I can understand how it seems exciting and awesome to go overseas and do a degree there. After I studied abroad in England it was my focused desire to do graduate school in the UK or somewhere else in Europe. But it's just not realistic. The amount of money spent on a degree that might end up (very, very unfortunately) not being respected as much as an American degree just didn't seem worth it to me. I think you would be risking a lot saying no to the American school when you can always do another degree in Germany.
And like previously said, you can look for jobs in Germany. ESL might be a problem unless you get certified over there--I thought for a while they preferred American English but all the Germans I've been talking to now say no, British English, and it can be tough to get hired in the EU if you're not an EU citizen.
I was also wondering, what is the draw about studying British and American culture from Germany? I can see wanting to do some work there because they have an outside view on it, but your whole degree?
Ugh, I'm sorry to be such a debbie-downer. I do think if you end up going to the American university it won't be as bad as you think, though it probably won't be as cool as being in Germany. Backup plans have always had a way of amazing me. You gotta make the experience your own.
I actually wouldn't be studying British and North American Studies, if I went to Germany. They had been recommending the program to me, but the program that I would apply to is Literatures and Literary Theory, which would focus on (as well as the obvious) film, plays, and western cultural criticism. The whole program sounds amazing, and part of my interest in doing it in Germany is the climate toward political correctness, and how that effects the social media and the study of literature in Germany.
Thank you so much for your advice. I hadn't thought too much about the sort of English that they prefer, since I've heard both (although I have mostly heard American English).
But do they want you for Literatures and Literary Theory? If they've been recommending a certain program for you, how can you be sure that they'll even accept you for another? Just another thing to think about. I'm not sure it would make a difference.
Yeah, that's something that I need to talk with them about. In the email (a different one than I had posted) they mentioned it kind of off-handedly, but I need to make sure that I could get into the Literatures and Literary Theory program.
Yeah, I was hearing "American English" all the time, for a long time! And then I started working with German study abroad students on my campus and asked them what sort of English they learn and they were surprised I thought they would learn American English. So either all the literature I've read is wrong, or the people who actually live there are wrong. So. I don't know. But I do know the EU is tough to crack. Best of luck.
And like previously said, you can look for jobs in Germany. ESL might be a problem unless you get certified over there--I thought for a while they preferred American English but all the Germans I've been talking to now say no, British English, and it can be tough to get hired in the EU if you're not an EU citizen.
I was also wondering, what is the draw about studying British and American culture from Germany? I can see wanting to do some work there because they have an outside view on it, but your whole degree?
Ugh, I'm sorry to be such a debbie-downer. I do think if you end up going to the American university it won't be as bad as you think, though it probably won't be as cool as being in Germany. Backup plans have always had a way of amazing me. You gotta make the experience your own.
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Thank you so much for your advice. I hadn't thought too much about the sort of English that they prefer, since I've heard both (although I have mostly heard American English).
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