Is it that bad in DR??

[DRdaddy]

I think genistar is right High school students can be significantly smarter than some college graduates.The math courses I took in Dr definetly rivaled the one I took in the states.Memorization of the subject is pushed more than actual understanding ....Left VS right brain thinking.This is a third world country so you will get a third world education.A U.S education holds more weight, but that speak nothing of intelligence.I ran across many university graduates,who were dumb as rocks.(Especially in the engineering fields).The DR has a long way to go as far as resources and accreditation.The equivalent is like taking a non-credit course at a community college, you may be smarter when all said and done, but wont count towards a degree.Dont get me wrong there is money to be made, once you get some tough skin, Find a good network and learn how do deal with the locals.Study in DR... stay in DR or be prepared to go back to school when you come to the states.

 

[2dlight]

LIZ87: It can be done. Had a cousin who studied 2 years at a community college in NYC, moved to California and did 4 years at UC Berkeley, moved to the DR and finished medical school there. He came back to California and was granted a license to practice(after a few attempts)in the state. He was Dominican, sadly, he passed away a few years ago.

 

[London_Calling]

From what I have read you don't actually state what course you intend to do. The overiding factor is the quality of the course and the resoruces of the university. I may be wrong but the library resouces of say a good American or British university will be considerably better than what is available in the DR.

 

[jrhartley]

if you read a forum about any country - you will see the same sort of posts

 

[Hillbilly]

And I "edited" this post! Thing = think and you = your!!! Sorry, but I had to leave for my 8:00 a.m. class....jeje

Some of these posts are really full of doo-doo...

HB

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

 

[Chip]

Hillbilly

Why don't you set us straight on undergraduate and graduate degrees from the DR could be used to find work in the States or get admitted to a graduate program in same.

 

[DRob]

To the OP,

To answer your question dead on, NO the DR isn't as bad as all that. Many posters essentially wish they could put the best parts of their home town or country into the setting of DR, and are always complaining about something or other.

That's why you see the "I can't believe the LINES are so long," "Please help with inverter," "DR contractors are lazy crooks," "I hate all things DR and am only here for my Dominican husband who is perfect,"aranoid: and "Need help finding good orange marmalade" posts. Many people have expectations that this country would - and should - operate like their country.

They've forgotten that the shortcomings of their country (real or perceived) is what made them leave in the first place. Some have also neglected to notice that the one thing they didn't forget to bring with them was their negative outlook on things, which is why they complain as much here as they once did back home. It's clouded their judgment to the point that they've lost sight of all the things that make this country a wonderful place to vist, live, or in your case, study.

DR isn't perfect by any means, but it's not some hell hole, either. Your experience will largely be what you make of it. How you create and exercise control over your own reality may be the most valuable thing you learn while in DR.

On to the positive things. There are a LOT of good people in DR and on this site. A few have chimed in, but one in particular you should pay closer attention to.

As I hope you're aware, Luis (Hillbilly) is - by far - the most knowledgeable person on this board in regards to academic pursuits. He's been here for several decades, much of which has been spent as a professor at PUCMM, DR's resident big-deal school.

With respect to the rest of the posters, his insider perspective is about as good as it's going to get.

Some advice on the lifestyle: If you have already started a program elsewhere, visit for a semester, year or summer to see if the school and country are to your long-term liking. If so, you can formally transfer down. If not, you can stay home and have some credits (and a much better understanding of the language and culture) to show for it.

Either way, you'll be better off than before.

 

[AlterEgo]

Hillbilly

Why don't you set us straight on undergraduate and graduate degrees from the DR could be used to find work in the States or get admitted to a graduate program in same.

Chip, my niece has degrees from PUCMM and Instituto Tecnol?gico de Santo Domingo [engineering] and she was hired by a US firm who processed her green card, paid all her moving expenses, rented her an apartment [and paid rent for 6 month], bought her a car, and paid her just under 6 figures as a starting salary.

Another niece, cousin of the first, got her degree at PUCMM also, and has an excellent job working for the city of Philadelphia.

Both girls learned to speak perfect English in Santo Domingo, they used to go to English classes in the afternoons.

AE

 

[Chip]

Chip, my niece has degrees from PUCMM and Instituto Tecnol?gico de Santo Domingo [engineering] and she was hired by a US firm who processed her green card, paid all her moving expenses, rented her an apartment [and paid rent for 6 month], bought her a car, and paid her just under 6 figures as a starting salary.

Another niece, cousin of the first, got her degree at PUCMM also, and has an excellent job working for the city of Philadelphia.

