# Attending College/University Overseas (in other countries)



## Slider (Nov 17, 2009)

Has anyone done this?

I was friends with a guy who went to Oxford for a few months.

I knew another guy who taught English in Japan.

I don't know of any other examples.

For those of you who live in Europe, Japan, Australia, etc., do you know any Americans who are attending college in your country?

I'm trying to figure out a way to go back to college and maybe do some traveling as well.


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## farfaraway (Feb 15, 2013)

I live in Germany, the universities here seem pretty welcoming to foreigners. There are a surprising number of majors which are only taught in English. And it's much cheaper than in the US. I don't know any Americans personally who studied here, but I met an Indian guy once who studied engineering here. He couldn't speak a word of German and now works and lives here. Still can't speak good German. You may have to take some German classes whether you use them or not.

I looked into going for a masters degree here, but I don't know if I could do masters level work in German, and I didn't see any English-only majors that interested me. The selection is much smaller if you are going for a masters degree.

I also saw a news report here about Germans who go to medical school in Bulgaria because they couldn't get in here. The coursework was all in English.


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## Dragearen (Feb 2, 2012)

I'm looking at doing this myself. Unfortunately, there aren't as many degrees available in Psychology overseas as there are, in, say, international relations. Tuition can easily range from free to $25,000 a year, as it's typically more expensive for non-EU/EEA citizens if you're studying in the EU.


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## kittylicious (Mar 18, 2013)

Slider said:


> Has anyone done this?
> 
> I was friends with a guy who went to Oxford for a few months.
> 
> ...


Go for it!!

I'm a European who moved to another European country to attend college from scratch in the language of country nr.2. It's an amazing experience completely different from studying in your own country - and I'd definitely do it again!

As for Americans, I've been my university's 'buddy' for exchange students (a person who takes initial care of the new student and hangs out with them), many of them being Americans. Although they usually stay for a year (max), I've got to know a few other Americans via them who moved to Europe for a few years to study. If you're thinking about studying overseas, do it! I think it's pretty easy for an American to meet people since almost all Europeans speak English up to some extent. When it comes to scholarship, it's usually cheaper in Europe (some countries have none at all). You can always find programs taught in English. If you end up penniless, there is always someone who'd be interested in taking English lessons from a native American! 

Good luck!


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## Slider (Nov 17, 2009)

Unfortunately, I'm already "penniless."

Any idea how I would go about applying for financial aid?

There has to be programs (or companies) out there that provide sponsorships for foreign exchange students.


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## Slider (Nov 17, 2009)

farfaraway said:


> I live in Germany, the universities here seem pretty welcoming to foreigners. There are a surprising number of majors which are only taught in English. And it's much cheaper than in the US. I don't know any Americans personally who studied here, but I met an Indian guy once who studied engineering here. He couldn't speak a word of German and now works and lives here. Still can't speak good German. You may have to take some German classes whether you use them or not.
> 
> I looked into going for a masters degree here, but I don't know if I could do masters level work in German, and I didn't see any English-only majors that interested me. The selection is much smaller if you are going for a masters degree.
> 
> I also saw a news report here about Germans who go to medical school in Bulgaria because they couldn't get in here. The coursework was all in English.


This would be an ideal situation.

I have always wanted to visit Germany and have family that live in Berlin, Alsbach, and the Black Forest region.

At this point, I'm not too concerned about the area of study. I am more worried about finances than anything else.


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## jbking (Jun 4, 2010)

If the degree is intended to be a credential you'll use in getting a job, be careful that it is recognized in your home country. After all, what is to stop you from going to some third-world country to get a degree that may not have much meaning? While this isn't likely what you meant in your question, it is something to consider as if you go and get an Engineering degree and it isn't recognized in your home country, it may take some time to get the qualification through another process.

I know in Canada that the foreign students, whether that be out of province or out of country, would generally pay more as the taxes that subsidize education here don't apply for foreigners coming to study. There may be international co-op programs that would allow for a mix of work and study in the same program so that it isn't as expensive as going to school for a bunch of years in a row.


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## Slider (Nov 17, 2009)

No worries.

If the degree isn't recognized, I will simply stay in the country where I received the degree/education.

People think that living in the US is so much better than everything else, but it really isn't.


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## peoplesayimanahole (May 21, 2013)

I went overseas to study in Canada. I see a lot of American students that go over the border because it's the same education at a way cheaper price.


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## ficsci (May 4, 2011)

If you want to go to Japan, but don't have the financial means, you can try applying for MEXT scholarship.

