DECONSTRUCTING AMERICAN COLLEGE COSTS

Typical Job Opportunity: Master's degree majoring in Economics, Finance or Accounting. Practical work experience due to internships or a post-graduate job. Entrepreneurial thinking and leadership skills. You think and act internationally and you have a high level of cross-cultural competence which you provided during an international internship or a semester abroad. A pragmatic "hands on" approach characterizes your way of working. You are creative, self-motivated and a team-player who enjoys working in a multi-cultural company. You are able to speak English fluently. Additional language skills like German or Chinese are a plus

If this is the standard, there’s no doubt American kids can handle college academically, the problem is paying for it, often to the tune of up to $30,000 per year. In recent years, while Europe has been considering reforming higher education and moving towards a system that charges users, it’s still a fraction of the cost of a US education.

College is free in Norway, Austria, Sweden, Finland, and Germany. Belgium is beginning to charge an enrollment fee of 500 euros which is same for EU and non-EU students (non-EU students are charged additional 500 euros for social security), while Holland and Italy charge an enrollment fee of 1,000-1,500 euros. 

The cost of studying and living in Europe varies considerably by country, but it is much less than the United States. Since higher education is one top priority for Europe it is generally much cheaper to obtain a higher education than stateside. There are numerous scholarships available and tuition fees are either moderate or not charged at all.

Historically, the United States sent students to college than almost any country in the world. Of the 38 OECD countries, only two (Russia and Israel) have a higher proportion than the US. However, other countries have steadily increased their higher education rates over the past 30 years with the United States dropping to 16th. So, for American students to set a college education in their future, they may have to look elsewhere until a quality education in America is more affordable.

Schools may be responding more quickly to changes in the jobs market, but if they can’t afford it no amount of new pedagogues like teaching our kids to think outside the box and collaborate with others, even beyond national borders, will be out of grasp. Forget speaking a foreign language. 

Thankfully, there are plenty of countries with education systems that others can learn from. According to the latest OECD PISA survey, which tests the knowledge and skills of 15-year-old's, Korea has the best performing education system, closely followed by Finland. And these best-performing systems, which also include Canada and Japan, reflect students from various backgrounds, regardless of how well-off their parents are or whether they attend a private or state school.

With over 4,000 European universities and colleges to choose from, in over 30 different countries, there will be a European course and degree to suit your needs. You can learn in English, or immerse yourself fully in a new culture and language. From the Arctic Circle to the coast of Africa, you can explore a truly diverse and multicultural region, with a rich academic history spanning thousands of years.

If you study in Europe, you’ll gain all the skills you need for the global economy. Study and learn with students from all corners of the world, discover a new language, and develop your independence at a university in Europe.

Quality and cost are but just the beginning of the advantages to studying abroad compared to the United States. One of the hidden benefits is studying stress free. According to the New York Times, money troubles interfere with the academic performance of about one-third of all college students, and a similar number of students regularly skip buying required academic materials because of the costs, according to a survey released recently.

The choice is endless – from highly ranked research universities to smaller, specialized European colleges. European courses will open your eyes to new opportunities – and give you an education that employers around the world will really value and respect. Hundreds of European universities have long traditions of quality teaching and research. For example, University of Cambridge which according to the QS World University Rankings is the highest ranked university in the world and was formed in 1209. 

There are thousands of universities and colleges in Europe, offering a huge variety of courses to choose from. Whether you prefer a large leading research university or a smaller specialized college, you can be certain to find what you are looking for. With 50 countries and 600 million people speaking 48 languages, Europe is the perfect place for those who seek for a fantastic cultural experience.

Although many universities offer courses in English, you will have the chance to learn in Spanish, German, French or any other local language. If you have always wanted to learn a new language then studying in Europe offer plenty of chances to master either a widespread or more exotic language.
The Bologna Process makes it easier for students to study abroad and have their qualifications recognized in all countries joined the Bologna Process. Since the graduate qualifications are unified, the graduate degree is worth the same regardless of the country you study in.
Intake dates, application deadlines, student visas and English language requirements before applying to a European University or College. Intake dates vary from country to country but most countries have a main intake in September or October and there is rolling intake for some programs and institutions.

