Pursuing higher education abroad might provide American college students with the opportunities that the American college system has not. Liza Jean Miezejeski, founder of Skola, sits down with TRT to showcase how Americans can earn a college degree in Europe.

There is no greater gift than education. Going to college and gaining a higher education can be one of the most rewarding and important tasks we take on. Whether you’re a recent highschool grad or returning as an older student, pursuing higher education helps us develop new skills and expands our horizons. But for American students, it’s not without its challenges.

For decades, there was an implied social contract in the United States, that if you go to college and earn your degree, you’ll be afforded a better job and a better life. And that contract has mostly held true in the years leading up to the 1990s. However from the 90s to today, American students find themselves on shakier and shakier ground, as the cost of college skyrockets, student loans are increasingly more predatory, and the job security their degrees were promised is disappearing. 

The solution to this might involve travel, as Americans are discovering that they might have more educational opportunities abroad than ever before.

American College Today 

In many ways, when it comes to college, it’s a brand new world. The rules and standards that applied to our parents’ generation aren’t as relevant anymore. Studying internationally, which might have been seen as a privilege to those who could comfortably afford it, is actually becoming a more viable financial option. 

The cost to attend an American university has steadily increased by over 200% since the 1980s. In addition, factors like inflation and student loans have shown to contribute to the increases in tuition as well. On average, a single American college student is looking at total tuition costs of $45,000 for a four-year public university, and $120,000 for a four-year private nonprofit university.

Meanwhile, across Europe, universities are offering fully accredited degrees for a fraction of the cost of a degree in the US, or in some cases, entirely for free.

A Case Study in Prague

TRT got the chance to sit down with Liza Jean Miezejeski, founder of Skola, an international education platform that helps American students pursue their full degree in Europe.

Miezejeski is passionate about higher education and experiencing the chance to study internationally because she practices what she preaches. Originally a Connecticut native, she pursued her bachelor's at Anglo-American University in Prague, Czech Republic, and later earned her master’s from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Brussels, Belgium.

“I grew up in Connecticut, fully in the US. Didn't really spend much time outside of the US until I spent like two weeks abroad in high school. Then at the end of high school, I was just kind of stumped on what I wanted to do. I wasn't super drawn by any of my options in the US, like certain study programs seemed interesting, but nothing was really making me to want to apply and pursue that, until I heard on the radio that Americans were attending universities in Germany for free tuition,” 

Liza and her family found a university that offered her a fully accredited education and the chance to travel with minimal costs,

“I ultimately came across my alma mater, Anglo American University, which is in Prague, Czech Republic. I pursued my bachelor's there. It's an American accredited and Czech accredited university, so it's kind of like an American university abroad, but also with the local component.”

During her time in school, she noticed that the number of American students started to grow. The appeal of completing a bachelor’s program in three years instead of four, avoiding long-term debt, and travel had encouraged more and more U.S. students to step outside the U.S. 

Through social media and specifically TikTok, she was able to connect with a growing community of Americans looking to embrace the European higher education system.

EU & US: Cultural Differences

When it comes to college life, and the general attitude towards higher education, there are some interesting differences in the American and European approaches. Both America and Europe prioritize higher education and encourage building entrepreneurial skill sets, however, the biggest difference might be how they support obtaining those skills. 

In the U.S. the general culture is hyper-individualistic. It’s the student’s choice to go to college and it is up to them to work hard, achieve, and be successful. The thought being that if you can get your degree and a well-paying job then you can live a good life in American society. In contrast, European culture views a higher educated workforce as a benefit to its society as a whole. Because of that, Europe proactively tries to remove or limit barriers to entry when it comes to college. 

There are some American states that embody this European belief, but America lacks a unified approach to higher education across all 50 states.

 “I think at the root of the thinking around education and public programs for entrepreneurship really comes down to the cultural difference between, like, the hyper individuality in the US versus the collective community character of Europe. I think it's just culturally ingrained in American culture, that entrepreneurship (or earning a degree) requires that ‘whole pull yourself up by your bootstraps, buckle down, work 24/7, grind mindset.’ You just have to do it yourself, and you'll get there. There's nothing wrong with hard work, but the approach in Europe tends to be like, ‘Okay, we want to attract more entrepreneurship and make an environment for innovation to thrive here.’”

The way Europe looks at it is if the society fosters innovation and makes it easier for people to learn, they’ll then use their education, experiences, and ideas to benefit society in return.

College Life

When we dive even deeper and analyze the general life on campus, we see some key differences. European colleges, on the surface level, might appear older or lacking in some departments than private American universities. This is because of how educational funding operates. Private American institutions, with large funding and tuition, can revest those funds back into the campus. That’s why some American colleges can easily offer state-of-the-art student centers, gyms, museums on campus, and sometimes more extreme recreational facilities like lazy rivers.

