NOVPUBIn the 19th century, those who could study abroad were naturally not ordinary people. Such third-rate universities were designed to cheat people, and their costs were hardly affordable.
On the surface, the tuition might seem cheaper, but the additional services all came with fees, and the actual expenses ended up typically higher than those of regular universities.
Morse was undoubtedly cheated. Austrian regular universities never lacked students; at most, they recruited from the Germany Region. Who would be so free as to recruit in Mexico?
Even during Maximilian I’s reign, this was not the case, and it’s even less likely now. The high tuition fees for Austrian international students were most problematic because the Ministry of Education did not provide funding.
It wasn’t that Franz didn’t understand the importance of training international students, but this era wasn’t suitable for it. On one hand, the costs were too high; on the other, there was no desire to train potential competitors.
Not only Austria, but all the major colonial empires in Europe did the same, usually only recruiting European students. It wasn’t that they were too foolish to see the benefits of training international students; it just wasn’t worth it.
In the original timeline, Americans trained international students to flip the table over; the Japanese trained international students for...
Currently, Austria preferred recruiting students from the Germany Region, partially to nurture the Pro-Austrian Faction and more so because most of these students would eventually stay in Austria.
Such preferential treatment was actually a way of buying loyalty.
As international students, passionate young Mexicans like Morse would most likely return to Mexico.
To train talent for others, the Vienna Government naturally was unwilling to spend extravagantly, or else the Austrian Maritime High Command Academy wouldn’t have dared to cheat him.
It wasn’t really a scam; the Austrian education supervision was quite strict. Even at a third-rate university, one could still acquire knowledge.
After graduating, Morse might not achieve great things, but he would have enough knowledge to cheat others. Otherwise, these lecturers wouldn’t be recognized as "celebrated masters" in society.
The main reason schools hired them was for their ability to boast. It didn’t matter if they were right or wrong; they were good enough to cheat the average person.
It seemed that these people didn’t do very well mainly because they were born in the wrong place. If they lived in the United States, each could become a congressman, and some might even make it big, reaching the presidency or something.
They were good at succeeding for two main reasons: they could boast, and they had no bottom line.
The circle of international students was small; meeting compatriots in a foreign land was not easy. Taking the opportunity to gather, Morse met many people and had also joined the Mexican Student Mutual Aid Society.
Now he was aware of the situation and naturally sought help.
...
"Mr. Morse, many people have encountered situations like yours. Studying in Austria is not easy; the competition for seats at regular universities is fierce.
Even if you passed the test before coming to Austria, that doesn’t mean you can enroll; it’s more like obtaining the right to take the exam.
The reality is, the chances of passing the entrance exam on the first try do not exceed ten percent, and most students need to study for several years in Austria before they acquire a spot.
The majority of international students end up in vocational colleges. Your current school, the Austrian Maritime High Command Academy, is one such vocational college, just with a relatively low ranking.
You have two options now—either continue studying until graduation, or study on your own and reapply for an Austrian Regular University.
There are no age restrictions for international students enrolling, but the expenses are considerable. You need to pay a fee of 500 divine shields for each application.
Enrollment periods vary across institutions; theoretically, you could apply to all 137 regular universities in Austria," explained Brian Hager
Hearing this, Morse fell silent for a long while before he asked, "Are they robbing us blind with these high application fees?"
Brian Hager nodded reluctantly, "That’s right, it’s a money grab! The schools simply don’t care about us. Here, we’re just a bunch of cash cows.
If you don’t want to take the exam, you can directly pay a school selection fee of 30,000 to 100,000 Divine Shields to enroll. Typically, liberal arts programs are relatively cheaper, while science, technology, and military colleges are more expensive."
That’s the cold reality. Austria had implemented compulsory education for over twenty years, with millions of students competing annually for fifty to sixty thousand spots, ensuring a high quality of student intake.
As for the international students, their academic performance was inconsistent. The good students in Austria were also top-level, whereas even the better-ranked vocational schools disdained the poor ones.
Top students were naturally welcomed and even got free enrollment, and the Vienna Government would attempt to retain them post-graduation. The poor performers were drags, seen only as revenue sources and as damaging to the school’s reputation.
Geniuses were always a minority; most people were average. Most people studied hard, and the deciding factor for their final achievements became the educational environment.
Morse complained, "Damn it, with so few spots for international students, why can’t we participate in the entrance exams?"
Brian Hager didn’t answer, worried about agitating Morse. It wasn’t that no international students tried to obtain residency and then take the entrance exams; in fact, there were quite a few who did, but their outcomes were largely dismal.
Others had been learning for more than a decade; how could you expect to compete with a last-minute cramming? As for the education you received back home, sadly, it wasn’t compatible.
The discrepancies between countries’ textbooks in this era were vast. It was common for the same question to yield different answers.
Especially in science and technology textbooks, with the rapid development of science, almost every year brought revisions and corrections.
There’s no need to mention the history class; the school relies on the Austrian version, and it has to be the latest edition. The same historical event can be recorded quite differently in various history books, often completely contradicting each other.
