How the American College Experience Differs from the Rest of the World

By Ian Donnelly

The quintessential college experience isn’t as universal as you might think. While every student faces a few fundamental truths in pursuit of a degree (late-night study sessions, a strict diet of pizza, a newfound appreciation for naps, etc.) where you go to college impacts how you go to college—especially if you decide to study overseas.

Whether you’re an American student looking to study across the pond or an international student with your heart set on a university in the U.S., you should be prepared for a bit of culture shock right from the get-go. Here are a few of the biggest differences between U.S. universities versus colleges around the world.

Dorm Life

For freshman college students in America, dorm life and student life are one in the same. A huge percentage of American students live in a dorm room on campus for at least one year of school. In Europe, however, the idea of dorms is almost entirely nonexistent. European students are far more likely to rent an apartment near campus than to ever set foot in a college dorm. Since most European cities have an efficient public transportation infrastructure, on-campus housing is not a freshman’s number one priority.

This translates into a different on-campus vibe than most Americans expect when choosing to study abroad. Since dorms make school and home one in the same, U.S. universities actively host on-campus social events and organized activities, but European schools are viewed strictly as educational centers. While a majority of European students live close to their college, campus is where you study and socializing takes place off-campus.

Social Scenes

First and foremost, there’s Greek life—something that is uniquely American. While universities around the world have clubs and other social groups that students can join, nothing is quite as immersive as the sororities and fraternities that exist on American campuses. With no real equivalent, the Greek life social structure is a totally foreign concept to students abroad.

Many international students believe that going to college in America and Greek life are indivisible. While this may sound ridiculous to U.S. students, it’s not hard to see why—the popular portrayal of fraternities and sororities in movies and TV shows tend to center around drinking and partying, which is the real dividing line between the American college experience and the rest of the world.

America has one of the highest legal drinking ages in the world at age 21. By contrast, a majority of the world’s nations allow drinking at age 18, and many European countries permit teens to start drinking beer at age 16. Since the drinking age is more flexible and many students have been drinking for several years by the time they enroll in a university, the rest of the world’s colleges feature notably less keg stands and jello shots.

The drinking culture for students doesn’t have its own niche in other countries—students in the U.K. drink in pubs just like everyone else, French and Belgian students in cafés, and so on. This may take some getting used to for an American who hasn’t had a controlled, legal exposure to alcohol in the past. On the other hand, an international student might want to brace themselves for all the beer pong at their first solo-cup party. The movies do get some things right, after all.

Class Structure

In American universities and colleges, students spend 12 to 20 hours in class every week—it’s the norm that students have come to expect from a full course schedule. But along with those in-class hours, a hefty chunk of time outside of the classroom is devoted to study. The reading load between high school and college increases significantly for American students and keeping up with the course material is done on their own time.

Academics in other countries don’t follow the same study model. On average, overseas students spend a lot more time in class. Between 25 to 35 hours a week is normal, but the difference evens out with a lighter homework load than American students deal with.

Another noticeably unique trait of American college classes is the level of class participation and the student/professor dynamic. While U.S. students are often graded for their engagement in class discussions, this isn’t always the case for classrooms overseas. In many Japanese universities, there are very few class discussions and students are expected to listen to their professor and take notes. And when it comes to grading, it’s not uncommon for a student’s entire grade for the class to be based on the result of one final exam—a stark contrast to the midterms, quizzes, projects, and papers found on a typical American syllabus.

Athletics

College athletics is arguably the most singular characteristic of American college culture. No other country focuses on sports to the extent that American schools do. Tailgating, televised gamedays, and packed college stadiums are the bread and butter of some of America’s top universities, but they aren’t on the global checklist for the universal college experience.

Overseas, college athletic programs have no ties to professional sports. Unlike the four-year grooming for the pros that America’s top athletes get in college, student sports teams in Europe are more of an amateur affair, and athletic scholarships are unheard of. School-run sports are mostly recreational clubs that are open to all, and don’t require students to play at an elite level just to attend tryouts.

Since college play isn’t a pathway to the big leagues, Americans studying abroad won’t find any die-hard disciples that live and breathe school spirit. That level of fandom is reserved for pro soccer, the dominate sport in the rest of the world, and major soccer clubs take their talent just as seriously as U.S. teams do, if not more so—big-name soccer teams such as Chelsea, FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid invest in potential players as early as seven years old, enrolling them in their own academies to develop superstar skills.

All these contrasts may have you feeling homesick already, but despite the many differences between the American college experience and universities abroad, studying in another country is a unique and worthwhile chance to broaden your horizons. Not only will you benefit from a college education, but your travels will give you a whole new perspective on the world around you—and you just might learn something new about yourself as well!

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