This isn’t to say that European universities don’t offer state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, but you're more likely to see a centuries old library or just generally barer campuses. 

“Europeans consider their universities there to serve the purpose of academia, like they're there to educate you. So they might not have student housing, but they might have the best staff in admissions to help walk you through an application process. They don't always offer health services or mental health services, but they will offer learning disability help because that goes in with like academia”

Ironically, American college campuses often reflect European culture, providing walkable areas that connect classes, social clubs, and greek life, and generally avoid the urban sprawl that American cities use in all their designs.

Students in both cultures are encouraged to socialize and build clubs and communities within the universities but also somewhat independent of the university banner.

Challenges Americans May Face Studying Abroad

Americans who decide that studying internationally is for them might face certain challenges, however those challenges can be overcome. 

The biggest challenge right away would be the culture shock. While this can be intimidating, especially to students who might have had little exposure to non-American culture, it can also be a fun one to overcome. The easiest way to conquer the culture shock is to embrace the local environment. Talk to others, find something in common, and learn local customs and traditions. Most importantly, it’s best to explore. That way we can get a feel for our surroundings and it becomes less scary.

Another challenge that American students might be surprised by is the difference in academic requirements. European universities are offering more fully English speaking programs to encourage more international students, including Americans, to apply; however, some Americans might have to hedge their scholastic careers with additional AP and IB classes or seek an associate’s degree before applying. 

“A lot of countries do not consider an American high school diploma sufficient or equal to the secondary education of that country. Personally, I had to take an exam in the Czech Republic in order to prove that my high school diploma was equivalent. And I had to send my high school transcript off to a government agency for evaluation. And ultimately, I had to take an exam in geography, because I took geography in middle school instead of high school,”

Americans will have to know that they may need to be competitive when applying abroad.

Picking the Right School 

This is the most important part of this whole journey. Picking the right program at the right school is a personal decision regardless if you’re studying abroad or at home. For students looking to go abroad and maybe embrace a new country while they earn their degrees, it can boil down to two schools of thought.

“I think there are two kinds of routes you can take. It depends on what you already know about yourself. One side could be I absolutely want to live in this country, but I could either make concessions or I'm flexible on what I study. And the other side could be, I know exactly what I want to study, but I could be open to living in multiple places.”

If you’re in love with France and the Parisian lifestyle, then applying to one of the many institutions in the city will be your best bet, and then from there you can pick a program that interests you or offers some benefit. Alternatively, if business is your passion or focus, then you’re better off researching the different programs offered by acclaimed, accredited universities in Germany, Belgium, and across Europe.

If you are considering the quality and reputation of a university in the EU, generally a good rule of thumb is that public and non-profit private universities are considered to have a reputation for high quality education. These universities are most likely to have a solid reputation, be recognized internationally, and have clear accreditation.

Visas

Unlike a digital nomad or someone who works overseas, Americans looking to study abroad will have to specifically apply for student visas. The type of student visa differs depending on the specific European country, however, they will need you to be accepted by your university first. 

“You need to have gone through the whole university application process and admissions process and hold an acceptance letter or another confirmation of study from your university in order to apply for a visa.”

So prioritize your college picks first and worry about visas second. But, remember to factor in how long it can take to apply to a college, apply for a visa, and move to your new setting. It’s a balancing act where you don’t want to start different parts of the process too early or too late.

The Future of Global Education

The future is global, especially in regards to education. Statistically, we see more Americans apply for short term study abroad programs each year. From 2022 to 2023, the number of American students going abroad saw a nearly 50% increase from 2021.

As Americans graduate high school and are looking at their next steps, a European education is becoming a very realistic option, those options looking like: trade schools, community colleges, in or out of state colleges, and Europe.

Additionally, studying abroad might help Americans escape the increasingly unmanageable debt U.S. higher education demands each year.

Technology will play a big part in helping American students, young or old, in understanding their options and deciding which path is right for them. AI will be able to help… to an extent, but American students will be better off relying on technology that also connects them to experts and counselors that relate with them on that human level. 

Organizations like Skola, founded by Miezejeski and her team, are working to offer that human element that can help make sense of the often confusing landscape that is higher education. 

“Our philosophy, with what we're building at the moment, is that our platform on the web is creating access to necessary information to make the decision about whether or not to consider moving abroad for their education. It's a lot of facts and figures and tools and resources for you to be able to do really good research. Then on the other hand we work directly with students to select the right university for them as an individual and for their future career.” 

College might not be everyone’s choice and that’s okay, but college can be for everyone. We never stop learning, and we have more opportunity to learn than we might realize. Travel is its own teacher, helping us learn more about the world outside our bubbles and seeing how we are similar and different. To travel and better ourselves through higher education at the same time just seems like a win-win. 

‍Follow Liza Jean Miezejeski and Skola for more information on higher education in Europe or to start your international collegiate adventure, and follow The Remote Traveler as remote work and international work continue to grow.

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