I’m currently in community college in the states. I’m thinking of studying abroad and I was wondering if transferring to a university in a foreign country would be possible at all.
If it is possible, what engineering schools are best over there?
I’m just weighing my options, I still have to consider things in terms of financial plans and whatnot.
What country are you interested in?
Transferring is not really a thing outside the US. There are some schools that will take an AA degree and let you start as a second year student- but only if the classes that you have taken equate to the first year of the course that you are going into. Most degrees outside the US are subject specific (that is, you study just that subject, no Gen Eds/Distribution requirements; most of them use SATIIs and APs for the subject that you are applying to study for admission standards), so it is a long shot that you would have enough of the required units to start in second year.
So to get to specifics: where do you mean by ‘over there’? What are language(s) are you comfortable studying in?
Financially, you will be full pay, though you can use FAFSA at many universities.
I was thinking of Germany. Anything good for engineering, really. Preferably, Germany.
Have you ever thought about transferring to a school in the U.S., and just do study abroad for a semester?
Where do you want to work after college?
Are you already eligible to work in that country?
So to get to specifics: where do you mean by ‘over there’? What are language(s) are you comfortable studying in?
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Oops, ‘over there’ meant Europe. I’d be comfortable learning any language that requires me to use it, heck, it gives me motivation, if anything.
Where do you want to work after college?
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Are you already eligible to work in that country?
I have no idea where I’d like to work. If I liked the location, then I’d most likely work there.
No, I’m probably not eligible to work, assuming I’m required to have a VISA or some paperwork.
I think Germany has the strongest engineering schools in Europe.
You have to be very strong in German, math, and sciences in order to be successful.
http://www.studying-in-germany.org/top-universities-germany-study-engineering
Some universities have programs in English:
http://www.gooverseas.com/blog/8-best-universities-in-germany-international-students
http://www.topuniversities.com/where-to-study/europe/germany/study-germany-english
You would need to do a massive amount of research before considering going abroad for engineering. .Things like: do schools there take transfers, how would the classes you have taken match up to their requirements, language barriers, where could you work after college…to name but a few.
It is highly unlikely to find a school that teaches in English other than in England/Ireland. The idea of studying a difficult discipline such as engineering in a country where you don’t speak the language seems like an exceedingly difficult proposition. If you plan to enter as a transfer (and I have no idea if European colleges accept transfers) taking upper level courses it sounds even more difficult.
If you want to work in the US I would focus your energies on trying to transfer to a US ABET accredited 4 year college.
You are unlikely to find an engineering course taught in English in Germany.
If you not eligible to work in Germany, your prospective employer would have to document that there is nobody in the entire EU who can do the job that you would be hired to do in order to get you a work visa. As a new engineering grad that is not particularly likely.
Get yourself into Georgia Tech, start taking German and do their year in Germany program.
About German universities: prepare for giant (above 1,000 students isn’t uncommon in the first years, upper-level Bachelor’s courses and many Master’s courses can hover in the multiple hundreds. At one of the best universities in Germany, the Technische Universität München).
There’s a very good chance you’d have to start at the beginning of your plan of study for your major, too.
One upside is that school only costs like $200 per year.
If you know no German right now, it might be a good idea to go to a 4-year university, learn intensive German, and do study abroad for a semester.
If you want to study abroad, it’s probably a better idea for you to transfer to a U.S.-based university and then do a study abroad program for a semester, a summer or an academic year in Europe.
*I’d be comfortable learning any language that requires me to use it, heck, it gives me motivation, if anything. *
I am all about language learning, but if you don’t know enough of a language right now (I’d say at least two years of study), then you are unlikely to learn enough of a language to be able to follow an engineering curriculum in enough time to transfer.
I researched this for my daughter who wanted to study in Germany (but ended up staying in US).
The best option I found, not a “famous” university, but it has undergrad degree programs in English (which none of the famous German universities, TUM, BTU, Aachen, etc. have): http://www.hochschule-rhein-waal.de/en/faculties/technology-and-bionics/degree-programmes
However, you are unlikely to be able to transfer your credits from a CC to a European university. Having said that, a year of CC will help you gain access to a German university, which has higher requirements than US universities since BA programs are 3 years and skip the general knowledge freshman year. So you have to have APs or some college credits.
If you’ve done 2 years at a CC you may be better off transferring to 4-year uni in US and doing a study abroad, or prepare to do a masters program as there are many more of those in English.
Another option is Finland and Czech Republic. But Germany would be best for engineering. Few other European countries have undergrad degree programs in English (except UK which would be expensive).
I think it would be easier for you to do a study abroad program in the U.S. Studying abroad as an engineer can be hard, but I think the benefits of it are awesome.
Lehigh University actually has several study abroad programs located in Germany for engineers. http://global.lehigh.edu/studyabroad
I think it’d be worthwhile to check it out and see your opportunities!
If you decide to stay in the US and study abroad, bear in mind that your study abroad opportunities will be limited depending on your major. My daughter is ChemE major, very interested in studying abroad, but her major has so many required courses (more than any of the other engineering majors) that she’s finding it difficult to schedule a study abroad especially one that would cover the engineering courses she needs. (Her college offers plenty of study abroad options, including in Germany, but arranging the details isn’t easy.) So if this is critical to you, check into the details to make sure you’ll be able to study engineering courses abroad (in a country you want to go to) based on your major and school.