Notes

http://stacieberdan.com/books-by-stacie/go-global/

Frost, Maya. The New Global Student. New York: Three Rivers, 2009. Print. 

http://www.dailyinfographic.com/the-roi-of-studying-abroad-infographic

OECD. (2009). PISA Key Findings assessing 15-year-olds' competencies in the key subjects: reading, mathematics and science.Perez, Pena. (2012, November 14). Financial Worries Pile on Long Before Graduation. New York Times. New York, NY, USA.

http://jimsheng.hubpages.com/hub/Comparison-of-cost-of-higher-education-around-the-worldBoosting jobs and skills - article. (2009). Retrieved December 1, 2012, from OECD:

http://www.oecd.org/employment/boostingjobsandskills.htm
(2012, December 02).

Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/15/cost-of-college-degree-increase-12-fold-1120-percent-bloomberg_n_1783700.html

College Tuition. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_tuition_in_the_United_States
International School of Bangkok.

Retrieved 2012, from http://www.isb.ac.th/uploads/contents/525/attachs/Unis%20in%20Europe%20with%20English%20Programs.pdf

DECONSTRUCTING ANCESTRAL EVE

Genetic anthropology demonstrates that human populations have been on the move for the past 200,000 years. We have been migrating from continents and immigrating to countries ever since African Eve -- the first "fearless woman"  walked out of Africa. As the first known female genetic ancestor of every person alive today, she proved we all share a common ancestor and therefore, all of us are related. I like to think she had a vision for herself, and for humanity and that in her quest for life, liberty and happiness, she saw the big picture. Peaceful coexistence in a world without squiggly black lines we call country borders. We do not exist without her drive, tenacity and open mindedness. None of us would. As she ambled across those planes and forests, waded through the swamps and trekked up the hills, I can't help but think that she not only had a yen for wanderlust, but a desire to do the right thing. I'm happy to trace my deep ancestry to her. We all ought to be. We've got optimistic genes in us all.

In a globalized world, people no longer move merely as a cog in the wheel of evolutionary survival. Rather, it has taken on a heightened sense of urgency for prosperity. Those arbitrary lines on our maps are man-made but the earth belongs to us all. While those lines have created fascinating cultures, humanity now seems destined for something bigger. It seems poised to transcend those black squiggles with all the ingenuity and spirituality the globalized world can muster because the globalized workforce must move across the boundaries of countries and continents to make a better life. This is the 21st century reality. Oddly enough, not every person, country or culture has caught up with that idea, especially the developed nations that practically invented this hot, flat and crowded world of moving people.

 

In order to understand the globalized world, I like to share an email I received a while back by a cross-cultural colleague who said that globalization looked like Princess Diana's death. And I thought, what an absolutely morbid and inappropriate thing to say! When I asked why, he replied:"Because she was an English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend, who crashes in a French tunnel, in a German car with a Dutch engine, driven by a Belgian drunk on Scottish whisky, chased by Italian Paparazzi on Japanese motorcycles, treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines. This email was sent to you by a Canadian, using American, Bill Gates' technology and you're probably reading this on your computer, that uses Taiwanese chips, a Korean monitor, assembled by Bangladeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by Indian truck drivers, hijacked by Indonesians, unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen and trucked to you by Mexicans." You get my meaning.

Improving the quality of life means different things to different people. Universally, though, despite cultural and religious differences, it can mean relocating for a career advancement, improving your financial future or immigrating because there are better educational and job opportunities for your kids. No matter what the reason is, people have moved, are moving and will continue to move. The pettiness of America's immigration reform xenophobia diminishes the globalized opportunities it was instrumental in creating. So it's incumbent on countries, like the U.S.A., reap what they have sown. To seize the change we have created and accept the human capital for the opportunities it creates. Yet, in my country of opportunities, success depends not only on what it can offer the world, but on what the world of people can deliver to the country they now call home.

 

For populations that come and go, the givers and receivers of countries, cultures and nations, there are gains and losses on both sides. There is no movement without change. No success without risk. However, this is the very process that has shaped the success of the U.S.A. and the American character. According to the cross-cultural literature, America is the most individualist-oriented culture compared to the rest of the collectivist-oriented world. Eighty percent of the rest of the world puts the needs of the group before the needs of the individual because fundamentally, people are born dependent and connected. While American individualism (or independence) may be hard to understand, it's not only desirable, but necessary.

