BY MICHAEL GROTHAUS

A growing number of Americans are seeking to study abroad during their

college years, according to data from the Institute of International Education.
For the 2012/2013 school year (the most recent year for which numbers are
available), 289,000 Americans spent part or all of their most recent year in
college overseas. That's a 400% increase from 20 years ago.
There are myriad reasons for this increase, including the skyrocketing cost of
a college degree in America. Depending on the country, Americans have a
chance of earning their bachelor's, master's, or even a PhD for cents on the
dollar. In the last year, more than 4,600 American students were enrolled in
full degree programs in Germany alone, where college fees for Americans are
less than $1,000 a year, compared to $23,410, the average tuition cost per
year for a public university in the U.S.
But American students arent just taking flight to foreign shores to save money on
education. In todays ever-smaller globalized business world, earning your degree
overseas can have huge benefits for your career throughout the course of your life. A
QS Global Employer Survey Report found that out of 10,000 companies contacted,
more than 80% said they actively sought out graduates who have studied abroad. Thats
not to say there arent some drawbacks to moving abroad for an international education,
however. Homesickness and missing out on life experiences with your family and close
friends can be challenging for some. The need to learn and write in another language
depending on the country chosenand unexpected culture shock can also take their
toll. The question is, could a degree earned overseas be the right choice for you? We
spoke to three current and former American students to find out the reasons they went
abroad to earn a degree, and whether they would recommend you do it.

MATTHEW KRUGMAN, 18, ORIGINALLY FROM BRECKENRIDGE, COLORADO, IS

CURRENTLY EARNING HIS BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN LONDON.
In May, Krugman moved to London, where he began his Baking and Pastry degree
program at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu culinary school. Krugman is concurrently
earning a business and wine management degree as well.

What was the primary reason you decided to earn your degree overseas?

The primary reason for wanting to attend Le Cordon Bleu was the caliber of education it
offers. Generally, LCB London, Paris, and Sydney are considered the top universities in
the world for culinary school, and the option to attend a university that cooks for the likes
of queens and has taught chefs like Julia Child was an offer I could not pass up.
Another smaller reason for wanting to go overseas is my education would take two
years; this would include two culinary degrees and a wine and business degree. To
receive this in the United States, I was looking at closer to six years in total, which
wasnt realistic, especially for a field where you have to hop in at a young age.
MY DEGREE EARNED OVERSEAS WILL TAKE TWO YEARS. IT'S SIX YEARS IN THE
U.S.
Have there been any unexpected benefits of earning your degree overseas?
I have found some, including slowly learning different languages. As my school is so
diversethe incoming class had around 90 nationalitiesIve started to pick up little
sayings in different languages as well as able to work on my French and Spanish.
Another benefit is that until now, I didnt realize how much more desirable a person who
has studied overseas is for a position back in the States, as Im already receiving many
job offers.
Have there been any drawbacks?

Feeling homesick at times.

Do you feel an international degree makes you more attractive to employers?
I think an international degree makes me more attractive to prospective employers.
International schools are seen as a "higher standard" in my field since its where
culinary generally came from. I think as well you learn so much more just from being in
a different country, and that helps a lot in the job field.

EMILIE RONALD, 21, ORIGINALLY FROM BUFFALO, NEW YORK, EARNED A

BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN PARIS AND A MASTER'S DEGREE IN LONDON.
In 2011, Ronald began the International and Comparative Politics bachelor's program at
the American University of Paris and earned her BA in three years. She followed that
degree up with a master's in international law from the University of London. She earned
the master's in only a year.
What was the primary reason you decided to earn your degree overseas?

I had the opportunity to come to France in the summer when I was 16 years old, and
immediately felt right at home. I have always wanted to travel the world, and up until that
point, I was planning to just study abroad. It was just this feeling inside of me that this

