Archive of posts from Saba-News.com Archive Saba News
Caribisch Netwerk reports that students from Saba are choosing to study in the US or the region. “I choose to study in America because I see a lot Saban youngsters who did not manage to finish their studies in The Netherlands. They claim that it is hard to live in the Netherlands, “said student Niel Wilson who is in his final year at the Saba Comprehensive School.
(Photo: Hazel Durand)
For the first time, the school held a Job Fair. The focus was on continuing education in America and the region. Sabans usually opt for an affordable study in the Netherlands, but the language barrier causes many dropouts. The objective of the Job Fair is to show the students that the Netherlands is not the only option.
At the end of this month, the fifteen students in their final year have to choose where they will continue to study so they can prepare their finances. “If they want to go to the Netherlands, then their chance on success depends on how willing they are to study in Dutch. In the Netherlands you can study in English, but it is not possible for students to communicate in English outside of the school, “says study advisor Elisabeth Koevoets.
Student Michel Hassell also chooses to go to the USA. “I can communicate in my mother tongue. I can live on campus and I think I get more support from the school management and fellow students who speak the same language. ”
“Yes, studying in the Netherlands is cheaper, but the cultural differences play an important role. Students who choose a school in America or in the region often return quicker after their studies, “said Calvin Mardembrough, Senior Policy Advisor Financing Study for the Ministry of Education in St. Maarten.
Mardembrough has experience in placing students from St. Maarten in schools in America and the region. “Invest 15,000 to $ 20,000 per year to allow a student to study in the region. Within 24 or 36 months the student will be back on the island while a study in the Netherlands at MBO level, often lasts longer than three years . “
That’s too bad, as after all the US is known for their bad education. But I’m surprised about the language barrier, since many Bachelor and by far most Master studies on Dutch universities are in English, and when you live in Amsterdam (officially bilingual Dutch/English), communication with the government shouldn’t be that much of a problem either.
Kids can get a good education no matter where they go, up to them to make the best of their studies. I personally think the kids from here are more comfortable going to the US, and Saba have seen great results come back from the US. We have men and women from Saba in top professions that have studied in the US. After all students go from all over the world to Universities there. Met several from Holland over the years. No I would not knock the education in the US,
The quality of the US universities however depends on the money that you have to pay. The cheaper the university the poorer the quality. This apart from the fact that what in America is called a university study, would in Europe considered to be a higher vocational education at it’s best in many cases.
Dear Rene:
Before you go bashing an education system please do your research.
Here are two links that everyone should check out that addresses the ranking of Universities around the globe. I found them to be very enlightening.
http://youtu.be/MPWacF8Noxg
http://youtu.be/FdRp7GHrcVU
In addition there seems to be some serious misunderstandings about the use of words College, University etc. when it comes to the United States.
There are for profit ‘Universities’ that are not accredited such as DeVry that offer technical diploma programs and training but their 2 year degrees are not transferable to accredited institutions.
Then we have what we call Community Colleges or Junior Colleges which are often times provided by each individual State (Georgia, Alabama etc.) and these institutions only focus on the basic first 2 years of a students studies which are somewhat tailored to a person’s chosen field of study (Science, History, Languages, etc.). The degree conferred here is called an Associate Degree (A.S.). At this level there are also programs for people interested in the fields such as Nursing Assistants and Technical Careers. In addition ther are 2-year programs which prepare students to move forward into a 4-year degree in the fields of Nursing, Business, etc.. At this level most of these institutions do no provide on campus living and are there for the local community to have access to educational opportunities. There are also night time programs for people to attend in order to improve their skill and qualifications levels.
If you choose to go to one of these 2-year Community/Junior Colleges you have to be careful because not all 4-year Colleges and Universities will accept all of your study credits. A student must have in mind which schools they will try to get into and choose their courses based on what courses are accepted by the institution that they wish to transfer to.
When a student in the United States wants to get their Bachelor’s degree they will have to attend a 4-year College or University. If a student transfers to one of these institutions from a 2-year Community/Junior College then they indeed may have to take an additional year or a couple of extra semesters of study because not all or their study credits will be transferable. In many cases a student may have also decided to change their field of study so there are many factors which will determine how many years of study a student will need before achieving their Bachelors degree.
Then of course if a person wants to go further they can go for their Masters degree or the Doctorate degree of which the time required will be determined by their chosen field of concentration/study. Many students may change their field of study several times before arriving at this point and this will also determine how long their studies will take.
One last point, the amount of money spent on an education is not the determining factor behind all choices in education. If you are a good student and you apply yourself properly and you have the resources of great teachers you can excel in any field of study. One of the main things that larger ‘Ivy League’ institutions gives a student are the immediate recruitment possibilities by the Fortune 500 companies.
Thank you Terry for correctly explaining the American educational system and hopefully enlightening some other people as well.
(Shortened by editor)
This has to be one of the most biased information sessions either.
“If they want to go to the Netherlands, then their chance on success depends on how willing they are to study in Dutch. In the Netherlands you can study in English, but it is not possible for students to communicate in English outside of the school, “says study advisor Elisabeth Koevoets.
Are you kidding me? Almost everyone in the Netherlands speaks English. To give you an idea, I have fellow Chinese classmates that could hardly speak English when they first arrived here, they certainly didn’t get through the supermarket speaking dutch.
source: studying in the netherlands