4 ms·

> Even education - there's no Ivy League of Europe, there's no Stanford. There are some schools that may be considered good, but elite - not really. In the wor

by krn 6y ago

> Even education - there's no Ivy League of Europe, there's no Stanford. There are some schools that may be considered good, but elite - not really. In the world's top 20, there are 10 North American universities and 7 European universities at the moment[1]. That's not such a huge difference, given the fact, that undergraduate degrees in most European countries are only taught in the local language. As a result, only universities in the UK and Switzerland are able to reach the "elite" status – and these countries combined are much smaller than the US. [1] https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2021 https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-un...

auganov 6y ago
> that undergraduate degrees in most European countries are only taught in the local language While "most" might be true quantitatively, from what I've seen most of local "best" schools do offer studies in English. Most top schools in Germany seem to offer this. Even an American could get in on these super cheap deals. But there aren't that many takers (from the US). Given the enormous cost differential you'd think people would be storming these schools. I have some Indian friends that attend such a program at a local university. From talking to them most wanted to go to US (some Canada) but couldn't get in or afford it and this was their second choice. Also none are planning to stay. The rankings, again, I have to dispute. The best way to rank schools would be to actually ask people which schools they'd go to if cost/admissions wasn't a factor.
- krn 6y ago
  > While "most" might be true quantitatively, from what I've seen most of local "best" schools do offer studies in English. Most top schools in Germany seem to offer this. Even in Germany, probably 90% of the undergraduate courses are taught in German only. The percentage of postgraduate courses available in English is much higher, though. Still, most professors are required to be able to teach in the local language. Therefore, the number of international faculty members outside the UK and Switzerland is very limited.
  - auganov 6y ago
    > Even in Germany, probably 90% of the undergraduate courses are taught in German only Because there isn't a lot of demand for English courses? Otherwise you'd expect them to increase prices and offer more English courses. We can go even further - if Germany really offers anything close to an American standard of living and education you'd expect many people would learn German and go live there.
    - krn 6y ago
      > Because there isn't a lot of demand for English courses? Otherwise you'd expect them to increase prices and offer more English courses. That's because the first undergraduate degree is completely free for all Germans. > We can go even further - if Germany really offers anything close to an American standard of living and education you'd expect many people would learn German and go live there. My entire point was, that European universities outside the UK and Switzerland are unable to compete with the US schools, because they are very unattractive options for foreign professors who don't speak the local language.

by krn 6y ago

auganov 6y ago

> that undergraduate degrees in most European countries are only taught in the local language While "most" might be true quantitatively, from what I've seen most of local "best" schools do offer studies in English. Most top schools in Germany seem to offer this. Even an American could get in on these super cheap deals. But there aren't that many takers (from the US). Given the enormous cost differential you'd think people would be storming these schools. I have some Indian friends that attend such a program at a local university. From talking to them most wanted to go to US (some Canada) but couldn't get in or afford it and this was their second choice. Also none are planning to stay. The rankings, again, I have to dispute. The best way to rank schools would be to actually ask people which schools they'd go to if cost/admissions wasn't a factor.

krn 6y ago
> While "most" might be true quantitatively, from what I've seen most of local "best" schools do offer studies in English. Most top schools in Germany seem to offer this. Even in Germany, probably 90% of the undergraduate courses are taught in German only. The percentage of postgraduate courses available in English is much higher, though. Still, most professors are required to be able to teach in the local language. Therefore, the number of international faculty members outside the UK and Switzerland is very limited.
- auganov 6y ago
  > Even in Germany, probably 90% of the undergraduate courses are taught in German only Because there isn't a lot of demand for English courses? Otherwise you'd expect them to increase prices and offer more English courses. We can go even further - if Germany really offers anything close to an American standard of living and education you'd expect many people would learn German and go live there.
  - krn 6y ago
    > Because there isn't a lot of demand for English courses? Otherwise you'd expect them to increase prices and offer more English courses. That's because the first undergraduate degree is completely free for all Germans. > We can go even further - if Germany really offers anything close to an American standard of living and education you'd expect many people would learn German and go live there. My entire point was, that European universities outside the UK and Switzerland are unable to compete with the US schools, because they are very unattractive options for foreign professors who don't speak the local language.