Is it that bad in DR??

LIZ87

New member
Sep 7, 2010
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Hello Everyone,

I been reading through the forums lately and I just see people putting DR down. I, myself, have been planning on moving to DR for school purposes only. I am not going down to live for a guy there or anything but school. I am from the United States and as some may know; school is very expensive here.

Is it that bad to move to DR for a while until school finishes? Is the people that bad? Are jobs that hard to find? Are the expenses that high?

I mean all I see it mostly people putting down others dream to live a different experience in another island. What is the worst that can happen for someone to move? To me, live the experience and if it doesn't work out then, you can always return. I have family so it isn't like I am alone there.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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listen, coming to school in DR is like saying: "hell, why go to the university, it's so expensive! i'd better do primary school again, way cheaper!"
there is nothing in DR in terms of schooling that cannot be achieved elsewhere with better quality.
bad idea, imo.
 

Anastacio

Banned
Feb 22, 2010
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You are misunderstanding people, it is not a put down, it is just some things are very different and frustrating to get your head around for a while. The harsh advice only goes out to those genuinely about to make big time mistakes, like girls coming for a guy, or a guy falling in love in sosua, 99.5% of the time the board is correct on these matters. Few people manage to accomplish what they expected to on the first attempt here, a lot of stuburn mentality and bit by bit people get it and either sink or swim.
Employment is unfortunately as tough to get and as lowly paid as the board says it is, there is no getting around that, you need slot of money to make it here. I can here you thinking 'well he has just been banging on about how cheaply he lives', well yes I do now, but it has taken me a lot of money and several years to beable to figure out and piece it together to beable to live cheaply here.
Not all natives are nasty, that is just silly, it just happens that people tend to bitch a lot on a forum, get things off thier chest.
If you are coming to study then you will have z nice time, good luck.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
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Santiago
The Pucmm here in Santiago is full of American students every year getting a degree and going back to the states to work in their field. I'm pretty certain one can study medicine here in the DR and practice back in the States if that tells you anything.

Also, living here in the DR is at least half of what it would cost in the States in my experience. However, jobs aren't easy to come by here and they are relatively low paying. In many areas crime is not any more of an issue than say big cities in the states.
 

Anastacio

Banned
Feb 22, 2010
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listen, coming to school in DR is like saying: "hell, why go to the university, it's so expensive! i'd better do primary school again, way cheaper!"
there is nothing in DR in terms of schooling that cannot be achieved elsewhere with better quality.
bad idea, imo.

I see loads of foreign students in SD, there must be a reason for them to be here. Not my interest and so I am not in a position to comment on uni here but sh1t, that's pretty damn negative.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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what is the reason for many gringos to come here? cheap pu**y.
what is the reason for students to come here? cheap uni.
do you honestly believe that education received in DR is better than education received in USA or UK? i do not. and yes, a moron can finish american university prividing he can hit or catch a ball better than others and a genius can fishish university in mogadishu but let us look on average, ok?
 

Rbh44

Active member
Mar 28, 2007
269
26
28
The way people are

Hello Everyone,

I been reading through the forums lately and I just see people putting DR down. I, myself, have been planning on moving to DR for school purposes only. I am not going down to live for a guy there or anything but school. I am from the United States and as some may know; school is very expensive here.

Is it that bad to move to DR for a while until school finishes? Is the people that bad? Are jobs that hard to find? Are the expenses that high?

I mean all I see it mostly people putting down others dream to live a different experience in another island. What is the worst that can happen for someone to move? To me, live the experience and if it doesn't work out then, you can always return. I have family so it isn't like I am alone there.

You have to understand the mentality of many of the posters here. This is it:

"Of course I live here but only because I am so much smarter than everyone else, I am so special and a know-it all. It is impossible for anyone else to be able to do it. Only I know all the secrets. Only I have the skill. Everyone else will fail because they are idiots, incapable of making their own decisions and learning about the country and culture like I have. They have no common sense. They are fools. They will all be taken advantage of."

