Should you study in U.S or Germany?

Well to start with, I am currently at the end of my studies in Germany with a decent GPA. According to me coming to Germany was one of the best decisions in my life. It has been little over 2 years since I landed in Germany. Even I was confused to choose between US or Germany, but due to economical reasons I had to choose Germany and never turned back again.

If you are also in a confused state of mind, please allow me to explain the pros and cons of studying/living in Germany. I do not have a better picture about US, since I haven’t been there, which is why I will tell only about Germany. To be more frank, let me start with the cons first.

1. Language:
   This is considered to be one of the major drawbacks of studying in Germany.
   
   By this time, you should have heard from almost everyone regarding the importance of learning German language before coming to Germany. Actually most of the universities and courses have made A2 level as Mandatory for Admission requirements, some even ask for B1 level.
   
   In my perspective, German language is really important even though your course may be in English. This is because, you will need to converse, read, write and listen in German and in most of the smaller cities the people do not know English. In the bigger cities, this might not be a huge issue but, nevertheless you need to learn German.
   
2. Job opportunities:
   It is not that you will not get a job or there aren’t any job opportunities. It is just that, more preference will be given to German nationals and EU citizens. On the contrary, this is not fully valid for technical jobs, where experience, skills, knowledge and language plays a big role.
   
   On the contrary, most of my friends in US do not have these problems. I feel that US is more diverse, open to foreigners and check for the required skill set rather than the nationality.
   
   
3. Course duration:
   Most of the students do not complete their course within 2 years. The reason is that, German universities offer a very diverse range of subjects for each course and on top of that, you have to do either a Internship/Research project for at least 3 months and then a Thesis for a minimum of 6 months. If the student want to pursue his career in a particular field, then he might wait for the right opportunity and topic for doing his Thesis/Internship.
   
   On the other hand, most of my friends in US do not have the mandatory Internship or Thesis to complete for their degree, since it is mostly concentrated on Coursework. The extra internship and thesis is definitely advantageous for any student, but if you intend to complete your course in 2 years then you might need to plan and execute it properly.

Now moving on to the Pros of studying/living in Germany:

1. Cost of education:
   Germany offers almost FREE education, where you need to pay only 250€ per semester and it includes the transport ticket for local regions. As an student from another country, you need to just take care of your living expenses. If you have good scores and marks, European Union(EU) and DAAD offers various scholarships also.
   
   If you think about a student studying in US, he has to pay quite a hefty sum for studying and if he has taken up a loan, there is a lot of mental pressure and other things. I would say, the quality of education is very good in Germany so, if you are thinking about financial constraints then, Germany must be a better choice.
   
   
2. VISA:
   Getting a VISA for Germany, that too for studies mustn’t be a big problem. There are some simple procedures which needs to be carried out by everyone and the VISA rejection rate is very low.
   
   
3. Course contents:
   Most of the course contents are updated periodically and the concepts that are taught during the course are being currently implemented in the Industries. The courses are more diverse, which allows the students to choose their career paths properly. If the course is irrelevant to the industry standards, then that course/subject will be removed.
   
4. No university ranking system:
   Unlike the universities in other countries, Germany doesn’t have an University ranking system. Most of the universities are public/state owned universities and offer research, teaching and courses in various fields. If you are choosing an course, there are a lot of things that needs to be considered since all the universities are of same nature.
   
5. No constraints:
   If you are studying in an university, there are no constraints on the number of classes you attend and no one is going to ask you for the subjects that you have taken up. If a student is very much interested in another field and wants to learn more about it, he/she can directly contact the concerned professor and request him.
   
6. Health insurance:
   By far, this is one of the most important factors that I started loving Germany. In Germany everyone must have a Health insurance, which will cover your hospital/clinic costs. If you do not have insurance, then you need to pay a huge amount for the treatments and consultations. Compared to US, Germany has won the battle in this aspect.

All the above points are written according to my perspective and the reader’s opinion may differ.
Follow me: Google+ If you like the article, do not forget to SHARE this article and let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.