My Story: How I Found my University in Europe (And the Mistakes I Made)

If you're here, you probably already know that when I was a high school senior, with an increasing desire for adventure and a fear of student debt, I decided to move to Prague and get my degree at Anglo American University.

To start at the beginning. In 2015, just as the thought of college began to enter my mind, so did the stress of how I would manage to pay for my education. The obvious answer seemed to be loans. It was what every other middle-class student seemed to resort to so I figured I'd just end up as another student debt statistic. I planned on applying for financial aid and scholarships, but I was no Ivy League candidate and wasn't sure how far that would get me. So, I settled on a life of debt.

But, as you could guess, I wasn't the only student dreading this fate. June of 2015, I had just finished my sophomore year of high school. My mom and I were in the car listening to NPR Weekend Edition when we heard Scott Simon say, "American students looking to escape the staggering costs of a university education are heading abroad." My mom and I look at each other and she turns up the volume. We listen to Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson interview Americans who chose to take their education abroad to Germany. The 3-minute story ended and I immediately turned to my mom and said, "I would totally do that." And so it began.

The Search

With our only information about this route coming from a 3-minute NPR story, we began excitedly looking further into German Universities. Free tuition and a large international student community were alluring and seemed to make so much sense. There were drawbacks, of course, being so far from family and an uncertain job market in Germany for immigrants. But, free education from a top European university seemed entirely worth having to migrate back to the US after graduating.

But it wasn't long before we hit our first snag. The research was proving to be more difficult than expected. After a few months, I had found a hand full of universities I was interested in. These both offered degrees fully in English and had programs I was interested in. But the websites were difficult to navigate and it felt like the information I needed wasn't there. I felt like there must be some secret website that all the German students knew about which listed all the information about schools and helped give some sort of more personalized advice about which university to attend. But all I could find were dated websites written all in German.

Junior year had arrived. Even after visiting some American universities that left me less-than-excited and months of research turning out a disappointing lack of information for Americans seeking to study in Germany, I was still certain that going to college abroad was right for me. I had found two universities that especially interested me, the University of Freiburg and Rhine-Waal University.

With certainty this was the right path for me, my family and I packed up for a family vacation to Germany. I visited the universities in which I was interested and fell in love with Freiburg (to this day I still love the city). I learned many of the world's best-known philosophers had studied here including Martin Heidegger, Edith Stein, Max Weber. I was smitten but also worried.

Freiburg had become the only university I was interested in. And it was a good school, like really good, like Heidegger good. I didn't want to risk applying to only one school then being denied and getting stuck in my hometown post senior year while trying to figure out my next move in life. So we went back to the drawing board.

Expanding the Search

A bit threatened by my friends' increasing lists of potential schools, my mom and I hit the internet again with more research. After our trip to Germany, I spent 10 days visiting friends in England. I loved my time there so we started our search there but quickly realized that UK tuition was about equivalent to in-state tuition at my state's flagship school, UCONN. Without the motivator of massive financial savings, my mom was far less motivated to send me to school on another continent.

So school in England was scrapped and I was still left with just one school that interested me. Not wanting to settle for school in the US with maybe one semester abroad, I decided to start looking at schools across the rest of Europe, starting with France- and boy was that a mistake.

I quickly found the American University of Paris. Super excited about the thought of living in Paris, I dove right in and quickly found the tuition. It was $40,000. More than UCONN, the UK, and definitely Freiburg. This find gave me the impression that this was typical European tuition. So, I started to give up.

But, lucky for me, my mom didn't. She continued researching further and found that across Europe tuition rates are FAR more affordable than in the US. Not everywhere was free like Germany, but a $2,000 or even $6,000 yearly tuition was far more manageable than $40,000.

Senior year approached, and we were met with a similar challenge to the beginning of our search. A lack of information. As well as a new fear, what if these schools weren't legit? What if it was just an elaborate scheme to steal thousands of dollars from my family and I would arrive in Europe to find out the university didn't even exist? We couldn't afford another trip to Europe, so we had to get it right.

Consulting an Expert

Just as we began to give up once more, my mom came across a new online service. It was a new small business started by a university student coach who also sought an alternative to student debt for her kids. She had comprehensively researched universities across Europe which taught in English and offered degrees recognized in the US.

This felt like a godsend. It was a new business and there weren't many people that had used the service yet, so although we were a bit skeptical we figured it was worth a shot.

And we were right, this was a godsend. We started talking to the founder of this small business and sifting through their database of universities. Not only did this database provide us with key information on each university but it gave us a better understanding of my options – and there were SO many options.

Feeling a bit lost in all the options, my mom suggested we invest in some one-on-one consulting with the founder. Knowing that the price of the consulting would be made up for in the cheap tuition of whichever university I ended up choosing

With this list, Anglo American University jumped to the top of my choices, even above Freiburg. AAU was an affordable option located in Prague, Czech Republic. The founder had visited AAU and assured us that she loved both Prague and the university.

Unfortunately, the founder of this business has now moved on to new endeavors. But, with about 4 years worth of research on universities across Europe, scholarships for international students, visa requirements and other matters of immigration; 2 degrees from studying in 3 countries; and 7 years of lived experience with studying, working, and living in Europe, I have also begun to offer international student consultations.

(As this is a story of how I found my university in Europe I wont get into that now- but feel free to email me at liza@skola.be if you would like to inquire!)

Applying

With a new exciting list of universities, I started the process of applying. I found out most European universities don't require SAT scores, though they do tend to focus more on academic performance over extracurriculars. I had to create a CV rather than a resume (honestly loved that though, I hated trying to narrow down four years of high school to one page), and I had to write letters of motivation over a college essay (though it's not much different, this relieved so much stress for me. I felt like there was so much pressure to write the perfect college essay and my ADHD and perfectionism have me feel like if I can't do something perfect, I don't want to do it at all.)