When it comes to setting exam questions, the school doesn’t care about these discrepancies; they simply follow their own criteria and standards.
Such educational differences naturally result in lower scores for international students, which leads the school to think of these students as lesser quality, and yet they have nowhere to voice their grievances.
Brian Hager shook his head, consoling, "There’s no helping it, who’s to blame when Mexico is so weak? Even if their grades are the same, the students from powerful countries are always given priority for admission." 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
But don’t despair, Morse. Once Mexico becomes stronger, these circumstances will change for the better."
Morse, sharing the same hatred, nodded fiercely: "Right, it’s all because of those damn warlords, always fighting for power and profit, tearing great Mexico apart!"
Seemingly having found common ground, the two talked more and more animatedly and quickly became good friends.
...
After seeing Morse off, Brian Hager’s smile disappeared from his face as he wrote in his notebook:
Morse—Male—19 years old, a passionate patriot with progressive thoughts, clearly anti-warlord. Whether he supports the monarchy is yet to be observed; recommend monitoring closely.
He quickly stowed the notebook away into a drawer and carried on with other tasks, as if nothing had occurred.
Indeed, Brian Hager was a member of the Maximilian I Restoration Group. He wasn’t alone; many Mexican students had joined the organization.
These were the achievements of the followers of Maximilian I. After arriving in Austria, they did not fade into obscurity but instead, they continued working hard for the restoration.
Feeling defeated, Maximilian I became dispirited; besides trying to raise funds, he was hardly involved in the day-to-day affairs. Without the meddlesome emperor, the group was doing quite well.
Now, the European Continent was still a stronghold for the monarchical system; even in France, the cradle of thought, the mainstream ideology was still monarchism.
In such a context, students who come to Europe for their studies are inevitably influenced.
Moreover, the situation in Mexico with the warlords fighting amongst themselves was even worse than during the era of Maximilian I, causing many people to doubt the republican system.
Franz seized the opportunity to whitewash Maximilian I’s image, pinning all the failures on the Conservatives and Careerists.
To sway these naive youngsters, Franz compiled the policies and laws enacted during the era of Maximilian I, and many believed them.
After all, Maximilian I wasn’t really guilty of doing anything terrible; even if those policies had many issues, they were internal. On the surface, they all seemed to be for the country and the people.
Perhaps he couldn’t fool the old hands, but it was sufficient to convince these fervent youths.
Since the Emperor’s policies weren’t flawed, and there was no extravagant or dissolute behavior, it was the Conservatives and Careerists opposed to reform that were to blame for the country’s problems.
The current turmoil with the warlords simply confirmed this point. Many jumped to the conclusion that Maximilian I, as an outsider, was marginalized upon his arrival and thus couldn’t control the ambitious individuals within the country.
Franz didn’t need to over-elaborate on the evidence. The Restoration Group had collected a significant amount, genuine and convincing, of instances where many didn’t obey the Emperor’s orders.
Being from the upper echelons of society, the students had considerable exposure to different perspectives. Influenced by others, they began to draw their own conclusions.
The end result was that the Restoration Group grew significantly. From the initial few hundred individuals, it now boasted over four thousand members.
How many of them truly supported the Emperor, and how many were merely opportunists, was hard to tell.
If it weren’t for the continuous flow of funds, which led the outside world to believe that the Habsburg dynasty still intended to support the restoration of Maximilian I, the Restoration Group would have been nothing but a small clique.
Including Franz, no one was really sure about proceeding with the restoration. Franz only provided a small portion of the current funds for the Restoration Group; the majority had been raised by Maximilian I himself.
Though not very capable, he had a charm that people liked. As far as Franz knew, Grand Duke Carl and Empress Sophie had dug into their savings to fill the massive pit of the restoration effort.
If this investment failed, it was highly likely that Maximilian’s two younger brothers would end up without an inheritance to claim.
But these were minor issues; the upbringing of the Habsburg family was still respectable. They wouldn’t make a laughing stock of themselves over a small inheritance dispute.
However, it was obvious what the relationship between Maximilian I and his two younger brothers was like. It wasn’t about the money; apart from Maximilian I, none of them were short of cash. It was mainly about envy.
When parents favor one child over the others, naturally, the siblings feel discontent. If Maximilian I had been the eldest, following the tradition of the Germany Region with the eldest inheriting the estate, there would be nothing to say.
Unfortunately, Maximilian I wasn’t, and such favoritism understandably caused dissatisfaction among his brothers. Though they hid it well and appeared to be supportive and respectful, they couldn’t fool Franz.
Knowing what he knew, Franz had no intention of speaking up. It’s normal for parents to have favorites among their children. No need for explanations or justifications, playing dumb was the best option. Lifting the lid would make no one look good.
Besides, the investment hadn’t failed yet, had it? Maximilian I might have been spent, but he still had a son. Maximilian II was still just a little kid; perhaps this youngster could grow into something remarkable.
