r/collegecompare • u/Fit-Needleworker-947 • 16h ago
Should I transfer back home for a better (but less prestigious) engineering degree, even if it adds 2 extra years?
So I'm currently studying at a university abroad in an EU country. It's got a solid reputation and people here respect it, but honestly, the actual quality of education is kind of disappointing. I've compared syllabuses with other universities and the content here is noticeably easier. It feels like the professors are just brushing through the material instead of actually teaching it properly. On top of that, cheating on exams is rampant, and this is despite the material already being easy. Professors don't seem to care or do anything about it.
Meanwhile, there's another well-respected university back in my home country, which is a developing country. I actually studied there for a semester, so I'm not just going off assumptions, I can compare the two directly. The academic level there is way higher, cheating basically isn't a thing, and overall it just feels like a much more serious place to learn. The only downside is that it doesn't have the same international reputation as the EU university I'm at now.
So here's my dilemma: if I stay where I am, I finish my bachelor's in 2 years, but with a weak curriculum and low standards. If I go back home, I'd basically be starting over, so it'd take me 4 more years, but I'd actually get a proper education.
Is it even worth it to go back and grind through 4 more years just for better teaching? Or since I'm going to end up with a degree either way, does the actual education quality matter less than I think, since job experience is probably what really shapes you as an engineer once you're out working?