Tollpatchig Senior Member United States Joined 4012 days ago 161 posts - 210 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Maltese
| Message 1 of 5 10 December 2013 at 4:16am | IP Logged |
I've been thinking about going back to school. I have a high school diploma and I've started college but I stopped attending because I either want to go to school to become a translator/interpreter for German or a nurse.
I've been giving more and more thought to attending school overseas namely in Germany (or Austria). I can see myself living and working in Germany so it's something I'd really like to do but I'm afraid that because I've left school I probably would never be accepted in an overseas uni. In the States, it wouldn't really matter because here you can always go to school regardless of your age or your past schooling but I don't know how Germany or Austria is on that matter.
I didn't get a chance to visit the University of Marburg or the Volkshochschule when I was there since we stayed at the volunteer site just about all the time. I would like to go to this Uni since I got a chance to get to know the city a little when we did go to the town.
Hopefully someone who has been in a similar situation or even someone who went to school overseas can give me some advice.
Crazy pipe dream I know, but if it's possible I'll pursue it but if not then I can always just go to school here.
Edited by Tollpatchig on 10 December 2013 at 4:19am
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Mani Diglot Senior Member Germany imsprachendickicht.b Joined 4910 days ago 258 posts - 323 votes Speaks: German*, English Studies: French, Swedish, Portuguese, Latin, Welsh, Luxembourgish
| Message 2 of 5 10 December 2013 at 7:56am | IP Logged |
If you're thinking about going to university in Germany have a look here for the requirements.
Also a Volkshochschule (=adult education centre) isn't the same as a Community college. Taking classes there usually won't get you any kind of diploma or qualified degree, classes there might prepare you for taking a test at another institute though.
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Doitsujin Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5325 days ago 1256 posts - 2363 votes Speaks: German*, English
| Message 3 of 5 10 December 2013 at 10:30am | IP Logged |
If you have all the required credits it might work, if you also have sufficient funds to live in Germany. According to the DAAD, you'll need to meet the following requirements:
Quote:
It is obligatory for your High School Diploma*) to be acquired after continuous attendance of the classes 9 to 12 at a U.S. High School and to comprise a total of 16 "academic units" in the forms 9 to 12:
- 4 units (3 units are sufficient for 11 forms) English with a minimum grade C: English IV or Honors or AP English,
- 2 units Second Language,
- 3 units Social Studies,
- 5 units in total Mathematics and Science:
- 2 or 3 units Mathematics with a minimum grade C: Algebra II or III, Trigonometry or Precalculus,
- 2 or 3 units Science with a minimum grade C: Biology, Chemistry or Physics,
- 2 academic units free to choose.
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Some of your college courses'll most likely also count as high school credits for admission purposes.
If you think that you meet all these requirements, just contact the admission office of the universities that you're interested in to find out what other requirements they might have (proof of sufficient funds, waiting lists etc.).
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kanewai Triglot Senior Member United States justpaste.it/kanewai Joined 4894 days ago 1386 posts - 3054 votes Speaks: English*, French, Marshallese Studies: Italian, Spanish
| Message 4 of 5 10 December 2013 at 10:47am | IP Logged |
An easier option might be to find a school in the States that has a study-abroad
component. Though cost might be an issue ... I could never afford it while I was a
student. Nursing might have more opportunities for work-study.
Having a set goal that you're working towards makes college a lot easier, too!
Edited by kanewai on 10 December 2013 at 10:48am
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Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5014 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian
| Message 5 of 5 11 December 2013 at 12:03am | IP Logged |
Or it may not. Nursing is often underestimated by people considering the field. There is still a lot of theory (even though much less than the future doctors and physiotherapists learn) AND a lot of practice. I am not sure about how different are american nursing programs from ours but I just know a lot of people totally underestimate how demanding may the studies be. Truth is that you may spend even more time at school than the medicine students (even though you may get more sleep and have less trouble with the theoretical subjects :-) )
Find a few universities you would be interested in and consult their requirements. If there are any unanswered questions left, contact the universities. But just a few words of caution: German universities are not that easy to enter, even German students go abroad because they don't get a place. And the american high schools are known to have much lower standards than most european ones, so get the information about the requirements in time so that you can act on the information. And lastly: do you want to study in German or in English? A lot of european universities offer programs taught in English and the quality may not be the same as of the same program taught in the native language of the professors and university. And to enter a program in German, you may already need to be about as good at German as having already studied the language at university.
If you have got such an option, studying in the US and spending a semester or two in Germany may fulfill your expectations the best.
Edited by Cavesa on 11 December 2013 at 12:04am
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