Generally, would you recomend going to college in America or Europe for an international student?

Question

I'm currently a sophomore at an American international school in Shanghai China, but i used to live in the states for most of my life. I really would love to attend college in Europe, but my parents are really hesitant about it since I hold an American passport and have always been under and American system. Plus they don't want me to take IB courses since apparently they're "useless" in the states? i'm not sure if thats true though :\ any wise advice from the life experienced?

i know im still young but i need to make course selections lol for either more IB or AP (ive only done AP so far)

Answer 1

Don't close your options by not taking IB. The IB is a fantastic programme no matter where you want to go, even if it's not as "useful" in the US. Also, I can get an entire year off college with my IB diploma (in the US), so it's not exactly useless. The UK is great if you know what you want to specialise in by the end of High School. The US is more if you want to continue with a broad and liberal arts education, not so good for specialisation at the undergrad level. If you do the IB, you can apply to both and then make the decision in your senior year, rather than closing off your options now.

Answer 2

I would say that the answer to that depends largely on where you intend to pursue your working career.  If you will work in the USA, it would be better to attend one our many fine universities.  If you plan on settling in Europe, you have some pretty good schools to choose from there as well, even if you are limited to english speaking countries.