I heard that most American degrees are, in terms of knowledge and whatnot, worth a high school diploma from some European countries. Any truth to that at all?
The german realschulabschluss is similar to an american hs diploma. Students on the track towards university will add the abitur on top of this, which is similar in depth and difficulty to an undergraduate degree at an american comunity college. Which is why Germany doesn't have pre-med, pre-law etc.