Should Americans Pursue Post-Graduate Studies Abroad?

[gfd43tg]

Hello,

I am getting to a point where I'm ready to start thinking about post undergrad (3 semesters to graduation). I go to a highly ranked US university, and I noticed in the USA there are people from all over the world who come to study here, however, the opposite seems to not to occur.

I had been contemplating the thought of doing post-graduate studies (MSc and later on PhD??) in another country, such as somewhere in Europe or South Africa. I was wondering if this would be a mistake, or if I should just stay in the USA. I like going into new cultures (I am currently a foreign exchange student in Hong Kong).

So is there any verdict on an American doing a PhD abroad, it seems so uncommon that it almost feels taboo to talk about...leaving the good ol' USA almost seems treasonous!

Anyways, any thoughts are appreciated

 

[Entanglement]

It depends on what you are studying.
The UK and Germany have prestigious highly ranked universities.
If you are studying engineering Eastern Asia also has some decent universities especially Japan.
But my opinion is to complete your studies in the USA.
Then travel anywhere you like since you are interested in different cultures.

 

[Hercuflea]

I'm an american studying an M.Sc. in the UK. I'm going to go back to the USA for my PhD, though. If you're purely interested in ranking/prestige I'd stick with the USA. But if you know of a group that is researching in your exact interests it might be worth it to go abroad. I.E. if you went to Cambridge, Oxford, or ETH Zurich you probably would have about the same opportunities as in the USA. But I've also heard that if you want to be a professor in the USA eventually, doing your PhD in another country can harm your application. Take everything into consideration.