Studying Abroad

[Argalius]

Although I've still two years to go on high school I'm already looking for a place where I could finish my Master (I plan to do the Bachelor here in Holland). The reason why I'm already doing this is because I want to make sure that the university I'm going to has good connections with foreign universities so I can do my Master (or just 1 year or something) abroad.

I'd really like to go the the States, mostly because I think it would be very good for my english and I can already understand the people there, which isn't the case for Italy, just to name a country (I could probably talk english to some extent, but then I could better go to a country where english is the mother tongue). And because I think the States would be really cool.

So is there anyone that is studying abroad at this moment or has done it in the past (or maybe is planning it)? The location doesn't matter. If so, could you please write a little bit about your experiences, problems you had, tips etc. And maybe some good sites/organisations I could use?

Thanks on forehand

[Argalius]

Come on, has nobody studied abroad?

[Klaas]

Just go to a university with quality education. I know many people who did the Socrates or Erasmus programme and there aren't many who are positive about it since the level of education was bad compared to here. This includes universities from Brussels, US, Sweden, Spain and Italy.

If you go to the US choose a good college, although that might be quite expensive. Just don't choose a US college for the sake of going to the US (you can always go on holiday instead).

Other countries I would suggest:

UK, Germany and Belgium. In Belgium UGent and KU Leuven are very good if you choose something related to computer science, civil engineering, history and languages. Not so good for political science, oriental studies, philosophy, biology, etc.

[Argalius]

Although I would like to go to the US in the first place, I'm also looking for studying in the UK and Germany as you said. Not Belgium really, but who knows, it might come. But I'll keep Leuven in mind and search some information for it. Thanks

[Klaas]

Well if there's one university in Belgium I would recommend it's Ghent, not Leuven. Quality-wise they are even, but Ghent is just a bigger and nicer city to stay in, plus Leuven is Catholic and has a high level of rich spoiled kids

[goldenratiophi]

plus Leuven is Catholic 

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Wouldn't that be a reason to recommend Leuven?

[Yiuel]

I am planning to study abroad, in Japan. As of today, I might go to Souka Gakkai Daigaku in Toukyou (ok, in common English it would be Soka Gakkai Daigaku in Tokyo), but then again my goal is to study Japanese and in Japanese. I'm also planning to do my mastery there and, if possible, my doctorate (no choice, as I want to become a Japanese language teacher). (Souka Gakkai is actually a buddhist sect, but it doesn't bother me at all. It is a really pacifist one (unlike the (beep!) Aum sect...))

I could recommend Canada, and if you want to study in English, with good courses and cheap tuition fees, well, you have two English universities in Montreal : McGill and Concordia. It may sound stupid to learn English in Montreal (second French speaking city), but it gets clearer when you know that half of the city is English (those two universities are well prepared to welcome foreign students who do not understand French at all). You can also try universities in other parts of Canada (Ontario I think is in the cheapest outside Quebec). Try to live in homestay if you can : you'll have to use the local language with the family.

(It is not recommended to come learn French in Montreal, unless you are completely willing to. It is possibly the only non-officially-English city in the world where even the basic local shop will answer you with decent English (so, you will never actually need French in Montreal, if you know where to go). For French, favor Quebec City or any of the small cities of Quebec.)

[Gee]

I'm thinking about studying in Japan too, although there's a couple of more years before I can start to think about that seriously.

Yiuel, how well do you know Japanese as of yet?

[Argalius]

Wouldn't that be a reason to recommend Leuven?

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Although I don't really know the situation in Belgium, but in Holland we have certain religues regions where you can't do anything on a sunday... And religion is totally different in the Netherlands and Belgium compared to the US.

@Yiuel: I never thought of Canada, might be interesting, although I doubt that many universities in Holland have a programme set up with Canadian universities.

[Yiuel]

I'm thinking about studying in Japan too, although there's a couple of more years before I can start to think about that seriously.

Yiuel, how well do you know Japanese as of yet?

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知っていることならば、簡単な日々の生活の会話ができます。まだ時々ちょっと違っているけれど日本人は僕が分かります。漢字で書けます。手で書いてもできます。ひらがなとカタカナが二つも早く読めます。声で言ってる会話まだ難しいですけれど、よくなっています。日本語を使ってる一時間のあと、あたまが痛くなります。

Speaking of what I know, I can converse about easy everyday life subjects. I still make some mistakes, but I can be understood by a Japanese. (not in the text : most of the time, Gaijin can be completely incomprehensible to Japanese, seems I'm not that bad) I can write with Kanji, even with handwriting. I can quickly read katakana and hiragana. Speech conversation is still difficult, but I am getting better. After one hour using Japanese, my head begins to ache.

@Yiuel: I never thought of Canada, might be interesting, although I doubt that many universities in Holland have a programme set up with Canadian universities.

I would actually wonder how there could not be even one : at least, we have ties with the royal crown of Nederlands, as for being their shelter during war. (And each spring, a tulipe festival is held in their honor in Ottawa)

[Argalius]

I would actually wonder how there could not be even one : at least, we have ties with the royal crown of Nederlands, as for being their shelter during war. (And each spring, a tulipe festival is held in their honor in Ottawa)

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Well the crown etc. hasn't anything to do with it really. I looked at one university and outside europe you could go to either Brazil or South-Afrika. But well, that's for one faculty (architecture, that's what I plan to do) and it also said that if you wanted to go somewhere else the university helps you to get in there anyway.

Pretty cool,the tulipe festival, we don't even have it here.

[Gee]

ウゴさん、カナダに住んでいるね？だから、誰と日本語で喋りますか。

僕の問題はスウェーデンに住んでる日本人がかなり少ないです。すし屋はたくさんがあるんですけど、中国人に営むことは珍しくありません。

では

[Caesar]

I have one year left of high school, and I really want to move back to Austria so I can go to university there.

Good luck Argalius, but I would have suggested studying in Canada over the US.

[Argalius]

Yes I heard that from more people, not only on this forum... I might do just that, but I'll see it's still a long way to go.