Which nation!? Exciting? Exactly what are you proposing re: the U.K.?
I really don’t think that is a wise assessment to send a student off in the U.K. economy after the elections. Cameron, who was not predicted to win, did. At the moment, Germany and France are meeting together to prevent the U.K. from withdrawing from the EU, which he and sympathetic factions do want to do. If the U.K. does withdraw, it may affect this student and his future options. Likewise, the economy and outlook may change with new legislation being passed after rather surprising results. This can affect many, particularly those in vulnerable positions, which may include students, those who aren’t nationals, and those who seek jobs. As Scotland did not vote for independence from the U.K., these impending conditions in the U.K. may affect any international student more.
So I honestly don’t have such a rosy view of sending a student from Germany’s robust economy, which stands in a more stable position now than the U.K. and Scotland as its territory, into a more fragile environment. Coupled with the fact that he doesn’t really seem to know what he wants yet (business? medical school? engineering? etc.) would have me agree with @happymom1 that a gap year, or at least some reconfiguration with solid planning at Darmstadt uni, would be in order. I would also recommend that if this student truly wants to be a physician, commit to the profession, get your grades up, and do it within the German system. I would advise that if he wants a solid, English-speaking program, get your grades and scores up, apply to solid U.S. universities in a chosen discipline, and go for the best program you can get into and afford in the U.S.
Scotland is one of the United Kingdom’s 4 nations. It has had its own judicial system, educational system, etc, etc, for over 3 centuries, even as it was integrated was part of the UK, and Holyrood has more devolved powers than Cardiff’s Assembly. English friends I was with a month ago actually complained about it, because to them it seemed Scots got to have their cake and eat it too wrt to Parliamentary representation.
David Cameron promised a referendum but his City backers really don’t want the UK to pull out of the EU. Brexit will be negociated through more opt out clauses (which the UK already negociated). Political Union vs. Common Market has been discussed for years anyway.
I agree that the General Election results are a cause for concern, and I actually think that the Scottish people voted SNP as a way to “protect” themselves against too much Tory blowback. Since the SNP has independance forever on its mind, if things turn out difficult/ugly, I bet the referendum option will come back. This wouldn’t concern students though.
If the UK ‘exits’, it’ll take a while, I doubt it’ll affect Samman, although I’m sure it’ll affect Europeans quite seriously.
Two criteria would be that Samman has been trying to leave Germany for 2 years now, so it’s not a passing fancy; and he’s currently failing out, so robust economy or not, he’s got to find something else outside of a German university. He doesn’t sound that interested in Fachochschuelen. So, why not Strathclyde?
Overall, I agree that a gap year may be best for him, since his inability to attend the US university he wanted and “fall back plan” didn’t turn out that good. However, i’m not sure how feasible a gap year is, in Germany.
OK, yes, I am sorry if I came off as brusque, as you know more detail than your previous post divulged. But this is definitely cause for concern, and as I stated upthread, I feel the OP may be moving too quickly on his current set of acceptances, Strathclyde included. I think I have read that a Brexit, or even some detangling from Strasbourg conventions, wouldn’t come about until 2017, but: Cameron is serious now, and moving now (though the continental forces are blocking Cameron swiftly, per this past week). Of course he doesn’t represent nearly a majority, but honestly, no party does there – hence the complexity of matters.
At any rate, I still think the gap year, or some better preparation and a plan is in order here. If this were my child, I would really want to see at least a commitment to a discipline, rather than, this country has that program, etc. I am sympathetic because I know the German system well, and just because the OP didn’t do well in one subject does not imply he won’t be great in another. But before going abroad, I’d suggest figuring out what that is, and putting his eggs in that basket, then really going for it.
Since the structure is different in Germany, and more time is traditionally allowed to complete undergrad, they may not have what we call a “gap” year – you just stop out, and then continue when you’re ready. He certainly won’t stand to lose much money there. I think the concept of a gap year in the U.S. mainly stems from the fact that undergrad tuition is exorbitant at many first-rate colleges, and there is a widely-accepted notion that college lasts four years, then you are done. If tuition were free, the notion of a gap year may disappear, except perhaps for those holding acceptances to top schools, who want insurance that they will still have a slot open for them.
