German students are no less competitive than their counterparts in other countries. Let's face it: we are a success-driven society. The old saying that Germans always aim for perfection, that the best is not good enough, holds true not only for the manufacturing industry, it certainly applies to our education as well. And yet, I would argue that for most students, it does not really make a difference whether their university belongs to the top 10 per cent of an international league table or not.