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Germany’s great tuition fees U-turn

timeshighereducation.co.uk

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Re: Germany’s great tuition fees U-turn

#501

Post by dubbel »

garagemc2 wrote: post #85
taejo wrote: post #37

I'm a student at a German university, and I don't pay tuition fees, but I do pay about 400€ a year in "semester fees", of which the two largest components are "student services" and a compulsory season ticket for regional transport; student union membership and some kind of insurance contribution are also included.

Hey quick question - are comp sci courses in Germany taught in English throughout?

There is an increasing number of German universities which offer Master programs taught in English.

Here is a list of the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (German Academic Exchange Service):

> https://www.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/internationa...

Re: Germany’s great tuition fees U-turn

#502

Post by PeterisP »

aianus wrote: post #382
inclemnet wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't have to be a selfish prick, merely deluded if you thing much of your taxes would end up in parties for people doing art degrees.

They're the only ones that need handouts. The debt is not bad at all if you graduate from a decent school with a STEM degree.

As an example, US medicine staffing and pricing problems can directly attributed to the medicine school debt insanity.

Re: Germany’s great tuition fees U-turn

#503

Post by tehabe »

taejo wrote: post #495
tehabe wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those fees have no drop out, if the semester ticket had a drop out I guess nobody really wants to do that. You get to use all public transport of the region for a very low price. (Only exemption is, when a student goes abroad and can't use it anyway it the student can be exempt, usually there is also the possibility for poor students that the ticket is paid by the student body. At least we had the possibility to do t…

> Those fees have no drop out, if the semester ticket had a drop out I guess nobody really wants to do that. If I could drop out, I would consider buying the semester ticket in winter (when I take the bus to uni) and not in summer (when I cycle). In summer, most of my use of public transport is recreational (take the train to some swimming pool or hiking area). I could easily replace this with more cycling and occasi…

Depends on the city. I studied in Bremen and many students asked for the semester ticket first. Even though Bremen isn't that bad for cycling. But it has a well build tram network.

Re: Germany’s great tuition fees U-turn

#504

Post by zwieback »

macco wrote: post #469
zwieback wrote: post #302

Another point: US universities look very different from German ones. I live in Corvallis (OSU) now but grew up and went to school in Stuttgart Germany. Compared to the German universities our US schools are country clubs: dorms, restaurants, coffee shops, fitness clubs, green spaces everywhere. Don't even get me started on the sports, it's an outrage how US schools have become sports franchises. I'm guessing most US…

My question is: Where did you learn more?

I work in the US but I never went to University here so it's hard to say. The German system worked great for me but honestly, I think the US systems would work just as well, assuming I could pay the tuition at a decent school.

Re: Germany’s great tuition fees U-turn

#506

Post by aidenn0 »

welterde wrote: post #423
aidenn0 wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Acela trains share track with freight, TGV and ICE certainly don't. This includes the requirement for safe collision with a freight train, which adds a lot of weight.

The ICE shares tracks with freight trains as well. Only the TGV has completely dedicated tracks afaik.

Thanks for the correction; ICE trainsets are still way lighter right?

Re: Germany’s great tuition fees U-turn

#507

Post by aidenn0 »

thejdude wrote: post #448
2ion wrote: post #379

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> there's not much general ed to speak of If by 'general ed' you are referring to optional classes that are not necessarily related to your core subject or electives, I would like to say that you have very much the option (and in most reformed Bachelor-type programs it's a requirement) to take such classes and choose among many types of seminars ranging from communication and negotiation coaching to optional language…

That's the thing. German unis aren't schools; in fact the whole point (or at least original point before we got degree inflation) of our "high school" (Gymnasium) degree is to prepare students to be able to go on with a higher education on their own . If you want a more school-like experience, there are Fachhochschulen (more technical schools, "FH") instead of universities. Even in Germany many students complain that…

I spent a month in exchange at a Gymnasium in Germany. It is hard to express how different it is from a US high school. The main criticism I've heard is that the Gymnasien are good at the expense of the Hauptshchulen.

For those not familiar, the Gymnaisien are college-prep schools that start around 4th grade, and roughly the top 1/3 of academic performers qualify; the rest of the students go to Realschule or Hauptschule which are more of a vocational track and end around 10th grade.

Re: Germany’s great tuition fees U-turn

#508

Post by seanmcdirmid »

Genmutant wrote: post #483
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #480

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you live in a dorm on campus, you are required to buy a meal plan for meals, and they aren't cheap or flexible. This is why I couldn't afford to live in the dorms as an undergrad in America.

So a meal plan is like an subscription to meals? Why don't they sell it normally? How much is each meal with that plan? In our Mensa at the university we pay between 1.50 and 4€ per meal (exclusive drinks).

You don't buy a meal, you buy a quarter/semester of meals. And they are generally priced in the $10/meal range.

Re: Germany’s great tuition fees U-turn

#509

Post by penprog »

dubbel wrote: post #499
thejdude wrote: post #453

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not research, but in Sociology 101 I picked up that the US have a traditionally high upward social mobility and even poor kids can go to college (if only through student credit) and have a good career afterwards. I've heard that recent financial crises, and the bad job market prospects of liberal arts graduates have changed this somewhat. In Germany, tuition is almost non-existent (usually some fees of maybe 150€/sem…

> Yet Germany has a very low number of working-class students, for whatever reasons. Usually I think it's the parents' influence (but don't ask me why). I think there are two reasons: 1. Three-tiered school system: German children are separated after the fourth grade and go to three different schools (Hauptschule, Realschule, Gymnasium) and only if Gymnasium graduates can go to universities. In theory this should hap…

So wait, in 4th grade your destiny is basically decided for you? Fuck that

Re: Germany’s great tuition fees U-turn

#510

Post by penprog »

bratsche wrote: post #102
raverbashing wrote: post #73

I find the "American model" and the "European model" dichotomy very interesting. American model: individually centered, "pay for what you want", development is driven by small companies and individual decisions (most of the time). "Works for me" European model: centered on the community, social support, development by committee/government/consensus. Slow but directed improvements Germany could not have produced Faceb…

Even if what you're saying is true (which I'm a little skeptical of), what provides more value to people? Facebook or free education?

At first glance this question seems easy to answer but on a second thought I could see how someone could argue that Facebook provides more value.
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