European universities are nothing like American colleges and universities.
That’s the conclusion that I drew during our family’s two-week vacation in Spain and France. We were visiting my daughter Caitlin, who has been attending the University of Barcelona for two semesters.
During the vacation, I kept getting into conversations with Europeans about their universities. I had some knowledge about European universities, but the conversations reinforced what I already believed:
Compared to the European universities, Americans are very, very fortunate to possess their own unique higher-education system.
In Europe, a college education is cheap or even free and offer no frills. In Europe, you won’t find the cute liberal arts colleges where the classes are small and the professors are eager to be mentors. In Europe, classes are typically held lecture-style and professors don’t consider their roles to be mentors. But size alone doesn’t explain the difference. Most Americans, after all, attend large state schools.
At the University of Barcelona and many other European universities, there is no central campus. The university buildings are scattered across the city. Lots of these buildings look more like office complexes. There is no heart of the university. No quadrangle to meet. No dormitories. No sports teams. No mascots.
In a subway in Paris, I struck up a conversation with a young Parisian attorney, who told me that he had gotten his MBA at the University of Chicago. He said he loved going to the University of Chicago and what he really appreciated was being about to touch his professors. I thought it was a curious choice of words, but Caitlin explained that from her experience in Europe the professors stand on raised platforms during lectures and their desk are equipped with see-through panels that separate them from pupils.
I also struck up a conversation with a physician in Great Britain, who had attended the University of Oxford. He said he wished that Great Britain offered liberal arts colleges as they do in The States. At Oxford, he only got one year to pursue a broad array of liberal arts before he was required to only take courses in his major.
We all like to gripe about higher-education in the United States, with cost being the No. 1 complaint. I thought, however, that I’d give everyone a reason to feel fortunate that our children will be receiving their college degrees from institutions in this country.
Lynn O’Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution and she also writes a college blog for CBSMoneyWatch. Follow her on Twitter.
Further Reading:
Join Lynn's newsletter and be among the first to know what's going on in the college world.
Enter your email address below to get started:
You need a wider perspective. Visit institutions in Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and other countries and then come back to the table.
yes, i agree!
I got my BA in political science at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, briefly attended the University of Baltimore Law School (I eventually left law school in good standing due to general disillusionment with the legal industry) and later completed my MSc in International Relations and foreign languages at Royal Holloway, University of London in Egham, Surrey, UK and also received certificate degrees in foreign languages from the London School of Economics and Political Science in London and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
I must say that your perspective is baffling to me and it really doesn’t appear that you’ve done any serious investigation into the subject. My time at these two school as well as within both the UK and US educational systems made me realize some sad truths about what I had always believed about US education. Sadly, it’s primarily money driven for one thing and the education in our liberal arts colleges is mainly fluff…good parties though, those I did enjoy but the education wasn’t as good as I got elsewhere (and there are apparently only 39 other colleges ranked higher than mine in the US) and then there is the price and the loans. I paid 3 times what my EU counterparts did to get a masters and it was still a deal compared to what my expenses would have been in the US. Plus, I feel I got so much more than I ever could have in the US; I doubt you would see the advantages during a 2 week family vacation.
I want to get a PhD but I want to keep the loans down. I’ve already completely and totally given up on applying to US school because my experience has taught me that, frankly (and I hate saying this), they are more expensive and nowhere near as good as my options elsewhere. And, while I almost want to go to a US school based on sheer patriotism, I realize how foolish that would be (the same US school system is keeping so many in massive debt).
So, my question to you is, if I have to take US based loans, which would you advise. Additionally, what are your thoughts on this.. or any thing related to getting rid of existing loans. Can I return my degree for a refund? Thanks
College is not just for sports, mascots, etc. We have this in American high schools. I attend college in Germany, and frankly, I believe that not only is the education better here, but I also don’t miss the school sports, raggy mascot costumes, but yes, most of all I don’t miss waking up knowing I will need to work half my life for my education. I agree with the statement above. You were there for two weeks.
http://www.arwu.org/ARWU2010.jsp
What rank is your German school? It appears that it could not make it into the top 50 universities in the world. What a shame.
The need to have comforters/pacifiers like quads and mascots is typical of a dumbed down sickly sweet country that hasn’t grown up…
Your idea of higher education seems to be highly flawed.
1. “In Europe, you won’t find the cute liberal arts colleges where the classes are small and the professors are eager to be mentors.” You don’t usually find that in American universities either. That’s for K-12th grade. You’re at college to become an adult, further your education, and learn to do things on your own. If your student still needs personal attention and a “mentor” they shouldn’t be in college.
2. “Lots of these buildings look more like office complexes. There is no heart of the university. No quadrangle to meet. No dormitories. No sports teams. No mascots.” Again, this is higher education we’re talking about. Sure these things might be fun in America, but if anything they distract students from their REAL mission in college, and that’s to be successful, mature, and get a better education.
3. “At Oxford, he only got one year to pursue a broad array of liberal arts before he was required to only take courses in his major.” That’s the whole reason we major in college. This is what college is FOR. We get a board enough education and plenty of chances to pursue interests in middle/high school. College is about preparing you for a professional job, which means you need to be focusing on your major.
You also don’t really seem to state why these things are “bad” from an educational point of view. You may have talked to a few people, but you can do that here in America an find a lot of dissatisfied students. Nowhere in this article do you discuss the level of education they receive. If their schools are cheaper (often free) and they get a similar education, is it really worth it to Americans to spend thousands of dollars a year for things like mascots and sports? You need to research more countries and interview a large range of people before you make assumptions. Your idea of life in college even in America seems really flawed. I have a BA degree from Texas Tech University and working on my masters from New York University.
That´s so wrong what you publish here. I am from Germany and I KNOW that German and other colleges in Europe have a very high standard and great education! That´s why germany and others are likely to get jobs in foreign countries since people know that our education is really good. I am German and I am studying in Utah currently, it is great, but very expensive and I think i will pursue a PhD in Europe somewhere.
Wow, this article is so vague and misleading. You need a broader perspective on European universities. I go to uni in Maastricht, Holland and we have small classes where teachers see themselves as mentors and help you. Don’t be so close-minded about this and visit more places. Barcelona is something special but a great university
You clearly are the typical “dumb American” brainwashed to believe everything American is better. And for the record I live in the USA so no I am not “anti-USA”, I am however, anti stupidity..
you do realize that European education is of a much higher level than American right .. ? Read into a few official studies about the subject and you’ll quickly feel sorry for ever writing such a completely ridiculous article..
From your comments it seems that you have a very limited perspective, probably based upon your limited experience with this subject and possibly due to the bias from the few people you interviewed.
I would suggest that in order to put forth a more open-minded article for those people seeking information that you would look further into the subject. Being an educator in the USA and having been a European university student, I have an insight into both sides. I am neither American nor European.
Your article reads like an American 6th grade essay! It is vague,lacking research, narrow-minded and utterly mis-leading. I truly hope no one is reading this looking for valid information.
I was so discouraged when I read the article because I am an American and I want to go to a European university for a degree in creative writing. I was happy to read the comments and find out that the article is complete rubbish! It’s nearly impossible to find reliable information about European universities! Everyone here is much like the article, so convinced that America is the “god” of higher-level of education that no one tells me anything. If anyone has any real information to help me e-mail me at kylieq3@yahoo.com!