Let me tell you one thing… most universities in Europe do not accept US students to enroll for their first year unless they have already successfully completed two years of university education… guess why?

I have personally studied at a minor german engineering school for mechanical engineering and seen what people study in Stanford. It’s just the same level, not any better and for much more money.
I know so many stories of US interns in Europe which showed the most complete lack of skills that I would be careful if I were you before writing a “euro-bashing” article.

I also know people who told math for people entering engineering school in the US and had to laugh about the level people reach in the US at the end of high school.

And believe me, no spring break here or anything like it. I and many more spent countless nights on complex calculations during years.

I am not exactly sure how the situation in “socially engineered sciences” is but I can tell you that what you describe does not apply to hard sciences.

Off course no North American would ever want to try studying science at a European University. Indians, Chinese, etc. however study sciences in large numbers in Europe.

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=525668

I wonder how much Columbia has lost..They just posted as of June 30th, 2008 their endowment feel about 2%, but I know they cooked the numbers a bit to put it in favorable light for their alums. The amount is probably a lot more especially since most of their holdings are probably in NYC.

http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2008/11/20/over-last-fiscal-year-columbias-endowment-falls