As Dollar Strengthens, U.S. Students in Europe Feel the Benefits More Than Americans in Europe
For most college students, the spring semester was the first time that they will have to find a place to live, an income to live on, and a way to pay for it all.
Most students move from their hometown to their first dormitory on campus, or to a smaller apartment in an urban area surrounding the university. The first few weeks after freshmen are living in a new city can be a little confusing for young adults.
“It can be a little intimidating,” said Ryan Lamm, 22, of San Clemente, Calif., who attended the University of California at Berkeley to study mechanical engineering. “There’s not a lot of people who will walk you to your room, so it can be a little stressful at first.”
In the United States, the cost of living for young adults is lower than it is in Europe, where students spend about 15 percent of their salary on rent.
“The cost of living is much lower in the U.S., although you can spend more quickly if you want to,” said Matt Luecke, a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park, who also attended Berkeley. “Once you get up to the point where you have to pay, it’s just a little bit harder to live in the U.S.”
Students in France, which is the fourth most populated country in the world, face higher cost of living in the near future, when the country is scheduled to take over the European Union, also known as the euro area, in January.
“The financial burden is going to be a bit more as students, as they learn more and more about the euro,” said Luecke.
“[France has] no VAT, so it’s a lot cheaper,” Lamm