Do you have a child at university abroad?

[bulletpoint]

I don't have a dc of university age but ds and I were talking about university and he said what he would really like, is to attend university in another country where he could learn a new language as well as get a degree.

This got me thinking
a) which language would be most useful to learn ?

B) How would you do your degree if you don't undersand the language, i know there are some international universities abroad where they will teach in English but how then would you learn the language Iyswim ?

C) Are all univerities in Europe of the same standard as the U.K are there some parts to avoid ( a family friend's daughter went to Poland to study Medicine then came back to the U.K after just 1 yr, i dont know why though)

Bump

Many universities in mainland Europe are offering courses in English, although I wouldn't personally send my child cold to a country they have never been to, never learned the language and cannot understand what is going on around them.

I came to University in the UK from another country, and although I had visited a few times and my English was pretty good, I still struggled to fit in culturally and it was very hard for the first year. So if this is a long term plan, I would start looking into the country of choice and doing some familiarisation with the language at least.

In terms of usefulness of the language, well it's debatable, Spanish and French are supposed to be useful, but despite being fluent in both and having worked in multinationals for all my career, I have hardly ever used them. Have used them on holiday more. I would just go for a language/culture your child is interested in, personally.

From a course point of view, the good schools guide does a guide to universities abroad, not sure what it's like, but you could take a peak perhaps?

My DC are a long way off going to university but it's something we would definately think about as a lot of courses are taught in English and the fees are a lot smaller. I know all the courses in Amsterdam are taught on English as i met someone who was studying there.

I guess if your DS wants to go to a particular country then he should probably learn that language as even if the course is taught in English, it will make living there & socialising easier.

Musicalfamily - thanks for your comments. Woud you say your "languages" helped you to get jobs in those multinationals though you ddn't actually use them ?

We are a very international family, so we are used to moving around and settling in new places so to speak, we're a mixed culture. i think ds would like to experience another European culture, probably France. I'll definitely have a look at the GSG.

I was also wondering wether a degree from Europe would you put you at a disadvantage in the U.K

There are threads on this before, maybe in the HE area? In France the "brightest and best" do not go to University but to the Grand Ecoles, I think most courses are not competitive to get onto and so can have massively over crowded facilities especially in the first year. In general in Europe it can be quite normal to live at home or go home for weekends.
I would suggest you do some real fact finding, the GSG is a good starting point and there are some seminars/fairs for studying overseas.

The earlier you begin to look at it, the better.

Be aware that UK student finance is not available for courses taken outside the UK, so you would have to pay all his tuition fees and living expenses upfront.

Is your son aware of opportunities that allow you to study for a degree in the UK and spend a year / semester abroad?

Anybody with DCs in the US especially Ivy League? Any insights would be appreciated.

A kid at DC's school recently got a place at Harvard and that got us thinking. Mine are a few years away but there is no harm in thinking ahead :)

If you are interested in the US then Fulbright should be the first place you look. US universities tend to look for more of an well rounded person than the UK, and the program's are quite different.

Thanks for the link mummytime.

And of course UK degrees with a language element often involve a year abroad, which seems a good compromise as well.

This very recent thread has information on US universities.

Thanks for the link Lilymaid. Whether my DCs are clever enough for Harvard is another matter but one can dream :)

I know a few veterinary students who have not got places in the UK and have gone to Budapest, where teaching is in English to a very high standard and fees are much lower than in the UK. I have a DD and a DS both doing language courses in the UK, and both will have a year abroad as part of their course. This does produce excellent fluency, from past experience.

OP I think my languages did help me a lot to step onto the career ladder and were a differentiator. My first job I got in London there were 200 people for that one job and I was told by the interviewer that my fluency in so many languages really impressed her and was the reason she employed me.

I did work with her in a sector where I had to use them but I moved on since then and hardly ever used them - although when we do work with Latin American countries or French/African ones, I always end up telling people to email me in their own language and not bother with translating every email, which always make me quite popular!!!