was home and that I needed to do everything I could to come back and stay in France
for as long as possible. So, I found the American University of Paris and applied, got in,
and made my decision to start the process of moving overseas right when I turned 18.
I DIDNT REALIZE HOW MUCH MORE DESIRABLE A PERSON WHO HAS STUDIED
OVERSEAS IS FOR A POSITION BACK IN THE STATES. IM ALREADY RECEIVING
MANY JOB OFFERS.
Have there been any unexpected benefits of earning your degree overseas?
Because AUP is obviously an American university, the fees were no different and the
curriculum was the same as if I would have stayed in the U.S. But studying for my
degree in such an international environmentin the French capital at a university where
roughly 100 nationalities are represented in a graduating classwas the perfect fit for
me. Class sizes were small and everyone was cultured and had unique perspectives on
everything. I knew that studying at AUP and in France would change my life for the
better probably more than if I had chosen a university in the States.
Have there been any drawbacks?
Im currently planning to return to the U.S. in the next week. As much as I would have
loved to have stayed in Paris or Europe in general, Ive found that it is extremely difficult
to find a joblet alone one where you need visa sponsorshipwhen you are just
finishing school. Im sure it can be done, but for the moment, the visa fight is one that Id
rather not deal with right now. I am, however, trying to remain optimistic about the
opportunity to return to Europe in the future for work.
Do you feel an international degree makes you more attractive to employers?
I think that it does. My perspectives and points of view have been molded to be much
more international and my experiences have really given me something extra than my
peers in the U.S. I didnt just study abroadI lived abroad. I am now bilingual, and
would love to learn more languages. I have cross-cultural cooperation experience from
working on group projects with students from across the globe.
How many other job-seekers fresh out of university have traveled so much? Since I
turned 18, I have lived in three different countries: France, U.K., and a semester in

South Africa. I think this definitely gives me an edge and interesting stories and
experiences to sharegiving me a leg up on someone I would otherwise be on par with.
Especially in todays world, which is so incredibly globalized, working internationally is
becoming so important.
STEVE GEINITZ, 37, ORIGINALLY FROM DENVER, COLORADO, EARNED HIS PHD
IN ZURICH.
In 2009, Geinitz moved to Switzerland to earn his PhD in applied statistics from the
University of Zurich. After graduating, he took a job with eBay in Zurich. A few years
later, he was recruited by Facebook and now works as a quantitative analyst/researcher
for the social network in London.
What was the primary reason you decided to earn your degree overseas?

From a pragmatic point of view, it was for the quality of the degree program offered
there. The University of Zurich, along with its closely affiliated neighbor, the Swiss
Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), have one of the most reputable communities of
statisticians in the world. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to study there
presented to me. Even before beginning the switch, I was already looking for ways to do
at least some of my studies abroad. This was because I had previously worked abroad
for some time and found it to be an amazing and enlightening experience that traveling
alone cannot match. So when this opportunity came up, and I discovered it was in such
a reputable environment, there wasnt a lot of hesitation.

GETTING AWAY FROM WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN AND INTERACTING
WITH PEOPLE FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD FORCES YOU TO LOOK AT THE
WORLD FROM SOMEONE ELSES POINT OF VIEW.
Have there been any unexpected benefits of earning your degree overseas?
What was a revelation for me was that attending graduate school doesnt have to be a
sacrifice. Although I had known ahead of time that the rate of pay for a graduate student
teaching assistant is greater in Switzerland than in the U.S., I didnt realize this would
relate to how going to graduate school is regarded in the two countries. Graduate school
in the U.S. is, for most, an extension of being an undergraduate student.
That is, you are either eking by, or you are incurring significant debt, all the while not
being seen as a fully functioning member of society. Even when you do finish, its often
a toss-up as to whether or not youll eventually earn more with the degree than if you
had joined the workforce earlier (MD/JD/MBA degrees excluded). This means that in the
U.S., you really have to want to study. This was at least how I and most other graduate
students I knew in the U.S. felt about it. In Switzerland and most other European
countries, it simply isnt this way. This was a huge, and unexpected, relief.
Have there been any drawbacks?
The only drawbacks to moving and studying abroad that I anticipated were being away
from friends, family, and Mexican food. I knew that there would be cultural differences
and a new language to try to learn, but fortunately these were all part of the motivation
to go.
Do you feel an international degree makes you more attractive to employers?
Yes, I would like to think so. Given two equally skilled candidates, one exposed to
primarily the same environment their entire life and one that has lived in an area with
cultures/customs/languages different from their own, I think the employer would choose
the latter. Getting away from what you have always known and interacting with people
from other parts of the world forces you to look at the world from someone elses point
of view. Not only does this help to be able to communicate more effectively, it helps to
learn how to empathize more readily. Also, having a richer set of experiences will allow
you to think more openly and creatively.

SO, SHOULD YOU GO OVERSEAS FOR COLLEGE?

