students commute from their rented apartments/private homes to school only when they have to attend lectures or take exams.</p>

<p>As a result, the type of “campus life” that exists in the US does not really exist in Germany. Likewise, German students in general don’t have the notion of “class” (e.g. “class of 2010”, “class of 2011”, etc.) that US students have. Although degree courses have an ideal recommended length, many students take longer than that to graduate and it is common to switch from one university to another during a given course of study. Nowadays, with increasing mobility accross the EU, it is not even uncommon to study part of your degree in another European country, outside Germany. </p>

<p>Traditionally, after they were done, German university students used to graduate with a “Magister Artium” (which required at least 4 years of post-secundary studies), or a university “Diplom” (which required 5 years or more of university studies). After that, it was possible to go straight into a research-based doctoral program (which would award PhD-equivalent degrees like Dr.-Ing., Dr.Rer.Nat., Dr.Rer.Pol., etc.). </p>

<p>Nowadays, a result of the new so-called “Bologna system”, it is possible to obtain a German “Bachelor’s” degree in 3 years only (like in France or the UK), but those 3-year degrees are not considered a sufficient qualification for entry-level positions in some professions like engineering for example. They are not sufficient either for entry into a doctoral program. In areas like engineering then, most students still stay at least 2 more additional years in university to get a new so-called “Master’s” degree, which would be equivalent to the old “Diplom”.</p>

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<p>“In Germany, university is free of tuition, if you’re from Germany.”</p>

<p>This was true years ago, but has now changed. Compared to US tuition, German tuition still seems free!</p>

<p>[Tuition</a> fees in Germany - Hochschulpolitik / Studienführer - Studis Online](<a href=“http://www.studis-online.de/StudInfo/Gebuehren/tuition_fees.php]Tuition”>Tuition fees at public universities in Germany - Studis Online)</p>