Exploring International University Options and Opportunities

[DrSmersh]

Hello PF, i have been registered here for a couple of months now and i like to read the forums but since my english is not very good I am not an usual poster.
I have 17 years old and i like maths, physics and computers in general so i decided to study an engineer degree.
I'm living in Argentina at the moment and planning on study at the "Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA" but there is also an option to apply for a scholarship(the only way to get in) on the "Instituto Balseiro" which is in Bariloche and teaches Theoretical Physics, Mechanical Eng and Nuclear Eng (this one is not abailable in UBA).
What i want to do is finish my career and go to Europe (Switzerland, New Zeland, maybe the UK) or Japan.
So basically i want to know:
Wich university is more prestigious on the foreign countries ?
What engineering is more needed and better paid ?
And what can you tell me about those countries (Japan and Europe in general) ?

 

[Delong]

I think the most paid engineering positions are chemical, electrical, aerospace, and biomedical.

 

[HallsofIvy]

I think you should also know that New Zealand is not in Europe!

 

[DrSmersh]

I think you should also know that New Zealand is not in Europe!

Yes, sorry i was talking with a friend and he started with new zeland and it just got stuck in my head, -.-
:rofl:

 

[fluidistic]

I also live in Argentina and I can tell you a few things.
To start: the Balseiro Institute is very, very hard to get into and to apply for it you need 2 years of physics and math at university level (if you doubt about it, just read this from the Balseiro website, especially there: http://www.ib.edu.ar/index.php/ingreso-a-carreras/ingreso-carreras-de-grado.html). Then you must pass a written exam and do better than most of the people who took it (it's not a pass/fail exam, it's a contest). If you pass this stage, you'll have an interview where the physicists will ask questions about your life, interests and physics. I have a friend who reached this stage and got discarded due to a poor discipline in University (he would not take final exams despite knowing well the courses, losing years without any good reason). He's now totally depressed about it and can't get over it because he hadn't planned to fail (he's very good in solving physics problems).
Say you go to UBA for the first 2 years and do well. Say you get into the Balseiro and do well there (if you fail 2 final exams you're shown the door. Furthermore you can't do what my friend did: you're obligated to take the final exams right after you took the courses).
I can tell you that they will answer your questions about which country to choose and it will likely depend on the area you chose to specialize. I wouldn't lie if I say that almost all people leaving the Balseiro with a "licenciatura" are either in North America or Europe doing a PhD or working. It's really not something to worry about if you got there.
I even had a professor who went to the Balseiro and then went in MIT to pursue a post doc. I'm pretty sure he's famous in his area of physics and I know he has a lot of publications in serious physics journals (I'm not sure it's the word though, English isn't my first tongue either).
So I suggest you to have backup plan in case you're not admitted to the Balseiro institute. If you're admitted and do well there, you will have no problem in pursuing or finding jobs in either North America or Europe as I just said.

Now if you go to the UBA, I think you'll get a better idea where to go when you're more advanced into your degree. If you have very good grades and some letters of recommendation I see no reason why you wouldn't be admitted into a US University. For Europe, I'm not sure the GPA is so important than in the US. I prefer someone else than me to answer this question.

So about your question "What engineering is more needed and better paid ?", I do not know nor do I know if it won't change within the time you get your diploma. But say you succeed in the Balseiro then you won't have any problem to go further in your career outside your country, whatever your degree is (licenciatura or any of the two engineering degrees).

 

[physiker_192]

For Switzerland, ETH Zurich is excellent.
Switzerland is an expensive choice.
On the other hand, Germany offers similar education and universities but costs much less, many more scholarships and ample opportunities for part time jobs. Tuition fees in Germany are currently 1000euro per year (the number is much higher for Switzerland, and the cost of living in Switzerland is crazy.

 

[niklaus]

For Switzerland, ETH Zurich is excellent.
Switzerland is an expensive choice.
On the other hand, Germany offers similar education and universities but costs much less, many more scholarships and ample opportunities for part time jobs. Tuition fees in Germany are currently 1000euro per year (the number is much higher for Switzerland, and the cost of living in Switzerland is crazy.

The tuition fees in Switzerland are really about the same (currently CHF 1288 at ETHZ, similar at all other universities). Tuition is not the issue when studying in Switzerland, it's only the cost of living.