@anhydrite
It’s true, the German system doesn’t match up very well with the American. But getting my grades up won’t help me as German and Scottish schools only look on my HS grades, so I would only be wasting time. And I’m not allowed to switch my major after the 2nd semester, if I want the state to continue paying me the loan for living costs.
I think that a gap year would be a waste of time as I had one year to think about my career plans, so it’s really not a last-minute decision. I doubt that another year would let me make a better decision, I think I would rather “forget” how to study. I thought about each of the ideas I posted above about a 100-dozen time - not exaggerating ;). When I ask myself about any of these career goals if I would be happy with them, the answer is a clear yes. The same applies to the question whether they’re interesting or not and if I think I would be succesful in doing them. What is really preventing me from making a decision is that I’m afraid of missing something in one of the other subjects and not being able to change my career after working in it. Business is the subject that’s the most interesting to me, while I think one might have a boring job afterwards. Working as a physician is what has the highest prestige and earnings potential, also, I imagine it to be very interesting to work in a hospital and help people. Finally, I think it would be a very good career path to work as an Engineer and for example to design parts of planes, but I see this one equally as to being a physician. I’m absolutely commited to all three career paths and the reason I am not doing well in my current Engineering major is that in my last two years at school I didn’t have Physics at all and Maths at a higher level. The Scottish major lasts 4 years and the first year is a repetition of what should was done at school.
Btw, Scotland was always my no2 option for studying, Romania not really, but it’s the only chance for studying Medicine - there’s no other way to get into Medicine unless if I studied Biomedical Science and would go to a postgrad Med School then.
@MYOS1634
Thanks. The program in Romania is in English, luckily, but one has to learn Romanian anyway in order to communicate with the patients :o. But I speak a bit French, so it shouldn’t be too hard for me to learn it.
Hi!
Southern Utah University told me that they would likely be able to give me a scholarship that covers the additional amount needed.
Is it a good university? I saw that they have the highest graduation rate in Utah public universities.
And what about the location? They are located in Cedar City in Utah and I heard that many Mormons live there (and also go to that university) and that they are more likely to be very conservative. I don’t know much about Mormons and I currently live in a diverse city - will this make a difference?
There is no reason for a European to go to Southern Utah University. In your case, it would be a mistake, IMO. The school is not well known. It’s in the middle of nowhere. And it is not diverse.
It’s not a bad school but it’s not a good school either. It’s definitely neither urban nor diverse and it’s likely very conservative. I’d stick with Strathclyde if I were you, and take advantage of its exchanges with US universities to spend a year here.
Don’t know if OP has undertaken an in-depth aptitude test? Yes motivation and interests are important, but fundamentally one needs to have an aptitude for the subject matter.
Then comes the prerequisites - for engineering, including industrial engineering, one needs to have integrated 16-credit-hour sequence (usually) in college mathematics that includes analytic geometry, calculus, elementary linear algebra and elementary differential equations. Similarly the prerequisites for medicine include biology, chemistry and some mathematics & physics, while for business - less rigorous as compared to engineering and medicine. includes some exposure to accounting, and marketing.
Since admission to medical schools are really competitive in general, what is the probability of OP (i) gaining admissions at a Romanian med school (ii) gaining the required medical internships in Eurozone & getting a job post graduation with a Romanian medical degree?
In addition to applying to universities in Scotland, as a student from Germany, would it make sense to investigate business schools in Switzerland? University of St. Gallen is highly regarded in the areas of general business management at the Masters level. It does offer undergraduate programs in business, economics and law. Although large number of business courses are offered in English, some courses are taught in German.
http://www.unisg.ch/en/studium/bachelor/majorbetriebswirtschaftslehre
Thanks @MYOS1634 !
Yes, I did @Trinity7 and the result was above average for Engineering. I, however, decided that I don’t want to study pure Business anymore and the Strathclyde Business course would be the only one I’d do as one can choose Business Analysis and Technology as a major within that course. But thanks anyway!
