Beyond the States: College in Europe

Jenn talks with Mark Kantrowitz, a leading expert on financing a student’s college education. 

One difference between college in the US and Europe is that in Europe incoming students must apply to a specific program, so they must know what they want to study. For students who don’t know what they want to study, this aspect can lead to worry. In this podcast, Jenn announces the availability of our “What’s My Major?” offering that helps students determine their field of study.

This week's podcast is our College in Europe 101 webinar as presented in February. Video is available at https://beyondthestates.com/upcoming-webinars/

After reading a blog post from a college counsellor that declared that the US post secondary education system was globally superior, Jenn felt compelled to respond. Here are her answers to the naysayers.

Jenn talks about the prospect of studying abroad in another country when you’re already studying abroad as an international student. She interviews João Pinto from the Erasmus Student Network. Interesting fact: students who study abroad are 3x more likely to vote!

Parents are often concerned that students will struggle when faced with the new environment of college. In this episode, Jenn focuses on the importance of building independence in your student. She also talks about how she’s building these skills in her own children.

In this episode, Jenn talks about threshold model of collective behavior first introduced to us in Malcolm Gladwell’s amazing podcast, Revisionist History. This theory describes how some people within a group are more comfortable than others when acting against group norms. If you’re at all interested in college in Europe, I encourage you to listen to Gladwell’s podcast episode, The Big Man Can’t Shoot, which explains an academic concept using an accessible sports motif. Jenn’s guest for this episode is one of our members, Laura, whose daughter, Liza, is attending Anglo American University in Prague, Czech Republic.

In this episode, Jenn looks are two questions: What is the social life like for international students? And what is a University of Applied Sciences? Universities of Applied Sciences focus on getting students ready to enter the workforce as opposed to the purely theoretical approach one would find at a research university. In some countries, UASs are viewed as inferior, while in the Netherlands, they’re viewed as simply different. In this episode, Jenn interviews Hannah Remo. Originally from a small town in New Jersey, Hannah is currently studying European Studies at The Hague University of Applied Sciences and will graduate with zero student debt. It is less expensive for Hannah to attend college in the Netherlands than it would have been to study in-state!

How does a student decide on which program is best for him? What is that selection process like? This episode’s guest is Sam Viemont, son of Jennifer and Tom Viemont. The episode covers Jenn & Sam’s recent trip to the Netherlands to visit Leiden University for the school’s Experience Day.  

In this episode, Jenn talks with Chelsea Workman. Chelsea started studying Philosophy at Ohio State. Although she chose an ‘affordable’ public school, the tuition, at over $10k per year, soon put financial stress on my father and meant she needed to work in addition to studying. She began racking up debt. Eventually, she dropped out, believing it futile to pay over $40,000 for a bachelor’s degree in a subject she could easily learn for free, say by reading in a local coffee shop. She decided instead to work full-time and save some money. Her sister was working at a school in a small town in Germany and suggested Chelsea give it a try. Chelsea has now finished her bachelor’s degree in Germany and has traveled extensively – all while on a budget.

In the US, the conventional wisdom tells us that the US academic experience is superior, but is that really the reality or is that the story we are told. In this episode, Jenn talks with Samantha Savage. Samantha received her undergraduate degree in International Studies from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received her master’s degree from Malmo University in Global Political Studies. Samantha talks about her experience getting her master’s in Sweden compared to her undergraduate education at Carolina.

At some point in the conversation about college in Europe, the question of safety comes up. People usually ask whether it’s dangerous for students to live in Europe. In this episode, Jenn explores the ideas of fear and risk and whether the reward can outweigh the risk. She talks with Ansel Mullins, who has lived with his family in Europe for 14 years. Guest Ansel Mullins, Chief of Development, Culinary Backstreets

In this episode, Jenn interviews Crystal LaGrone about her experience attending the Master’s program in e-Governance Technologies at Tallinn University of Technology in Tallinn, Estonia. Crystal's tuition and living expenses were quite reasonable, especially since this program was exactly what she wanted to study.

Jenn covers the basic concepts about going to college in Europe. She explains the different types of higher education institutions in Europe, the types of degree programs, along with housing and student life.

How useful are college rankings actually? What do they measure? Can you find great colleges in Europe without relying on rankings? How can you determine whether a school would be a good fit if it is not ranked? Jenn talks with Miwa Kitmura, Head of External Relations from  Vesalius College in Brussels to answer these questions and more in this episode of the Beyond the States podcast. They also talk about the areas students should investigate to determine school quality.