Referat Studying in the USA

Studying in the USA

This is a short report about what you can expect and gain and what you have to know if you want to study abroad.

I'd like to start with telling you the main advantages you got by studying in the USA.

In fact Germany got one of the best forms of secondary education but the German university system can not compete with the American.

According to students and professors who had the opportunity to experience the system of both nations, the students in America got a much closer contact to their professor then in Germany. This is easy to understand in the view of overcrowded courses. The much smaller courses in the USA and the mentality of the professors allow a concentrated and effective learning. Everyone got much more time for questions or answers and there is still enough time for discussions. 

But for every course in the week you need to be well prepared because you have only 15 hours so the time you spend outside the classroom is usually three to four times longer.

Beside the god relationship between students and professors which helps solving problems every student is assigned a faculty adviser. His or her task is it to advise you in academic matters and if it is necessary in non-academic problems.

Another advantage of the American universities is the well organised and ordered libraries. They are open up to 18 hours per day much longer than you can expect in Germany(Europe). By using computerised data catalogues you will find the books you are looking for within seconds.

Now you may ask why are there still some guys studying in Germany or Europe when they can go to paradise.(It is not that they do not like fast-food or beach-parties)

You will understand it if you hear what higher education can cost in the USA. You have to calculate with 6000 dollar up to 12000 dollar for tuition alone. Furthermore you have to add the living expenses and books. There are many forms of financial aid  available for example academic or athletic scholarships and loans.

Another disadvantage is that foreign degrees and courses are not recognised in Germany. One exception is the completed master's degree or higher degrees.

In the USA you normally start studying at a junior or community college for two years where you earn an associate degree. You can end there but you also can go on to a university or college and shorten the usual four years then you get a bachelor's degree. The next step is the master's degree it only can be earned at a university you have to spend two to four semesters beyond the bachelor's. This also includes the submission of a thesis. ( The last step is the doctoral degree )

So if you still want to study in the USA you have two choices whether you participate in an exchange program or you do it on your own.

Exchange programs guarantee you that your study abroad will be recognised upon your return, that is often not the case if you organise it on your one. Every university got connections and partnerships with foreign university and colleges so you can ask for information in the Akademisches Auslandsamt in the university.

If you are not eligible for an exchange program and you have to organise it on your one you will have a lot of things to consider. The basic requirement to be admitted for undergraduate study in a university or college is a completion of the Abitur. For graduate study you will need at least a Vordiplom, three years of university-level study or a Diplom from a Fachhochschule.

Apart from that you will have to do an Aptitude Test anyway. You must take the Scholastic Aptitude Test if you are an undergratuade student and if you are a graduate you must take the Gratuade Record Examination. You got also a language check called Test of English as a Foreign Language - TOEFL. Also required are a transcript of your grades, an essay about your goals and recommendation from teachers and professors.

To sum up we may say, the best thing you can do is to gather as much information's as you can by talking to students or professors who have studied or taught there or in the Akademisches Auslandsamt or Amerika Haus.