Europe is the place to be in

Gurinder Singh Bhatti

Mark Twain rightly said, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." 

If you are thinking of traveling to Europe and study there, there are destinations such as Germany, Italy and France and a few others that are likely to come to your mind first. However, apart from these all popular ones, there are several other study destinations that are no less in any way. These places boast of concrete higher education systems, exciting study abroad experience, unique culture and great universities. With a long and rich history of pioneering higher education, European countries are home to many of the world's oldest and most prestigious academic institutions. Student cities there ranks high in attractiveness and excitement. Oflate, Europe is emerging as a favourable alternative to students all over the world, even more. Thanks to popular colleges and modern courses. Validating the facts above are the numbers of students traveling from India to these countries every year. For example: Germany hosts around one lakh foreign students a year, of which 11,655 are Indians. Likewise United Kingdom hosts around 27,650 Indian students per year. 

Europe is a land of diversity. The countries, their culture and even the universities are all very different from one another. The language, lifestyle and living costs - are also largely different. Though, as per the Bologna process, European universities are working to standardise degree systems, for students in the EU, choosing to study in a different country other than their own there are no visa requirements. 

In Europe, students are often spoilt for choice as the list is endless. Denmark or Turkey, Paris or Spain. There are numerous top ranked research universities and more specialised but smaller colleges. European courses opens up a whole lot of opportunities and give an education that employers around the world greatly value and respect. 

If you consider the QS World University Rankings® 2016-2017, it is seen that UK remains Europe's leader with four UK universities in the top 10 and 18 UK universities in the top 100. However, now after the Brexit, UK is no more a part of the European Union which removes Oxford and Cambridge. That leaves us with Switzerland, which has two universities ranked in the global top 15, with ETH Zurich in 8th place and EPFL (EcolePolytechniqueFédérale de Lausanne) at 14th. 

Other reputed European Universities comprise France's ENS Paris (ranked 33rd in the world) and EcolePolytechnique (joint 53rd); the Netherlands' University of Amsterdam (57th); Denmark's University of Copenhagen (joint 68th); Germany's TechnischeUniversitätMünchen (60th) and several others. 

Great exposure

Exposure is another great point. No matter in which country one chooses to study in, they have complete access to other countries and cultures. It allows one to explore the world. Europe has a consolidated quality assurance scheme which covers all European higher education courses. The degrees here are cost effective and are great value for money. Tuition fees and living expenses are affordable, plus scholarships are available in abundance. The costs though, largely vary from country to country, but one can surely afford a world class education, without overextending one's budget.

Germany

There are several choices available in Germany where in Indian students need not  pay any fees and it's almost free as they only need to pay the board and lodging.  Germany pays a lot of importance to education for all and the courses are highly acclaimed globally. Germany is known for its pioneer status in the field of advanced engineering. Some of the top engineering companies in the world originated in Germany which includes Volkswagen, BMW, Daimler, Bosch, SIEMENS and SAP. 

Ireland

Furthermore, the interest in Ireland is also rising. Ireland, has doubled the "stay back option" for master's and PhD students from 12 months to 24. By increasing the stay, Ireland is moving in the opposite direction to other overseas education destinations. There are many attractive job opportunities in Ireland, and the Irish government is of the perception that many talented Indian students will find a compelling option to gain post study work experience.

Italy

Italy, too, is among the top European countries where education is of high standard. The country boasts of great food, language, beautiful art and rich history. Programmes and courses in Italy are an amalgamation of Italian cultural studies and majors in business, fine arts and many more.

France

France is an embodiment of romanticism. Courses and programmes are available in locations ranging from cosmopolitan Paris or medieval Avignon. One can choose between French and English as the medium of education. 

Study system

In Europe, each country has its own higher education system but they are a part of the European Higher Education Area, commonly referred to, as EHEA. The system ensures that all higher education systems across Europe are standardised. Students, researchers and academics in Europe can collaborate and work abroad more easily. 

Most study programmes in Europe involve lectures and classes. Assessments are taken via essays, exams and coursework. Some courses require students to work in the related industry. Europe offers a plethora of programmes including subjects such as astrophysics, biotechnology, business, chemical engineering, football management, geography, green energy management, history, information technology, international relations, languages, law, literature, medicine, sociology, teaching, tourism, zoology, human rights, psychology and many more.  Most programmes have a modular framework which implies that students can create a personalised programme by selecting many different modules each year from an extensive assortment.      — The writer is Chairman & MD, ESS Global.