SFLRN

It's better in the sense that it tends to have more Nobel prize winning pieces (which implies a certain degree of quality). It is also more influential. If the "European" method were preferable (and did something in the way of making actual predictions) it would have been chosen by now. The mathematical methods not from their inability to make predictions, but the difficulty in modeling realistic scenarios. As mathematics develops, and hopefully with a few Keynes/Friedmans along the way the models will be better able to predict reality. (Especially with the rise of "Super-crunching" data systems). As the technology develops so too will the models (which will bring them closer to reality). Neuroeconomics should also help move the field along.

Temporary in the sense that this has been the norm for the past six decades. It's a phenomenon (U.S. dominance) that's seen in most social sciences. Most European universities aren't comparable (in terms of social science research) to their American counterparts. Is there some metric you can point to where Europe clearly defeats the U.S. in terms of research impact (or any other metric for that matter)? That doesn't mean Europe's universities are bad. In fact I'd wager that a number of top professors and current grad students came from European universities, but that does not change the fact that the U.S. is where they get their PhD.

Jerry

Black Hills State Univercity and the School of Mines.

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Lerxst was right
......Lerxst is always right
!Lerxst in 2012!

bub

Well,
1) how can you compare? Rankings mainly compare the size of universities?
2) Then, if the rankings were accurate, how is it that thousands of European scientists are hired by US universities/companies every year?

Based on what friends of mine have told (people who were at my school and then spent a year in US high school, in LA, in Michigan and in Seattle), high school there is a joke. I'll ask them for more details but basically they said it is a joke.

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SFLRN

Not to be overly argumentative, but I don't think anyone can deny Europe does not lag behind the U.S. in the hard sciences at the university level as much as they do in other areas. High school is a joke depending on what kind of classes you take and what university you go to. At my former high school the "regular" classes were exceptionally easy.

bub

I can't compare universities, as I don't know anybody who has been to an US uni. But I can compare high schools. If you want more details, ask me and I'll send a mail to some friends who have been in the USA (of course you have to trust in their personnal experience, there won't be anything scientific in the comparison)

But I don't really agree with the rankings. Even the experts don't find real criteria for that. They rank by size, by the number of nobel prizes...but don't take many factors into account.

For example, if the number of language spoken by students was taken into account, countries like Switzerland, Belgium or the Netherlands would be in the top, while English-speaking countries would probably be last.

Other important things, like the knowledge of arts or history (and not only national history) are very difficult to rank. We don't learn the same things.

And when common tests are attempted to rank these things, US always score better because the way the questions are asked is very familiar to US students (multiple choices questions for example) while here the students are asked to write down x lines about a subject.

So, ranking schools/high schools/universities is very difficult, and as these rankings are done by US researchers on an US way, and who don't take into account many factors that would be favourable to other countries, there is always a bias in favor of US students.

Of course Cambridge, Oxford or Berkely are probably the best universities, but don't look down at European universities, whose level is not bad at all. We educate engineers who built the Airbus the US Army has just bought, who build the busses you are using (Van Hool), the trains you copied (ACELA)...

new coup for you

You're forgetting the record numbers of Europeans who attend American and Anglo schools. I suspect a great many AirBus engineer went to MIT and Caltech.

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And why does your tone suggest that you do not care about children?

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.

bub

jk

new coup for you

You know, I did admit that your guys lower education is vastly superior...

honestly it's a better deal for you. I can't attend German elementary school, but you can attend American college.

bub

and you know, i don't want to look as if I looked down at US education. I just said I didn't agree that our universities were lame.

This evening there is a party, there will be both teachers and booze, and if I'm a bit drunk maybe I'll ask them what they think about this question (one of them got his diploma in Stanford)

new coup for you

There's a difference right there...you couldn't pay me to drink with my teachers.