US Universities vs Global Universities: Which are tougher to get into?

I've been wondering how US universities compare to others around the world in terms of admission difficulty. Could someone with experience chime in about the admission competitiveness of universities in other countries like Germany, Japan, China, Korea, and the Philippines? Are they generally harder to get into compared to US universities?

The competitiveness and admission rates can widely vary between universities across countries due to different educational systems and criteria for admission.

Starting with US universities, they often use a holistic approach to admissions. This means they're not just looking at your grades and test scores, but also things like your extracurricular involvement, essays, and letters of recommendation. Schools like Harvard, Yale, and Stanford are particularly competitive, with acceptance rates often below 10%.

In contrast, universities in countries like Germany and Japan often place a much greater emphasis on examination results. In Germany, for example, the Abitur (a school-leaving exam) score is of prime importance for entry into many courses. For higher-demand subjects like medicine, even a perfect Abitur score may not be enough to guarantee admission due to high competition.

Universities in China and Korea are also highly competitive due to their reliance on nationalized test scores – Gaokao in China and Suneung in Korea. These exams are grueling and typically taken after extensive preparation, often determining a student's university future.

The Philippines has a somewhat different system, with some universities like the University of the Philippines requiring an entrance exam (UPCAT), while others admit students based on high school grades.

One crucial thing to consider, though, is the definition of "hard" and how it changes based on the individual. If you excel in standardized exams, you might find systems in East Asia or Germany more navigable. Alternatively, if you have a wide range of interests and extracurriculars, the holistic admissions process in US universities could work in your favor. It’s all about finding the educational system that aligns with your strengths.