Medicine is what I’d like to do the most, but I absolutely can’t imagine myself to spend 6 years living in Romania - I almost get depressed just thinking about it :D. Just to clarify, there’s however no problem in getting a residency here afterwards. Admission in Romanian Med Schools is based on a test which all applicants have to take at the end of July.
Does anybody know anything about Lindenwood University in Saint Charles? They, too, said they may be able to offer me enough scholarship money.
It’s a medium-large university with about 8,000 students, in Missouri, within access of St Louis. Primarily residential. Pretty dynamic, nice campus, no large classes/lots of small classes, they’re building a chess team, developing its international population (recruiting European students, 10% international total), top 25% threshold around 550 with virtually all scores within the 400-600 range, graduation rate commensurate with student stats (25%). You’d likely be able to double major in business and engineering. Are they ABET accredited?
Also look into St Mike’s in Burlington if you’re more interested in business than in engineering - they have 200 business partnerships for their students, and Burlington is a cool city.
@MYOS1634
Thanks! So they are relatively good compared to Southern Utah? I read that they are affliated to the Presbyterian Church - do you think the students conservative or are most of them very religious?
Also, Campbellsville University told me they would be able to offer me a scholarship after applying, but I’m not sure about them though.
St Mike’s is not for me as they do only offer Business, but would have been a good choice otherwise, thanks!
Southern Utah isn’t BAD… it’s just a strange destination for a European. Same with all the other schools you’re thinking about. They’re not well known outside their immediate ares, they’re simply provincial universities that attract mostly local students. Some of these places aren’t even that interesting or pretty. Utah at least is beautiful. Missouri… not so much. But say you do go to one of these schools, and then try to find a job in Europe with your degree. No one will have heard of these schools. And except for fluency in English, I doubt any of these universities will give you a significant advantage in the European workplace. At some point you have to ask yourself: what am I trying to accomplish? And is this the logical route? Many Americans would LOVE to have the educational options you have as a European: excellent, low cost universities in interesting parts of Europe. It’s a mystery why you’d trade that for a provincial college in the middle of “fly over country” (that’s what Americans call places like Missouri - places you fly over on your way to or from somewhere better.)
@katliamom
Thank you for your reply. I’ll try to explain my point of view: I always wanted to study in the US for my undergraduate degree, that’s why sometimes I think about universities that are not worth spending any money for - like West Texas A&M.
I’d take a California/Florida/New York public school over any of the schools mentioned above at any time, but they don’t give any significant scholarships to international students.
Many universities in Germany have a very good reputation, but literally all people I know who studied here and then went abroad told me that the teaching is better. These doesn’t only include the US, but also the UK, the Netherlands, France, the Scandinavian countries and even Spain. That’s also a point why I am so focussed on going abroad - it’s simply more important to me to receive a good education instead of a reputable degree only. Anyway, you are right with the fact that I have many opportunities in Europe.
As job prospects, I am honestly not really sure how employers regard degrees from abroad, but as far as I have noticed, major companies always look for people who have at least spent a semester abroad. Since I definitely want to go to grad school afterwards, I don’t think this is very important.
In the last few days I have been able to make up my mind, finally - n°1 is to become a pilot, but since it’s virtually impossible to be hired as a pilot nowadays over here, n°2 is to become a doctor. Only choices are either the Pre-Med track or Romania/Poland etc. if I don’t have enough points in the German Medical Test. My Scottish choices would still be good alternatives, however. I hope this isn’t a temporary decision :p.
Actually St. Charles, MO, where Lindenwood University is located, is an attractive and charming little historical town located on the Missouri river
http://www.historicstcharles.com/
By itself the town might not offer much in the way of events/nightlife for students but the Metrolink system connects with the large city of St. Louis which has lots of attractions.
http://explorestlouis.com/visit-explore/discover/25-things-to-do-in-st-louis/
I believe you’d need to take a St. Charles city bus to get to the North Hanley Metrolink station.
https://www.metrostlouis.org/Default.aspx
People who talk about “fly over country” generally haven’t visited the place that they are talking about.
