miércoles, 6 de diciembre de 2006

Higher Education in Mexico and the United States

Higher education has been a topic that has concerned many countries in the world. Besides, the government in each country has made its best trying to fulfill the needs of their people in order to offer the best quality in education. Furthermore, this is the reason why educational policies are constantly changed, and what makes higher education in each country different. Higher education is an important issue, and this is the reason why in Mexico and The United States it is similar, but at the same time it is different.
First of all, higher education in Mexico and The United States is similar in what refers to the fact that both countries have public and private colleges and universities. Besides, in each country private institutions are not necessarily superior to the public ones, but they are more expensive and exclusive. Also, the American and Mexican university-level programs are from five to four years and lead to a bachelor’s degree. Moreover, the amount of money that American and Mexican students spend in tuition will depend on the requirements, the policies, and if it is a public or a private institution. In case students can not afford tuition, they will have the opportunity to ask for a scholarship or for a loan. In sum, both countries offer students the opportunity to study in a public or a private university. They both coincide in the number of years students have to study in order to obtain a bachelor’s degree. And finally, the government gives students the opportunity to ask or have a scholarship or a loan in order to pay their tuition.
On the other hand, in both countries higher education differs in what concerns to admission tests. For instance, Mexican universities although having competitive entrance examinations, such as the CENEVAL test, usually those students with high grades are accepted. In contrast, American universities asks students to apply for the SAT or ACT tests, at the same time they consider their grades, they often take into account their extracurricular activities, ask for a personal essay and made an interview. In addition, while m American universities provide residence halls, so students can live on campus, Mexican students, who are from out of town, normally live in boarding houses or apartments during their school year. Above all, the Mexican government spends the 25.3 % of their budget on education, as for the American government; according to the U.S. Department of Education it spends the 27.2 % of their budget. Therefore, we can notice that these are some remarkable examples of the differences that both countries have in what refers to higher education.
In conclusion, higher education in Mexico and The United States presents few similarities, but it also has remarkable differences. I consider that education in both countries is good, and what makes it better in one country or another, will depend on how much money the government assigns in each country for education.

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