<p>Greetings everyone!</p>
<p>I want to study abroad in Europe for about one year, and I plan to directly enroll at a European university during my studying abroad period, not take part in separate study abroad programs which is run by American universities.</p>
<p>However, according to my friends, they have a nice time partying and travelling when studying abroad in Europe. So that makes me wonder, is studying abroad in Europe a good decision regarding academic study?</p>
<p>For example, is this an effective way to acquire a wide academic horizon?</p>
<p>On the other hand, is academic experience of studying in Europe quite different from the US? And is this beneficial academically?</p>
<p>By the way, since I plan to take some courses of humanities, I wish to know that, is intellectual atmosphere in European universities quite different from American universities?</p>
<p>Any insights on this topic would be appreciated. And I’ll be very grateful if anyone could give some examples about this. Thank you!</p>
<p>I studied abroad in Europe - it was through an American program and not directly enrolled at a European university. There are pros and cons to each kind of program, but one of the biggest cons for an American program is that you hang out with other Americans most of the time, and it’s more difficult to meet European students because you don’t take classes with them. Were I to do it over, I think I’d do a direct European enrollment program, too.</p>
<p>I had a lot of fun partying and traveling in Europe, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t learn a lot academically. It’s like going to college anywhere else; you work hard and play hard. I was in a research-intensive program and so I learned A LOT in the course of 3 months, but I was also studying in Amsterdam and so I had a crazy fun time. The program was on sexuality and gender, which is my research area, and so a lot of the things I learned (especially reading gender theory works and doing a qualitative research project) I use now in graduate school; they were excellent preparation. I also learned, more nebulously, how to be a world citizen and not assume that everyone lived and thought like me. But dude, I still had a ton of fun.</p>
<p>I can’t answer the other questions because my program was American-based, but I do think you can have a great academic experience in a European university and still have fun.</p>