 

[DrSmersh]

I also live in Argentina and I can tell you a few things.
To start: the Balseiro Institute is very, very hard to get into and to apply for it you need 2 years of physics and math at university level (if you doubt about it, just read this from the Balseiro website, especially there: http://www.ib.edu.ar/index.php/ingreso-a-carreras/ingreso-carreras-de-grado.html). Then you must pass a written exam and do better than most of the people who took it (it's not a pass/fail exam, it's a contest). If you pass this stage, you'll have an interview where the physicists will ask questions about your life, interests and physics. I have a friend who reached this stage and got discarded due to a poor discipline in University (he would not take final exams despite knowing well the courses, losing years without any good reason). He's now totally depressed about it and can't get over it because he hadn't planned to fail (he's very good in solving physics problems).
Say you go to UBA for the first 2 years and do well. Say you get into the Balseiro and do well there (if you fail 2 final exams you're shown the door. Furthermore you can't do what my friend did: you're obligated to take the final exams right after you took the courses).
I can tell you that they will answer your questions about which country to choose and it will likely depend on the area you chose to specialize. I wouldn't lie if I say that almost all people leaving the Balseiro with a "licenciatura" are either in North America or Europe doing a PhD or working. It's really not something to worry about if you got there.
I even had a professor who went to the Balseiro and then went in MIT to pursue a post doc. I'm pretty sure he's famous in his area of physics and I know he has a lot of publications in serious physics journals (I'm not sure it's the word though, English isn't my first tongue either).
So I suggest you to have backup plan in case you're not admitted to the Balseiro institute. If you're admitted and do well there, you will have no problem in pursuing or finding jobs in either North America or Europe as I just said.

Now if you go to the UBA, I think you'll get a better idea where to go when you're more advanced into your degree. If you have very good grades and some letters of recommendation I see no reason why you wouldn't be admitted into a US University. For Europe, I'm not sure the GPA is so important than in the US. I prefer someone else than me to answer this question.

So about your question "What engineering is more needed and better paid ?", I do not know nor do I know if it won't change within the time you get your diploma. But say you succeed in the Balseiro then you won't have any problem to go further in your career outside your country, whatever your degree is (licenciatura or any of the two engineering degrees).

Thank you very much for the answer its really usefull,
I knew that its hard to get in the Balseiro and I can see if its posible for me when I am studying a career, if i am not doing very well in the UBA i wouldn't think in taking the test to enter the Balseiro. But the biggest doubt with the Balseiro institute was if it was recognized as an important institution on foreigns countries.
As for the engineering degrees id like to know if there is an engineering that i shouldn't study, I am don't know if something like "Informatic Engineering" has an equivalent in other countries (there was a big problem in Spain on that matter)

 

[physiker_192]

The tuition fees in Switzerland are really about the same (currently CHF 1288 at ETHZ, similar at all other universities). Tuition is not the issue when studying in Switzerland, it's only the cost of living.

Thanks for the correction, I did a calculation a few years back and it ended up with a big sum, as I don't recall the details, I probably confused it with the cost of living.

 

[fluidistic]

Thank you very much for the answer its really usefull,
I knew that its hard to get in the Balseiro and I can see if its posible for me when I am studying a career, if i am not doing very well in the UBA i wouldn't think in taking the test to enter the Balseiro. But the biggest doubt with the Balseiro institute was if it was recognized as an important institution on foreigns countries.
As for the engineering degrees id like to know if there is an engineering that i shouldn't study, I am don't know if something like "Informatic Engineering" has an equivalent in other countries (there was a big problem in Spain on that matter)

You're welcome.
About the Balseiro, one reads in wikipedia

It's considered one of the best Physics and Nuclear Engineering study centres of South America, as well as a very prestigious one worldwide.

. For instance the famous physicist Juan Maldacena got his licenciatura from the Balseiro and then went on for a Ph.D. in Princeton.
About the "informatic engineering", I think it would be better translated as "Computer Engineering" or "Computational Engineering", though I'm not 100% sure. I'm not qualified enough to give you an answer about it but I highly doubt such a degree wouldn't be recognized outside Argentina. If you have doubts I suggest to write an email to the Argentinian university that offer such a course and ask them directly your questions.