The Japanese government will sponsor you to come to Japan, learn Japanese, and then attend university and the likes
Monbukagakusho Scholarship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I happen to be living in the area in Tokyo where there are a lot of foreign students. Aside from language school students, I think many of them are foreign exchange university students. There are some universities in Japan that hold several classes in English. I haven't looked up many, but Tokyo University has some graduate programs all held in English. Their tuition is also pretty low since they're not a private school (but of course since they're the top school here it's probably crazy hard to get into).

Right now I'm attending a language school to improve my Japanese, so that I can go to a grad school here next year. At least in my school, there are tons of Chinese and Korean students. I dunno about the Korean students because my classmates are mostly Chinese, but the Chinese students are mostly aiming to get into college or grad school in Japan. What I realize is that it's a lot rarer that an American language student is planning to attend a Japanese university or vocational school, most of the ones I know are here just to learn the language & culture, and then they'll go home. (Err, I'm not American myself, I just grew up with a Western educational system, and went to college in US. The plus side is I'm Asian, so in public I tend to blend in pretty well. And luckily my parents are able to financially support me, hence I had the option of not staying in US... because honestly I didn't really like living there.)

I think the reason why a lot of the Americans end up going home is partly because they can't find a job here. And I think the reason why they have a hard time finding a job is because they did not attend a continuing school in Japan. At first they enter through JET program (teaching English) or language school. And then they try to apply for a different job on their own. Perhaps factors such as unfamiliarity with Japan's work system and practical language proficiency would get in the way.

That is not to say that there are no success stories. There are definitely some Americans who are living and working here even though they did not attend a Japanese university. But this lady, for example, actually attended a fashion school in Tokyo, and now she seems pretty darn influential in her circle. Well that's because she's also resourceful and ambitious, so good for her.
http://mishajanette.com/

My advice is, unless you can invest a lot of time and money on really becoming a Japanese resident (that is, being fluent with the language, culture, how people do things here, etc), don't expect that you can end up living in Japan after your initial short-term program finishes. Unless you got super lucky/end up marrying someone here, but that still doesn't mean you'll find a job.

It will be a much safer bet to go to another country that uses English practically, and not just value it for education. I don't know the details, but aside from the obvious English-speaking countries, maybe you might want to also research Singapore, Philippines, and Hong Kong, since they use English quite a lot too.


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## MatchaBlizzard (Sep 20, 2011)

I studied abroad in Japan and China, both of which wouldn't have been possible without having grants and scholarships. Check with the financial aid office at your college in the U.S. if you are already attending one, they can often give you some good places to start looking if you want to go abroad. Really it's one of the best experiences I've had. I've known a few people who hated, but most people love it and learn a lot.


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## FlaviaGemina (May 3, 2012)

Slider said:


> Unfortunately, I'm already "penniless."
> 
> Any idea how I would go about applying for financial aid?
> 
> There has to be programs (or companies) out there that provide sponsorships for foreign exchange students.


https://www.daad.de/en/

You have to know what course you want to study, though. And you need good/excellent grades (from your previous college or your high school diploma/ SAT scores.) You should also demonstrate that you have done some volunteering, extracurricular activities or project. They want to see a well-rounded individual.


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## StElmosDream (May 26, 2012)

FlaviaGemina said:


> https://www.daad.de/en/
> 
> You have to know what course you want to study, though. And you need good/excellent grades (from your previous college or your high school diploma/ SAT scores.) You should also demonstrate that you have done some volunteering, extracurricular activities or project. They want to see a well-rounded individual.


*wonders how female INTJs feel about deep hugs*


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## FlaviaGemina (May 3, 2012)

StElmosDream said:


> *wonders how female INTJs feel about deep hugs*


Er? What's this about? What have I done now?


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## StElmosDream (May 26, 2012)

FlaviaGemina said:


> Er? What's this about? What have I done now?


Done you say? paranoia...well now I would hate to scare an INTJ with affection


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## FlaviaGemina (May 3, 2012)

StElmosDream said:


> Done you say? paranoia...well now I would hate to scare an INTJ with affection


Paranoia is my middle name.
You should apply to study in Germany, they'd love your philosophical ramblings there.


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## StElmosDream (May 26, 2012)

FlaviaGemina said:


> Paranoia is my middle name.
> You should apply to study in Germany, they'd love your philosophical ramblings there.


I'll take that as a compliment silly one


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## FlaviaGemina (May 3, 2012)

StElmosDream said:


> I'll take that as a compliment silly one


I *did mean *it as a compliment! Honestly, they love the kind of stuff that you say about society etc.


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## StElmosDream (May 26, 2012)

FlaviaGemina said:


> I *did mean *it as a compliment! Honestly, they love the kind of stuff that you say about society etc.


Well I'd imagine maturity + verbal diarrhea is a lethal combination  *small squeeze offered*


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## Soldier of fortune (Nov 29, 2012)

Ι attended university for a semester in another EU country via the Erasmus mobility program.


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