One reason why European students may prefer American universities is that they may not be certain of the field they want to major in. And in most of Europe, you’re locked into a choice. If you change your mind, you have to start from scratch, take classes in that field only, and if you find out you don’t like it, you must start over from scratch again. American universities offer the opportunities to explore several fields during the first two years, so that there’s no “choice sight unseen” and switching majors is relatively painless and relatively rarely requires re-applying to college and starting from scratch.
Another reason European students may prefer American universities is for the full, “immersive” experience: many European universities are lecture halls for the most part, where students go for a few hours, scratch at their papers or type on their computer, and know they’ll have to spit the info out exactly as they were taught or applying it to a similar problem, in their one final exam. Very few, if any, class, will have any research paper or research of any kind, in part because many libraries have limited offerings for undergraduate students. There are rarely oncampus residences and most universities are commuter. Universities are just large extensions from the high schools (which were largely prep schools themselves). For students who love the arts, sports, etc, this has to be found in the city, not on campus. In some countries, funding is so inadequate students have to sit on the floor or on the stairs, or you see electrical wires dangling in the air.
The American ideal of “growing” in college, through learning and various hands-on experiences including sports, clubs, arts, leadership roles, of having an adviser and of choosing classes, of having a campus and residences where many students live… all of this can be extraordinarily attractive to many students.
Frankly, do you think American students, if given the choice, would be interested in barebones campuses with very large lectures, a language lab, a few computer labs, and nothing else - even if it meant that a year, all included, would cost $10,000? Considering how difficult it is to eliminate even losing football programs, how popular fraternities are, how important the career center has become, I doubt Americans would settle for European universities’ comfort and lack of material/pedagogy.
Note that some European universities do a great job with all of the above, but they’re beyond the ability of Samman to get admitted to pay. The issue here is that Samman wants a specific experience, and has been consistent about it for over 2 years. Some students may LOVE to study in Germany, others in Scotland.
Samman sounds like a poster child for “undeclared” majors and his request is as worthy as those of kids who want to study in the UK (or elsewhere).
Albiongirl, I talked about flyover country, and in fact sort of live in it (Colorado.) I have friends in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma. And, with very few areas excepted, still wouldn’t recommend any of these places to a European, or anyone who wants a diverse, academic environment.
I lived just across the river from St. Charles for a number of years and had friends there who hailed from Belgium, UK, and Holland. OP is looking for an affordable US option and as he himself says California/Florida/New York are not going to be affordable for him.
MYOS, I studied in France, so I’m familiar with the European system. There’s no doubt that it has its drawbacks. And there is no doubt that the more flexible American system can be appealing.
But the huge costs associated with higher education in the U.S., and the weakening of the American middle class, mean that the American “college experience” is out of reach for millions of Americans. In fact, there’s never been a time when as many students opted for inexpensive community colleges (with adjunct faculty and many weaker students) – simply because they can’t afford 4-year schools.
A staggering number of American college grads face enormous debt: the average is more than $20,000, I believe. Many have loans closer to $50,000-60,000. It is a huge national problem, affecting every sector of the economy. College loans are stopping people from buying homes or new cars. Many grads must move back to live with mom and dad because they can’t afford to pay their loans and rent in their own apartments. With costs of graduate school, it’s common to be still paying off your education while you’re in your 40s!
You’re not correct thinking that few Americans would want to go to Europe: a consul with the German consulate in California told me his offices have been flooded with requests for information about free college education in Germany now available to qualified foreigners. An increasing number of Americans are going to Canada to college; and many European colleges now actively recruit students from the US. Because even with their tuition, it can still be cheaper than studying here.
I’m actually surprised more Americans don’t jump on French BTS programs: they’re free, located in small towns where rent is cheap, offer small classes and hands-on learning, and are better funded than universities, with automatic access to selective, specialized university programs. The only requirements that I know of are Ap French and roughly a B average/B+.
But as far as I know, Americans aren’t interested. The level of language, the costs of moving to another country, an unfamiliar system with no “hand holding” whatsoever, all form too big
obstacles.
Even community colleges are not quite bare bones, even if by definition they’re commuter. The way Americans conceive education is different from Europeans. I don’t know whether many Americans will really take advantage of the tuition-free colleges in Geramany (or France, or Italy).