There was one challenge though, my top universities required my diploma for the application. This meant I couldn't apply until June, and then I had only two months to get my student visa, which usually takes three. Except for Anglo American University. They allowed me to apply at any time, they would give a conditional acceptance as long as my high school diploma was sent in as soon as I graduated. With AAU being my top choice this was perfect.

So, I applied and was accepted before I ever had the chance to apply to any other universities. With an acceptance to my top university, I didn't feel the need to spend more time and money on any other applications. So I immediately began my visa process and booked my one-way flight to Prague!

Now

Well, it's been three years since I first arrived in Prague and I've never regretted it for a minute. I've met friends for life at AAU and had the opportunity to spend a semester in Malaysia. I am working on my thesis and I'm about to graduate with a degree in Humanities, Society and Culture in February.

Getting to where I am now wasn't easy or stress-free, as I'm sure you can tell now. But, it was the best decision of my life and I hope my story can help you avoid some of the mistakes I made.

xx Liza

Edited by Sophia Pedigo

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How to Find an Apartment Abroad

Figuring out where you will live once you move abroad is tricky, especially when you're searching through the internet from another continent.

No doubt finding a flat when you are hundreds, maybe thousands, of miles away can be difficult and a bit dodgy. Obviously, you want to live somewhere you'll be comfortable, but making a major investment in a flat you've never seen is risky, to say the least. To make matters even more complicated, in order to get a visa, you must have housing arranged for a full year.

It's not easy to navigate this obstacle, but here's what I did and what I recommend to those moving abroad for the first time.

1. So, you need proof of accommodation for your visa. You can't move to your new home without your visa so this is your priority. The first thing you should do is book a dorm room in the city for the length of the visa you're applying for. Make sure it's reliable with good reviews, better yet, is a dorm affiliated with or recommended by your university. But you want to make sure you are able to back out of your contract at any time with one month's notice. If you're moving to Prague, I recommend Zietraum Residence. I personally didn't stay here, but I had a few friends that did and it was the nicest dorm I saw in the city by far.

2. Now you can relax a bit because you have a place booked for the next few months and you know you can't end up homeless in a foreign city. But living in a dorm isn't for everyone. f you're someone who would rather live in a flat or a house, once you've arrived in the city you can start searching for your dream home, without the pressure of a time limit. What I did was live in a dorm for one semester while I made friends at school and once we had gotten to know each other, we decided to go in on a flat together.

3. Once you've found a new place you'd rather be staying, submit your letter to terminate the dorm contract and proceed with all the adulting that goes into getting a flat!

Other options to consider:

• Flatshare: Flatsharring is a great option if you're not sure you want to move in with any friends or if your friends are already situated in their housing for the year (or if you don't want to risk your friendship over roommate disagreements). Most cities have a few different Facebook groups for flat-sharing, you can join and go see a few until you find the perfect flat and housemates. I only don't recommend this as where you will stay first for a few reasons. First, since flat-sharing is mostly among students, it's not always planned far in advance when they will be leaving so it may be hard to find a place that will be available for the dates you need far enough in advance to get your visa. Secondly, since you can't view the flat or meet your flatmates in person in advance, you can't be 100% sure what you're getting.

• Purchasing a flat: this is not realistic for most people but if you or your parents want to make an investment in foreign property, this could be an option. I know one girl whose family did this for her and she lived comfortably there for her whole degree.

Good luck house hunting!

xx Liza

Edited by Sophia Pedigo

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Making Friends in a Foreign Country

Between language barriers and cultural differences, making friends in a foreign country can seem daunting, but is actually arguably easier than in your home country.

This is probably one of my most commonly asked questions, and to be honest, I was a little surprised the first time I was asked how I made friends here in Prague because it never seemed to be any different than any other situation. I made most of my friends at my university; in class, in common areas, at parties, etc.

My university, Anglo American University, is fully taught in English, therefore, every student at my school is fully fluent in English, so there has never really been much of an issue as far as language barriers.

What about cultural differences? I honestly think it makes things more interesting. If you're someone who finds different cultures, languages, religions, histories, etc. fascinating then you'll easily be able to strike up a conversation with anyone in the international/expat community.

Why do I think it's easier to make friends abroad? Because anyone who is willing to make the big move to live in a foreign country is going to be like-minded individuals, so you're more likely to share common interests, like travel, language learning, or adventurous activities. Plus, being in an international environment is endlessly interesting, every time you meet a new person you learn something new and have a unique experience.

What if you don't have uni to fall back on? If you have a job, get to know your coworkers! And if you have no other outlet, Facebook groups are amazing! In every city, there are "Expats in ...." and "Female Expats in ...." Facebook groups you can find and meet English-speaking expats and immigrants. And if you don't feel comfortable with Facebook groups, try signing up for clubs or activities in English, try English taught yoga classes, running clubs, book clubs, rock climbing, etc. Just try not to do anything too touristy like a one-time cooking class or beer tour cause all you'll meet are people here for the week. Lastly, for those of you not shy to just walking up to other English speakers you hear and introducing yourself, try hanging out in known expat places. In Prague, it's places like the Globe bookstore, AMaze Tchaiovna, and Vzorkovna (Dog Bar).

There are more English-speaking people out there than you'd expect. Making friends in a foreign country is just as easy as anywhere else, if not easier.

Don't stress, you'll be a-okay,

xx Liza

Edited by Sophia Pedigo

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