Beyond the States: College in Europe

Jenn begins by touching down on the problems with the US higher education admissions processes and the increase in the number of US schools with extremely low acceptance rates.Maarten Dikhoff, an administrator from Groningen University, explains how different the admissions process is when students apply to schools in the Netherlands and Europe. The transparent and objective admissions criteria present a refreshing change to those accustomed to the US systems. Spoiler alert-they don't care about your SAT scores or extracurricular activities!

This episode of the Beyond the States podcast focuses on tuition cost. Jenn presents information on the astronomical tuition in the US and related problems. She then demonstrates how tuition for the English-taught bachelor’s and master’s degree options in Europe allow an international student to pay less for her entire degree program-including travel costs- than one year of tuition alone at many schools in the US.Peter Kumble, an American professor at Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Czech Republic joins the discussion. They explore how it is possible for international student tuition to be so reasonably priced and dig into information about the continued savings students have for other related costs like housing, fees, books, and health insurance.

In the spring of 2015, Jenn Viemont happened on a Facebook post about a US student who was attending college for free in Germany. Little did she know that article would start her on a journey to build a database of the thousands of English-taught bachelors and masters programs in continental Europe. In this episode, Jenn Viemont talks about why her kids will opt out of US higher education and go to college in Europe instead. She provides an overview of the benefits around this which include affordable tuition, transparent admissions requirements, employability, and the life changing experiences offered by living abroad.