American Youth Can Be Ambassadors: Just Go to University Abroad

We need someone to be spreading US soft power.

As things go from bad to worse in the US, enterprising students might consider transferring or applying to do their university education in another country. As the US is shutting down US consulates and embassies all over the world, we bemoan a lack of soft power in these countries. Diplomats do a lot to advance goodwill towards the US and Americans. Students who attend universities in other countries can spread this goodwill as well. In a sense all students can be ambassadors of good will from the United States. At the same time these students, by studying abroad expand their options for getting jobs abroad and having the ability to settle in another country.

Many of the American adults I know here in Germany came as students, and then got jobs, got married and are raising children here. While most people come here because they studied German, or like the culture, many also come because the public universities in most German states are tuition free. You just need to gain admission.

Getting into university demands time and jumping through hoops, and applying abroad does too. Actually the process to apply to Germany university was much easier than in the USA. All they care about is grades and GPA. There was no taking SATs, no writing essays, although she did put together a German resume for one application, otherwise they just cared about her grades in high school, and her GPA. They particularly like if you do well in English and math. Unless you go to a University in an English speaking country like Canada, Ireland, England, Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, or Nigeria, you might need to learn another language. Hopefully you have had a foreign language in high school or earlier that you can use as a basis to go to university in a country using that language. They will look at your grades in that too, and they might want you to take a language proficiency test.

Another thing you can do is go to the country to study the language and from there get into one of their universities once you are deemed proficient enough to do this. It is basically what my mother did, although not intentionally when she came to the United States from Germany. She spent some time working various jobs and honing her English. She went from book learned English to practical conversational English through these experiences. From there she applied to a PhD program in Chicago and was accepted. Her time spent working various jobs helped her to develop her already good English. She says the hardest thing was understanding spoken English because people speak so much more quickly in real life than the do on the page of a book, where you can control the pace at which you read. That was mastered.

In Germany it is common for students to come from other countries to a one year language program. At the end of which I think they want to have at least a B2 level of German. Then, a year in Studienkolleg, which means study college, which is a program transitioning you into a bachelor’s program at any German university. Studienkolleg will teach you some of the structure of being in University, as well, as give you foundational knowledge for the programs you want to apply to that students in German high schools would get there.

My daughter went this route of going to Studienkolleg. She already had passed a Level C1 language test before applying to Studienkollegs in Germany, so once accepted based on her GPA from high school, she just had to pass an entrance test. The Studienkolleg programs take the top testers into the program to fill the number of places they have available. If one does not get a place, one can study independently or go to a private Studienkolleg, but then you would pay money. You can also get on a waiting list and hope a spot opens up.

C1 is the level of German language required for entering a University. Hopefully when one has finished Studienkolleg one passes the German language comprehensive exam and then one is considered to have a C1 level of German. The advantage of coming from the US is that one does not need to take the English classes or the exam to get approved for English competency. After finishing Studienkolleg, my daughter entered University for a 3-year Bachelors degree program. She still had to learn some new things about the set up and a new campus, but had the basic experience of studying in a German university, and already had made some friends. Although none of them were going to her new university and program, she could get together with them outside of classes. That made the transition easier until she made new friends.

A friend’s son decided to study mechanical engineering and applied to a university in the Netherlands in Eindhoven. There all of the course work is in English. In fact, since the family he rents a room from speaks English, he has to push himself to learn Dutch. Still, he does not need Dutch to get into University or attend it. What was hard for him is that at the end of the semester in the Netherlands like in Germany, one has to take exams for each course. You sign up for those separately from being in the course. Typically you get credit for completing the course, and another point of credit for completing the exam. If you fail the exam you can take it again, but usually only one time before they recommend that you retake the course. It takes a different kind of learning to pass these exams than one typically has in the US. Also, you don’t get to see the exam once you have taken it, so you just have to accept the grade, with no feedback on how you did. You can go to the professor and get feedback though.

Another friend’s oldest daughter applied to go to German university from the US. She wanted to be admitted directly without attending Studienkolleg, which one can do with certain coursework in an IB high school, with at least 6 subjects taught in German. She was not accepted because she did not have the prerequisites. Germans tend to be sticklers for everyone having to have what is required of them. This friend’s husband is from Spain and her daughter and then her two sisters went to university in Madrid, Spain. They are all fluent in Spanish so that was a good second choice country. One even did a year’s study abroad program in China, since she had had Chinese in school in the US. A difference from Germany, is that Spanish universities are not tuition free, while German universities are. Still, Spanish tuition is much lower than in the US.

After considering language you should consider tuition and how you will pay for university abroad, because having the means to pay will be required in order to get a visa. In Germany you do not pay tuition but you do need to pay fees and prove that you have enough money to live there for a year. You have to deposit this into a German bank account. In general, you have to prove you have around 12,000 € to support yourself in order to get a visa. This is called Regelbedarf. You can also apply for financial aid in Germany to cover your living costs. It is assumed you need about 1,100 € a month to cover your living expenses. That is not going to necessarily be enough if you live in Berlin or Munich, or Hamburg. These are very popular places for students, and more cosmopolitan than most German cities, but they also are expensive places to find housing. That is the biggest cost.

