Beyond the States: College in Europe

For our final episode of the season, Jenn dives into a discussion on the rewards of pursuing a Master’s degree in Europe. Her conversation partner this week is Sean Dempsey, a past BTS member and recent graduate of the highly-ranked KU Leuven, in Belgium. It was his study abroad semester in Spain, as an undergraduate, that was the inspiration and gateway to gaining his Master’s degree in Europe. And speaking of graduate school, Jenn announces our team’s summer plans on the podcast for giving a deserved boost to our sweeping Master’s degree resources and offerings. Get the scuttlebutt on these improvements, and hear about some of Jenn’s favorite grad programs featured in our Master’s database, some of which her own son, Sam, is exploring. It’s happening! “According to FinAid.org [http://finaid.org/], the average cost for master’s degree programs in the US ranges from $30,000 – $120,000 which depends on whether a student is paying in-statue tuition, out of state or private tuition. English-taught master’s degree programs in Europe are much more affordable. Their average tuition for the more than 6,200 English-taught programs is under $8,000 per year. That average includes the higher priced programs, like MBAs, so it is significant to note that there are over 1,800 options under $3,500 per year and more than 700 that are tuition free-even for international students.” –Jenn Special offer for Master’s: Get 50% OFF your 1st month’s of our Master’s Membership. Special offer for Bachelor’s: Check out our (Almost) Crunch Time Pack for those looking to attend college in Europe for 2023 and beyond. Huge savings!

No doubt, being independent is one of the most important qualities needed if you plan to study in Europe. Navigating in a foreign country, on your own, demands a large degree of self-reliance and pliancy, and it’s important to appreciate that colleges in Europe do far less hand-holding when compared to those in the states. This topic never goes out of style, and is always shifting and fluid with the culture, such as now in the wake of the pandemic. With that in mind, Jenn revisits and updates a past podcast episode from 2018, geared toward parents, titled Fostering Student Independence. Listen in on how Jenn has helped her own children develop these skills over the years, and get ideas for things you can do at home, and while traveling, for your own family. “Many of us underestimate the resilience our kids have, but by underestimating this and trying to protect them from uncomfortable situations we prevent them from developing more resilience and independence that’s going to help them through life.” –Jenn

This week’s episode certainly aligns with a common theme this season addressed by many of our guests, and that is the critical importance of cultivating “soft skills” in the up-and-coming workforce. These skills, like assertiveness, resilience, self-direction, empathy, cooperation, diversity awareness, and adaptability are simply not versed (even discouraged) in traditional education in the US. In the current US college admissions game alone, it appears there is no room (or reflected value) for failure. Our guest this week, Colleen Bordeaux, a senior manager at Deloitte Consulting in LA, joins us in discussion on this hot topic, speaking from an employer’s point of view. You’ll hear her pressing for today’s youth and graduates to see the value in getting out of comfort zones, of taking and seeing the advantage of experiences and failures, since these are some of the opportunities where important human skills can begin to take shape; these are the skills that matter more-than-ever for professional success. "Up to 40% of the jobs that we know have the potential to be automated and done by technology. And there are millions of new jobs that are being created that people have never done before. And so it is calling on us to really think differently about  what are the skills and capabilities we've got as humans that can endure and help us adapt in the fast-changing workplace." –Colleen Bordeaux “Though I don’t believe college in Europe is the route for everyone, I do truly believe that it’s an incredible way to ensure our kids are developing these crucial skills while having these life-changing experiences.”–Jenn

It’s that time of year again… College admissions are on the minds of many students who have attempted to get into their choice schools across the US; it can be a deeply confusing and stressful time for many. Jenn begins the episode this week by sharing a disturbing, first-hand look at the US admissions process through her daughter (Ellie) and Ellie’s friends’ experiences, and provides an update on Ellie’s plans for the fall and how she eventually came to the decision to study in the US. As well, although it is true that college in Europe is not for everyone (as evidenced by the fact that Jenn’s daughter will be attending school in the states), it is important to understand how the transparent and objective admissions criteria is in surprising contrast to that in the US. With that, we decided to revisit an important episode from 2017 with Maarten Dikhoff, an administrator from Groningen University who explains the admissions approach and process in the Netherlands and Europe. Ultimately, we’ll see how this approach is wholly refreshing, compared to the problematic one in the states. (Spoiler alert - they don’t care about your SAT scores or extracurricular activities!) Tune in and find out more! "It's not where you go to college, but how you go to college that matters." -- Jenn “We basically do our selection during the first year. Students can all get the chance to study at a university in the Netherlands, but in the first year they need to show they are capable of doing so.”, Martin

There are some incredible university choices all around the world, including in the US. However, there is a widespread belief that the US higher education system is the best in the world. Jenn summarizes specific studies that debunk this belief. Later in the episode, Jenn and her guest discuss other aspects of studying and students’ lives before, during, and after college. Jenn has a conversation with Jeffrey Selingo, the best-selling author of numerous useful books about higher education. Jeff shares some interesting points and situations he faced while collecting and researching data in this field for more than two decades. “Life is not a straight line. There are going to be failures. Learn from people that you can identify with.”, Jeffrey Selingo