Die Schweiz oder Amerika???

[j.ice]

Okay.. so I unexpectedly got into George Washington with a Master of International Trade and Investment Policy which is basically my dream topic BUT I have zero funding so I am expecting I will have to take loans of around 40 to 50 grand in the end...

Because I didn't think I would get in in the first place I applied to University of Zurich for a Master in Economics and Management (DREAM LOCATION and very happy with the program) as well as Humboldt University Berlin and Goethe University in Frankfurt with similar programs. I have currently studied in Germany for 3 years at a private English speaking University and my German is only intermediate at best but the masters programs are in English and virtually free (1000 dollars a year or so, plus funding from the German government).

The thing is I know no one in the states really knows the German schools and if I go there it is imperative I learn German (which I could do during the master) and will end up getting a German speaking job, which for me is not so bad because it is my dream to end up living in Switzerland (working for WTO or World Economic Forum ideally ) . Still.. in many ways I feel like I am throwing away a great opportunity in the English speaking world to do this as I could probably get a very good job with the US government or a bank etc. I mean I would still learn German if I went to GW, but I just feel like the risk of getting stuck in an American job will be very high (I am American btw). Also it is possible that I can always go back to America and apply to an even better master later, as Columbia told me in their rejection letter that as I am only 20 and the average acceptance age is 27 I would strongly be encouraged to reapply when I get more work experience. And the final consideration is that if I decide to work in the German speaking world I am definitely putting a strain on my family as I have already been abroad 3 years and I am basically telling them I am not planning on coming back any time soon.. which is a bit sad considering I am the only child.. I mean.. it is not the crucial factor, but considering that my parents are still my main source of financing their opinion definitely matters.

So yeah.. any opinions?

[UnlikelyGrad]

Personally, I would go for Zurich if I were you--you seem happy enough about it! (Zurich is absolutely stunning.)

(1) Don't assume that you couldn't get an English-speaking job--my current advisor got her degree in Switzerland and now works in the US.

(2) Don't make your decisions based on how you think your parents might react. You don't know what their long-term thinking will be. My parents were not happy when my brother took a job in Hong Kong. However, after a couple of years, they realized that this was a great excuse for them to travel...they stop by HK every couple of years, but also use it as a jumping-off point for exploring other parts of SE Asia.

[fuzzylogician]

Can't really help you decide, but I just wanted to say that Berlin is an absolutely AMAZING city to live in! I also hear good things about Zurich:). I say go with your heart, especially since that's also where the money is.

BTW: you do know it's "die Schweiz" (and consequently "in der Schweiz"), right?

Edited March 24, 2010 by fuzzylogician

[breakfast]

Go with Zurich! If your dream is to get a German-speaking job in Switzerland, why wouldn't you go to a program in Switzerland? Don't let your family pressure you into anything else. This is your life, so live it. You could always find a job in America later (especially since you're an American), but I imagine it would be a lot harder to find a job in Switzerland later if you ended up going with the offer from GW.

[j.ice]

BTW: you do know it's "die Schweiz" (and consequently "in der Schweiz"), right?

Hahahahah.. epic fail

and I can't even change it...

Hum.. but thanks for the input.. I would love to go to Zurich... but I guess I have to see that I have all the requirements and how it goes... plus my parents recommended exactly the opposite... so I guess I will just have to wait and see..

Edited March 24, 2010 by j.ice

[fuzzylogician]

Hahahahah.. epic fail

and I can't even change it...

Oh sorry, I hoped you would see my comment in time for you to change the title and for me to delete the remark.. I guess it's too late now:P

[zerolife]

I would vote for Schweiz too ... seriously, GW Elliott School is not bad but it's not a golden ticket either. GW would be nothing if it wasn't for the location. You probably will get a much better education in Switzerland (I was a GW student so I think I have the right to say that).

As others have said, I don't agree that you can't find a job in the US unless you have a US degree. I know plenty of people who have found great jobs with degrees from average universities abroad. I think the only case where you should seriously consider going to GW (for the internship opportunities) is if you have to work in DC in the future.

Edited March 24, 2010 by zerolife

[Bumblebee]

Don't worry about your parents. I'm sure they will understand. My case is the same as yours, but in the other direction. I'm from Spain, I came to the US for one year to teach, I'm in my third year and have just been accepted to Grad School. I was worried about how my parents would react when I told them that I was applying to Grad School. What was supposed to be one year, has turned into 10+ years (three working, two of MA, minimum 5 of PhD, etc.).

They told me they were really sad, but that they knew this is what I want to do, so if it made me happy, I should pursue my dreams. They have been really supportive, and they are already making plans for their 3rd trip to the US.

[UnlikelyGrad]

Oh sorry, I hoped you would see my comment in time for you to change the title and for me to delete the remark.. I guess it's too late now:P

Ta da!! There are advantages to being a moderator...

[j.ice]

Ta da!! There are advantages to being a moderator...

Dankeschön Herr Moderator

And thanks for all the feedback as well... The only problem I might have with Zurich is I will not know the admission decision until June or July AND even worse they might only accept me as a bachelor because I don't have exactly the same degree as the master program. So then I would have to take some bachelors courses in German to catch up.. thus if this happens I would more or less be forced to take the German grad school options which I would get directly accepted to or GWU. But I guess I won't know until they admit me .. I think I will definitely accept the GWU offer and then just turn it down later if necessary. I mean it is expensive and not so polite, but I think the 500 dollars is worth the security of having somewhere to go in the fall.

[UnlikelyGrad]

Dankeschön Herr Moderator

Ummm...Frau Moderator! Aber bitte schön!

So I guess I missed something, because I thought you'd already been admitted to Zurich. What's your admission status at the German Unis?

[pietjekanarie]

If your goal is living in Switzerland, I'd say you should really go to Zurich. Doing grad school somewhere also includes networking. You'll build a network in Switzerland and that will be very useful when you will try to find a job there after graduation. Switzerland is known to be pretty hard to get into. I think the EU is a fortress, but Switzerland is like Fort Knox. I think you will pretty much ruin or very much decrease your chances of getting a job in Switzerland by going to GW. Especially since you're an American. How are you going to come back to Europe after being in the US for so long? I'm not saying it is impossible, but it will be harder. I know it depends on the job and maybe it is easier in certain professions, but I would definitely try to go where you want to live. Germany seems a good option as well (although Zurich is better, I think). It also helps that you can improve your German over the years there, something that I'd think is necessary when looking for jobs in Zurich (or Germany).

Edit: For the WTO it might be a good idea to improve your French..

[j.ice]

I don't know about any of the German Universities yet, I will find out about Humboldt in April, and Zurich and Goethe in May or June. The application deadlines are just very late. I am expecting to get accepted to the German Universities although it is definitely not guaranteed, but Jacobs University (where I study) has a very good reputation in Germany and many other students with lower GPAs and GREs than I have got accepted to similar programs. For Zurich it is more complicated because I didn't study exactly the same program in my bachelor, so from what I have heard is they most likely will accept me as a bachelor in which I have to finish the prerequisite courses (in German ..) and then go directly into the English master after. This could take up to a year depending on the courses I need.. but also considering I had to really run around to get so many strange documents (studienplatznachwies for example) for this school it might not be necessary at all... I obviously won't know until they tell me for sure. But at least they seemed willing to take me. St. Gallen (my absolute dream school) flat out rejected me before I even applied because they said a bachelor in International Politics and History was not complementary to a Master of International Affairs and Governance. .. So I do believe Switzerland is like Fort Knox in some ways.

Edited March 26, 2010 by j.ice

[j.ice]

Oh and sorry Frau Moderator :/ It is a little hard to determine gender here