Two things to know about going to grad school in Belgium: 1) it is very affordable and 2) they accept almost anyone with a reasonably relevant background. In terms of the first point, in Belgium, education is subsidized by the government. It’s almost like they decided that they’d be a stronger society if quality education was available to everyone and as such, individuals shouldn’t need to incur crippling amounts of debt because of it. Novel, isn’t it?
Regarding that second point, I really dig their outlook. To attend grad school in the states, you have to take standardized tests, submit writing samples, go through interviews, and so on. It’s an incredible pain in the butt. And regarding standardized tests, seriously? When you hit the level of specialization of graduate school, who cares if you are generally well-rounded? It sort of misses the point of the whole thing, but it’s a hoop you have to jump through anyway. And you have to pay to do it. In Belgium on the other hand, they accept most applicants that have a relevant background. The flipside of this is they are also much more cavalier about putting you through the ringer and/or failing you. If you go this path, you will not be coddled. You’ll get in, but you’ll have to prove that you want to succeed and that you are capable of succeeding. Frankly, this approach makes a lot more sense to me.
I agree!