[donw]

> Universities in Europe are generally high quality and low cost.

And not universal. You do not go to a German university from a Realschule or a Hauptschule -- you go to Gymnasium, and if you succeed there, you can go to University.

Otherwise, there are professional and vocational tracks available.

University slots are limited as well -- you may have to hunt around for a university that has open space for you in your program of choice, or choose a different course of study.

Changing study programs is much more difficult than in the US.

I would be abundantly happy if we did this in the US, but the "everybody must go to college" crowd would have none of it.

[pjmlp]

As Portuguese living in Germany, with experience in other European countries as well, that tiered school system always pisses me off.

In those countries I have goten to meet clever individuals with university degree, that in Germany with their high school background would never had gotten the opportunity to attend university.

[donw]

I have met plenty of absolute morons with university degrees.

University is, for most people, a massive waste of time and money.

Not because they are stupid, but because going to university does not further their life goals.

It certainly didn't for me.

University only one of many paths through life.

We need to stop treating it as the only option into which we force everybody.

Plenty of brilliant people go into skilled trades, or into professional tracks. There's a reason Germany still has such a robust manufacturing sector.

We would do well to follow this in the US.

[pjmlp]

Sure, but at the same time there are lots of clever people that missed the opportunity to actually go, due to artificial barriers that consider them too dumb for university.

Morons? There are morons everywhere.

[donw]

What’s wrong with a clever person becoming a truly amazing welder? Or a dentist (professional tracks do not require university)?

[pjmlp]

Everything if that wasn't in their life goals.

Dentist requires university degree in many European countries by the way (4 years).