That about sums it up for most of the posters here. However, there are some people that actually give good, unbiased advice and information in a helpful way. You just have to read enough posts to figure out who they are and ignore the rest. Of course, I am the only one smart enough to be able to do this. You will fail miserably.;)
 

RhondaJohnson

New member
Sep 29, 2010
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Thank you for this post. I haven't been tonthe domincan republic in 20 years. My family owns land in Monte christi. My mother is ready to retire. And we want to be able to visit her as well as travel for vacation. All the forums seem to state that DR is just as backwards and poor as when I use to visit as a child. Oh and the airport situation was ridiculous back then. I can believe they haven't regulated that theirs are still involved.
 

baby bori

New member
May 18, 2010
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LIZ87 unless if its to study medicine in a respectable university in the DR forget it big mistake to study down there. 80%-85% of the lawyers in the DR are incompetent, mediocre, lazy, and lack ambition. The majority of law school graduates in the DR are paper attorneys in title only. There is a difference between theory and putting what you learned in practice and professional ambition which the majority lack. Heck maybe one day if I take USD $10-$15 thousand dollars to the DR and I walk in to speak with a law school admissions rep. and tell them I have a college degree in the states with two majors and fluent in spanish I possibly could attain a law degree in two years maybe a little less and I can be called licenciado in the DR and open up shop to scam and con in a lazy I do whatever I want way of living. 90% of the lawyers downthere can't hold a candle to the average struggling to make ends meet USA, Canadian, or European lawyer its no contest. As long as the majority of the culture promotes and tolerates mediocrity, incompetence and corruption filled aspirations this will continue. Unless if its to study medicine in the DR don't do it stay home and far away then once you graduate and pay your loans off come down for a nice vacation. The above is an example which I have personal experience as well as heard of my friends and their families experiences with lawyers in the DR. Now I know why I see many dominican lawyers that make RD$15,000-$25,000 pesos a month and thats being a bit generous and they get slaved and trucked over for that salary. I also knew my neighbor's niece who graduated with honors in accounting from UASD and with 2 years experience made RD$10,000 pesos a month wow are you kidding me?? Its a shame unbelievable.
 

Anastacio

Banned
Feb 22, 2010
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You have to have aspirations, if you accept 10000 pesos then you accept you are not worth more. And allowing herself to be on that wage shows lack of something, that's just dumb, colmado delivery drivers can make that money.
 

Major448

Silver
Sep 8, 2010
2,645
108
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"... I have family so it isn't like I am alone there."

This makes a big difference. A lot of people want to come to the DR, and to be here without friends (real ones) or family, without having nearly enough money to support whatever "plan" they have, or are totally unprepared for actually living here rather than vacationing here.

In the DR ... There is no public support system. There are no rights or entitlements, especially for "visitors". No favors that you can call in. There is no public assistance of any kind. If you run out of money, become sick or injured, get into trouble, or worse .... who ya gonna call.

Some of the long term residents can tell you stories about people who just show up one day, desparate, out of options, and looking for help. Some of those same residents have even tried to help, and have been "burned".

This group provides a wealth of information. But naturally, a group like this one on DR1 is going to "challenge" some of the thinking that someone might have about moving here. But, you have family here. With your support network, you should be okay!
 

genistar

Active member
Jul 29, 2009
204
75
28
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Reality check

A university degree from the Dominican Republic isn't worth the paper it's written on anywhere in the developed world. Medicine seems to be the ONLY exception to this rule. The foreign students that you see running around Santo Domingo campuses are generally there for a temporary exchange program where their time there will count towards the degree they're working on in their home University in the developed world; therefore it's a non-issue for them because they'll have "real" degrees in the end. Try taking a degree from a University in the DR to Canada or the US or UK... and try to get a job based on those credentials... you'll be laughed out of the building - I know people who've been through this and are now working as cab drivers and office cleaners and factory workers. That's reality. University in the developed world costs a lot of money for a reason - it's a quality education. Good luck to you.
 