From the outside, Krugman, Ronald, and Geinitz couldnt be more different. One is in
their teens, one in their twenties, and one in their thirties. Their areas of study and
professional careers range from culinary to business and law to statistics, and their
degrees span from a bachelor's to a master's to a doctorate. Yet their answers are
virtually the same when I ask them if, considering all the benefits of earning a degree
overseas: lower cost, shorter degree timelines, the chance to learn new languages and
earn global experience, increasing your attractiveness to employers-would they
recommend that everyone look internationally for their degree?
Their answer: It depends on your temperament and what you want out of your college
experience.
"You would really need to think about what kind of experience you want from your time
at university," says Geinitz. "The experience of being at college in the U.S. is unlike that
in any other country. There are sports teams with die-hard fans, fraternities and
sororities, and plenty of extracurricular activities. People in the U.S. tend to form a
strong identity with their alma mater that graduates in most other countries do not."
YOU WOULD REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE YOU
WANT FROM YOUR TIME AT UNIVERSITY.
That identity and Ivory Tower isolation is something notably absent from most European
universities, says Geinitz. "I think that in most foreign universities, people are there first
and foremost to study. For myself, I would choose to go abroad. Although I can certainly
see why many people would want to have the type of experience that only a university in
the U.S. could offer."
And those arent the only differences between university life in the U.S. and
internationally, says Ronald. "The American grading system seems to be more forgiving,
there is more wiggle room to get good grades or to improve your overall grade. Whereas
in the U.S., typically there are many factors that go into your final grade, I have now had
exams that are 100% of my final grade. Its terrifying that one mistake could mess up
your entire degree."
Because of this, Ronald says that there is a maturity level people should possess if they
want to thrive in an international higher-education setting. Krugman agrees. "In essence,

you are thousands of miles from home; you have to be able to support yourself and be
OK living on your own. The people Ive seen who come over here to study I feel should
not be over here are the party-mindset type. Instead of worrying about uni, they are out
partying and getting drunk because of the low drinking age, and full on ignoring their
studies."
Yet if you have the desire to explore other cultures and the drive for serious study,
Krugman believes theres one simple reason you should go overseas for your degree:
the cost. For Krugman's two degrees he will be earning, he'll spend $80,000 in fees.
The average cost for one four-year undergraduate degree in the United States is
$144,000, according to HSBC. Krugman is studying in the United Kingdom, which,
though it has lower fees than the United States, has much higher education costs than
many European countries that are luring American international students. But even so,
because of the lower fees in the U.K., Krugman says he'll graduate without student loan
debt.
HAVING TO BE RICH IN ORDER TO ATTEND THE BEST SCHOOLS ISNT RIGHT.
For PhD's in the United States, the average cost ranges from $28,000 to $40,000 per
year, according to TopUniversities. How much did Geinitz, who earned his PhD in
Zurich, Switzerland, pay over three years? "The total cost for three years [was] 1,500
CHF [Swiss Francs], which is/was roughly equally to $1,500 USD," he says, and notes
he has no student debt.
"Having to be rich in order to attend the best schools isnt right in my mind," Krugman
says of Americas education system. "Ive seen so many of my friends who are bright
and passionate have to pick a lower school in order to go-or in some cases not go
altogether."
Indeed, a recent VitalSource/Wakefield survey found that 81% of currently enrolled
college students surveyed agreed fewer students will attend college over the next 10
years due to the expense. Further, 57% of those surveyed had turned down a place at a
university because they couldn't afford it.
And the crushing effects of a higher education in the U.S. isn't something only American
students are noticing. "Ive met so many international students who want to know why
we pay so much for education in the U.S. when their countries are able to offer free or

very low-cost, quality higher education," says Ronald, who also spent $80,000 in total
for both her bachelor's and master's degrees. The average master degree program
alone in America costs $55,489, according to the New America Foundation.
"I think as a country, if we want to continue with economic growth and innovation, then
we should bring tuition down. How many students with the potential to change the world
are being kept from achieving amazing things because of money?"
With the advantage of lower fees and acquiring a wealth of global experience, Ronald
thinks most people should give serious consideration to earning their degree on foreign
shores.
"I wont lie," adds Ronald. "It is incredibly difficult! But if you are someone who is
adventurous, doesnt give up, and wants a unique and life-changing experience,
studying overseas for your full education might be for you."