Why USA

I've met people who won international debate competitions, published their own books or started their own AI business

The American education system is also extraordinary. The main benefit for me was the flexibility: most universities give you two years to choose your major and even after you decide, you can still take almost 50% of fun, non-major classes. I am majoring in Ethics, Politics & Economics, but so far I have not taken a single economics class—not because I am not interested in Economics, but rather because there are countless other amazing classes I wanted to try out first, like Modern Philosophy, Cognitive Science of Language or the Science of Sleep. Besides this flexibility, the quality of the professors is unparalleled. Many professors are the best in the world in their fields and what's crazy is that they want to personally get to know you! I, for example, developed personal relationships with almost half of my professors and had one-on-one lunches with three of them.

Another aspect that makes the American college experience unique are the extra-curricular activities. Usually you will live on campus with all your friends which provides the perfect opportunity for you to engage in non-school activities—and the amount that American universities offer is unending. I personally have always been passionate about singing but Czech universities would not help me develop this talent. In the U.S., however, I was able to fully immerse myself in an singing group—we performed at concerts all around the east coast and in the spring I even brought them home to the Czech Republic. Whether it is joining a music group, the debate team or the cooking club, I can guarantee you that you will find what you're looking for at American universities.

After spending just one year at Yale University, I cannot recommend studying in the U.S. highly enough. Let's look at all the benefits you will get from studying at any American college (not just Yale):

Many similar posts start with "the quality of education"; however, to me the most important part of studying in the U.S. are the people. By this I mean literally everyone—from your friends to your professors and advisors, even to your friend's parents! Regardless of who you talk to, though, you will notice the American ambition: I've met people who won international debate competitions, published their own books or started their own AI business—and all this has served as an immensely powerful motivation force for me. Just spending time in this ambitious environment will completely change your world-view and inspire you to make a difference and become successful.

Speaking of career success, there is no better place for professional development than American universities. Having an American degree will definitely give your resume a huge boost—but that's not all. Not only will you get help from professionals about any of your career questions or problems at any U.S. university, but you will also get access to Career Fairs where hundreds of companies come to your campus and look for potential employees. The internship opportunities are also limitless as you can apply to any start-up or firm, including giants like Amazon, J.P.Morgan, NASA and more—many of my friends did their internships at these companies. Career-wise, attending a U.S. university is probably the best decision you can make!

I developed personal relationships with almost half of my professors and had one-on-one lunches with three of them.

Finally, it must be mentioned that studying abroad, especially in the U.S. is not for everyone. Despite all these incredible benefits, it can still be very challenging. Culture shock will probably be overwhelming until around December and being away from family and friends can feel impossible. Nevertheless, these difficulties are a fantastic opportunity in and of itself! Yes, the beginnings are very difficult. That is precisely the point. Through overcoming all the challenges of studying abroad, you will experience profound personal growth. Looking back, that has been the most important aspect of my stay in America—one that the Czech Republic could not offer.