Mar 1, 2009
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NO, it's not that bad in the DR. There I answered your question. It's not that bad. I have many friends who live full happy lives in DR. You won't get paid like in the US, UK or Canada unless you have big time connections. If you want to get a degree here, everybody say's go to la UASD, it's graduates are viewed well by other countries. A friend of mine was just accepted to a Masters program in Spain with his degree. Go for it, many people on the forum are very, very jaded and their views are unbalanced.
 
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genistar

Active member
Jul 29, 2009
204
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Oakville, Ontario, Canada
I beg to differ

Lando, UASD graduates are viewed well by other countries? Which ones? Which specific branches of government or self-governing bodies in the developed world are granting UASD graduates licenses in their fields to practice within their respective professions? Your friend went to Spain for a Masters program... well perhaps after obtaining that Masters degree in Spain your friend will be fine... until then, forget it.

My views are neither jaded nor unbalanced. This is the reality of the world we live in. A degree from a DR university will do you well if you want to practice your chosen profession in the Dominican Republic, and maybe El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua... maybe even Cambodia (etc... you get my point). But in the US? Canada? UK? Forget about it.

The DR is a great place to vacation and live! No, it's not that bad! But there are major shortcomings in regards to education. You can't dispute it. Most average highschool kids from my neck of the woods can run circles around most Dominican university-educated people. Math, geography, world history, economics, political science, science, reading & writing... it would be a total slaughter. You think most people in positions of hiring at companies located in the developed world don't know this?

I'm not hating... I tell it like it is.
 

RacerX

Banned
Nov 22, 2009
3,390
376
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This makes a big difference. A lot of people want to come to the DR, and to be here without friends (real ones) or family, without having nearly enough money to support whatever "plan" they have, or are totally unprepared for actually living here rather than vacationing here.

In the DR ... There is no public support system. There are no rights or entitlements, especially for "visitors". No favors that you can call in. There is no public assistance of any kind. If you run out of money, become sick or injured, get into trouble, or worse .... who ya gonna call.

Some of the long term residents can tell you stories about people who just show up one day, desparate, out of options, and looking for help. Some of those same residents have even tried to help, and have been "burned".

This group provides a wealth of information. But naturally, a group like this one on DR1 is going to "challenge" some of the thinking that someone might have about moving here. But, you have family here. With your support network, you should be okay!

Dont rely on your family. They might be a bunch of snakes.
 

RacerX

Banned
Nov 22, 2009
3,390
376
0
Haters!!!!

I think schools in the US or Canada dont cost more because they are better. They cost more because they are accredited and they have professional teachers with post grad degrees with feed in the whole educational industrial complex. They have studied in their field and some are experts. You dont find that in DR nor would you expect to. And this can affect the level of discourse and instruction.
 

waytogo

Moderator - North Coast Forum
Apr 3, 2009
6,407
580
113
Santiago DR
I think schools in the US or Canada don't cost more because they are better. They cost more because they are accredited and they have professional teachers with post grad degrees with feed in the whole educational industrial complex.

Isn't this exactly the reason why they are better?
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
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LIZ:

Lots if ignorance here. However, I do not thing that the combined experience of those that have posted comes close to mine.

As you and I have discussed, a basic degree in you field will not get you a job in most places. However, anyone in that field will tell you that you need advanced degrees to be able to practice that profession.

Now people here, and I know a few of them personally, and even like one or two of them, do not have the academic experience to be commenting with papal-like decrees.

True a degree from the UASD is not all that much in terms of its value outside the country. BUT, it will get you into a graduate degree program in most places and you can then sink or swim as your intellectual capacity will provide.

A degree from PUCMM, UNIBE or INTEC (and perhaps UNPHU) will open doors here, because, generally speaking the graduates are pretty fair at what they do. Again, they also qualify candidates for advanced degrees. I can cite dozens of cases where graduates of these schools have shined like stars in graduate programs, including PhD level degrees.

The nay-sayers are right in that there are a lot of really shi**y college graduates out there, but the same can be said for most places. For me, the first degree is like a bicycle with training wheels. The training wheels come off at the graduate level.

Life here is a whole other matter, and if you have a supportive family, I can see no issues for you here.


Take heart,

HB