In Berlin, you are unlikely to get a dorm room in your first year, and you can expect to pay up to 700€ a month for a place that you share with a roommate. On your own you are more likely to pay around 1,100-1,800 a month for rent with all costs included like utilities and wifi. That is for a furnished place. For an unfurnished place, you could lower your costs. You might have to buy a kitchen, and get a washing machine in your unfurnished place. That depends. This is not so easy to manage your first year. It is better to get an unfurnished place once you know people to find a place together with. However, many of your classmates will be going to the university in their local area, and living at home if they can. The housing situation in Hamburg and Munich is similar to Berlin.

Germany is one country where there is no tuition in most states, and one pays a small fee. My daughter’s fee this semester was 299€ and gives her a discounted transportation pass, and discounts at many stores and at the student cafeterias, it also covers her books and materials which her instructors provide. She can eat a good meal for 2-5€ each day at these cafeterias. Here is a list of 11 countries with free or low cost universities. Countries like Austria and Hungary are charging 1000€ a semester while at the high end countries like Finland and India are charging 5000€ a year.

In addition to semester fees, housing, transportation, books, and food, you will also have to have health and perhaps some other insurances. In Germany you need health and long term care insurance. These come bundled together with one monthly fee. Germans also typically have personal liability insurance. My daughter is paying around 200€ a month for her health and long-term-disability insurances. She is covered for personal liability on our family insurance plan. If you cannot afford costs of living in Germany, you can apply for financial aid. You are also allowed to get a job but are limited in the number of hours you may work each week.

My daughter’s university has an international student center and they offer supports for international students as well as some social events to get to know people. Otherwise, you will pretty much be on your own. How much support international students get, varies from country to country. In some German cities they have a more extensive dorm system, but it is still hard to get a placement. The capital city of Hannover, in the German state of Niedersachsen has many dorms compared to most German universities, and in a German dorm you will always have your own bedroom even if you share a suite with other people. You also have common areas and tutoring help. Planning ahead of time makes it more likely that one will get a place in a dorm room.

Constructor University, a private university in the city of Bremen, Germany charges tuition, but you can sign up for a payment plan where you do not start paying until you graduate and have a job and then your payment for your tuition and fees is based on a sliding scale depending on how much you earn. They teach their entire program in English. There you will live in a dorm, and might share a bathroom with someone whose dorm room is on the other side. I have several friends who teach there, and I know that they draw students from countries all over the world, and only allow 25% of their student body to be from Germany. So, 75% are from other countries. The local public university in Bremen has students from the same number of countries, but there 93% are German, and 7% are foreign. So, in each you will get a different experience.

My daughter has a friend at the Anglo-American University in the beautiful city of Prague, in the Czech Republic. They have a 3 year Bachelor’s degree program, as well as graduate programs. It is a private university where you pay tuition and all courses are taught in English. They also provide financial support. This comes from the Czech Republic, so it is not like US financial aid. Everyone is provided with a dorm room and they have students attending from all over the world. People who graduate from their programs get jobs in both Europe and in the US.

The daughter of a former teacher of my daughter attends another private university in Europe. She is at Franklin University in the lovely city of Lugano in Switzerland. There program is special because each semester you will travel with your classmates and instructor to different countries for a few weeks as part of your studies. It is also close to other countries. I know in her first semester she went on weekend trips to Paris, Amsterdam, and Rome. All of these were done by train. As Europe develops more and more sleeping train connections between capital cities this is more possible. Instead of a full semester abroad in one country, she gets to visit many and on different continents. She is really enjoying it. However, she has to get her funding from her parents and the United States, and the university has some financial aid.

When choosing a country to study in, do not just consider the language and climate, but consider the politics as well. I would generally avoid countries with authoritarian governments. I would choose Taiwan over China if you want to be in a Chinese speaking country, and I would Estonia over Russia or Belarus, because you will still have a lot of opportunities to speak Russian there. Normally I would say that the US is going to look out for you when you study, and you can easily go to a US consulate for help, but the US is shutting down many of these offices, so make sure you know where they are.

Here is a list of most popular destinations for American students studying abroad. While this might be where American students have university programs that facilitate a semester abroad, they can also be places where you go to fully do your degree abroad. I would point out that the United Arab Ermirates might have rules about behavior that you will want to observe. The UAE Embassy offers some cultural norms, but they are not very detailed. Here is a list of cultural rules for adult immigrants working in the UAE. I would particularly learn the gender roles and if you could be comfortable living with them. At the same time, the wealth is great in the UAE and might be good for receiving scholarships.

The summer before your senior year would be a good time to look into applying to Universities abroad. If you have been to a country that you really liked you might want to look into the cost and challenges of getting in. Foreign students come to the USA all the time. The US is less known for sending students abroad even though most countries offer lower tuition than the US does.

By going abroad for your education you are spreading American culture to the country you choose to live in. As you get to know the people where you live and their culture you can share what you learn with people back home. In your future employment you will have additional skills of navigating life in another country that will make you desirable to any job that has an international outlook. You can either be living and working abroad, or if back in the US, you could be the person your boss chooses to entertain the visitors to your place of work that come from that country, and to provide expertise on making them comfortable. You can also consider starting your own business that capitalizes on your international connections and understanding. If you stay in the country where you go to university and get a job, you will already be integrated into the culture. As Donald Trump makes the US more isolationist, you can help keep people around the world in contact with people from the US just by your presence. You can share what is good about Americans.