The Key Differences Between American and European Colleges
The continent of Europe is the most common destination for American college students who are studying abroad. It’s no surprise why: Lots of universities there are affiliated with American schools and the continent is rich in culture and history.
It obviously helps to know what to expect before studying abroad in Europe, but articles that explain the study abroad basics usually tell you about the housing accommodations, the climate of the host country, transportation, staying safe, places to explore, etc. These are all essential for study abroad students to know, but since you’ll study at an institution abroad, it’s also important to know the differences between American universities and colleges and European universities and colleges. And those differences are many.
Below, I’ll share the key differences between European and American universities to get you up to speed. You might be surprised at how different things are across the Atlantic!
Table of Contents
Classes
Classes in US higher education institutions often consist of lectures, writing assignments, quizzes, reading assignments, discussions, group projects, etc. At liberal arts colleges and community colleges, you have more interactions with your professors than at big universities. Speaking up in class is encouraged and students can see their professors in their office hours.
In Europe, classes focus on lectures, reading (lots and lots of reading), and one or two major exams. Group projects and other activities are rare. In the UK, there are “tutorials,” in which there’s a group of 1 to three students, but they are not taught by a professor. In Spain, student debates are common.
At European universities, students are generally expected to learn independently and academic help resources are not common like they are in the states. There’s not much student-teacher interaction across most of the continent, although there is in Spain, where student-teacher relationships are very informal. Like Spain, informal student-teacher relationships are common in Finland.
