Opinion of Bernie Sanders' College Plan

[ingemann]

Indy Texas are to large extent correct, but there's one element he lack, yes there's universities which are more prestigious than other in Europe, but usual you need to come from the individual countries to get it, sometime you can guess it. Let's take Denmark example, most can likely guess that Copenhagen University is the most prestigious, but what comes next? CBS, RUC, DTU, Aalborg, Aarhus, Southern Danmark or another? That's relative well known among Danes, but it's not something people abroad usual knows or cares about.

So why do people abroad don't know this, well in Denmark case because it's a small unimportant country. But why do people not talk about the Harvard of Italy, Germany or France, it this case people don't talk about those universities, because we're having this discussion in English, if this was a French language board, people would talk about the French Harvard or Oxford, or call Harvard the American version of École Normale Superieure (I'm guessing, personal I only know of École Polytechnique, but I'm not a French speaker). This doesn't mean that ENS are superior to Harvard, but for French speaking

People often forget that when we discuss something in a language (in this case English), everybody are will share a lot of knowledge about the countries where the language in question are spoken, even foreigners. But that say little about the universities in question, and more about when we speak English the degree of popular knowledge about American and British universities will be much greater than the knowledge about universities which doesn't use English as the primary working language.

[ingemann]

I'm pretty sure the most prestigious universities in most countries do, or are at least moving toward, offering a full curriculum of classes in English. At Sciences Po, most international students I met were only taking classes in English - and if it happens in France, that means it can happen everywhere.

Not my point, my guess are that most course are still in French at French universities, which was I said primary language of education. My point was that because WE discuss this in a English language forum, American, British and other Anglophone universities will fill more in the awareness of the average poster and rightfully so. But that doesn't mean that Harvard or Oxford necessary is more prestigious for someone in a non-Anglophone country than their own top universities or academies. As example while having a master in economy from Harvard may give a bragging bonus for someone seeking a job in Denmark, it's not necessary a good thing for someone who wish to end up in the top in a Danish ministery or even in a lot of major Danish companies, where a education at Copenhagen or Aarhus (or even Uppsala or Oslo for people in business) will usual serve them better.

[ingemann]

Indy Texas are to large extent correct, but there's one element he lack, yes there's universities which are more prestigious than other in Europe, but usual you need to come from the individual countries to get it, sometime you can guess it. Let's take Denmark example, most can likely guess that Copenhagen University is the most prestigious, but what comes next? CBS, RUC, DTU, Aalborg, Aarhus, Southern Danmark or another? That's relative well known among Danes, but it's not something people abroad usual knows or cares about.

Hmm, I don't think there are great differences in level/prestige among Dutch universities. Sure, law faculty X at University X might be better than law faculty Y at University Y, but University Y might have a better department for medicine than University X. I'd like to talk of my alma mater as the Dutch Oxbridge, but while there might be ample reason to do so, the differences aren't nearly as huge as in other countries, which is normal in a system in which a great chunk of university financing comes from the government. The huge differences in "prestige" among American universities are simply a consequence of the fact that these universities are financed privately.

I'm going to guess that's because Netherland, while dominated by Holland have always been a more decentral state than Denmark, with more old universities, I wouldn't be surprised if Germany share this trait (because of their decentral history). But I'm sure you can mention 2-4 universities which are above the bulk of other universities in Netherlands, where majority of the elite have gotten their education.