Americans created (and practically invented) that singularly unique and remarkable quality, because they were unafraid of people moving either to the U.S.A. as immigrants, or within its borders to continue that momentum of success, achievement and opportunity, after they arrived. This mobile behavior benefits the entire planet. It's the change that fosters prosperity and improves living standards. With success comes risk and no one knows that better than a pioneer. The success of globalization has created a new reality (cooperation, synthesis). The pioneers who venture out (loss, thesis) and the host nations who receive them (gain, antithesis) form a new paradigm. People move the information, goods and services that are making globalization happen.

The "American way" of life or elevated standard of living is being aspired to by hundreds of millions of people around the world, especially the BRIC, but not as Americans understand it. We have a hard time understanding the hybrid versions of it. Many nations retain their political ideology and social values while embracing American free market capitalism. Oddly enough, like Americans, it is human nature to innovate, not copy.

On the other hand, what happens when leaving what you know behind is met with rejection? What about the perception of a "selfish" America by new immigrants? It's important to know that upon closer inspection, the pioneering mindset of the U.S.A. means that Americans take care of themselves and expect others to do the same. Independence, or self-reliance, is a key American virtue because it means to be self-supporting. Films and TV show heroes, usually ordinary individuals, save the day (or the world) by acting on their own, sometimes bypassing rules and authorities and ignoring group opinion. This is the mindset -- for better or for worse -- that paved the way for the freedom to forge a better life.

Take the Tibetans and China, the Mexicans and America, the Middle Eastern people and Europe. Each one of these cultures fears losing their cultural identity and sometimes refuses to adapt in one way or another. They have created cultural conflicts and sometimes, outright rejection by the host culture or, on the other hand, may be a result of the immigrant rejecting the notion of total assimilation which was commonly adopted during the mass wave of immigration to America during the 19th century. However, those immigrants also chose to move here for a better future. It's a two way street though, and the nature of immigration is changing. How and why people move, migrate and immigrate, and when and where they will go continues to unfold.

If scientific evidence tells us that the journey of our fearless African Eve was driven by insufficient resources, food and land, then not much has changed. Today people still move for much the same reason, only now it's with a heightened sense of peace and prosperity. This is what it means to get globalized, fearlessly. To be unafraid to pioneer the idea of lifting yourself up and out of your current state of being, wherever that may be.

While America is no longer considered a "melting pot," it is still a country where there's a high chance of engagement among people of other cultures. Now we use the "salad bowl" metaphor, symbolizing the American Kaleidoscope -- in which different cultures mix, but remains distinct. At the same time, the days of the Great Wall of China or the Berlin Wall mindset of isolation is all but gone with the exception of countries like North Korea. People, countries and cultures that resist globalization, erecting barriers, are failing to ride the waves of culture and miss the opportunity for a better future. All that's left is the useless ethnocentrism that isolate and limit subsequent generations who may feel lost without a sense of belonging anywhere, much less cultural identity. What was considered home for one generation, may be something very different for another. While it's understandable that change brings uncertainty, tolerating risk comes with the territory of pioneering new frontiers.

 

This is the spirit that welcomes differences -- like America can -- along with new ideas and a different type of unity, one that may not be visible just yet, but may be looming, just over the horizon. Just as African Eve could not know what future she would bring humanity, our future may also unfold in ways we cannot imagine either. It may be that the globalization which first emerged from the American shores may evolve into something quite different. A hybrid of where we are now, if we move with the process and get out of our own way. One driven by the pioneering engine of Western style capitalism, atomized and individualistic, yet feel more Eastern and transcending, coexisting peacefully and harmoniously.

Some nations embrace the global movement of information, goods and services. Others may resist it, but undoubtedly humanity is the face of it. Whether nations embrace open borders for opportunities to improve living standards or they restrict them (and the potential revenue streams) it seems to be about fight or flight. A fear of losing part of ourselves or a perceived insecurity without a firm cultural identity. Perhaps we can transcend the impermanence of these man-made notions of what it means to be human because we think they preserve us and our species. However, we know that cultural values are learned behaviors and they can be unlearned however ingrained, but this takes time.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, the world is becoming smaller and one can easily recognize that everyone on earth is connected. We all suffer and experience joy. To meet the challenges of our times, though, we must develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. In a globalized society, we can find strength through that connection and forge a pathway to peace and prosperity for all.