Both girls learned to speak perfect English in Santo Domingo, they used to go to English classes in the afternoons.

AE

For this reason I plan to send my three daughters to PUCMM.

 

[suarezn]

Agree with Hillbilly and a few others here. An education in The DR WILL allow you to get a job in The US (except for certain professions for which practice are very specific - i.e. Law and accounting, because the countries have different types of systems and regulations). As a matter of fact studying abroad can be considered an asset nowadays in the business world. The trick is if you start in The DR you should finish it in The DR, because if you try to transfer mid-term you'll almost have to start all over again, because a lot of colleges won't transfer most of your credits (this goes both ways BTW).

If you have a business degree, computer (systems degree), etc...you have as good of a chance of getting a job in The US as anyone who graduates from some regular (non ivy-league) college. In addition as HB stated what you should do is go back to The US and get into a master's degree program and get that from a US university, then at that point wherever you got your Bachelor's Degree from is a moot point.

BTW, unlike a lot of the posters here who are just bashing with no real knowledge of either DR or US education systems, I've studied and worked in both. Gone through the process myself...listen to HB.

 

[DRdaddy]

again it depends on what your studying.technology and medicine are a few that work, just dont come here for a couple of years and expect the credits to transfer.I learned this the hard way.Take hillbillies advise check out some schools talk to some people in the field your studying.See what life is like down here for yourself and then decide.

good luck:cheeky:

 

[jerseygirl22]

As a college student here (INTEC), i completely agree with hillbilly. If it was such common knowledge that a Dominican college degree was going to get you paid in monopoly money in the states, then there wouldn't be so many foreigners studying here. If you go to the right universities like the ones mentioned by hillbilly they have a lot of programs to help their students work in the states.

My university currently has a 2+2 program you might be interested in, if you pick one of the available careers you can study here for two years then go to Penn State university to finish your degree. Heres the link
Instituto Tecnol?gico de Santo Domingo

INTEC has an accredited medical program in the United States, you can apply for financial aid and Stafford loans
Instituto Tecnol?gico de Santo Domingo

This university really helps you out and has a lot of connections in a lot of different countries (US included). By the time you graduate they have a lot of scholarships available for post grad education in all fields. I know a lot of people that have graduated and are either studying some more abroad or working in other countries.

INTEC isn't the only university to offer this, hillbilly mentioned a few more but my knowledge only extends to INTEC since i study there.

Now that we know that a Dominican diploma is not equivalent to monopoly money, you have to know if studying here is right for you. Ask yourself things like:
How good is my Spanish?
Is my family really going to help me out?
I'm i prepared for a completely different culture?
Don't just make a decision because its cheaper and you like like adventure.

Good luck on anything that you decide!

 

[dv8]

we are not giving advice to some old geezer who wants to spend his pension on DR beauties. we are giving advice to a young woman whose choice of school may define entire professional future. do you people honestly think DR university is BETTTER than american university? given a choice, would you rather educate your child, or yourselves, in USA or in DR? as an american, living in america (like OP)?

 

[genistar]

I don't dispute that an undergraduate degree from a DR university can get you into a graduate program in the US or Canada or anywhere else. But the original degree is useless. These cases being stated where DR university graduates are getting good jobs in the US are the exception to the rule. I've been around the the academic block a few times and DR universities don't hold a candle to their North American counterparts.

 

[suarezn]

we are not giving advice to some old geezer who wants to spend his pension on DR beauties. we are giving advice to a young woman whose choice of school may define entire professional future. do you people honestly think DR university is BETTTER than american university? given a choice, would you rather educate your child, or yourselves, in USA or in DR? as an american, living in america (like OP)?

I don't think anybody is saying it's BETTER...what you don't understand (probably because you're European) that even though studying in The US may give you a slightly better education you are also paying through the nose to attend. A lot of college students nowadays are leaving college with 100k+ USD in debt. It easily costs upwards of 30k USD a year to attend a college in The US. Most families don't have that kind of money. For instance I have a son who finished high school and according to the government FASFA (application for student aid), based on my income I'm supposed to have 29k USD/year disposable income for his education, before he can even be considered for any kind of help. Never mind I have another one just about to finish high school as well, so I'll probably have to have about 50k USD a year just for that. Who has that kind of money just laying around?

To me it makes a lot of sense to go down there and get your bachelor's degree. You'll save a lot of money and get a decent enough education you can then get into a graduate's program back in The US and finish up with very little debt. Not to mention that you'll have fluency in another language, something a lot of employers are looking for now. Again the trick is studying the right kind of thing, so you don't get stuck on something that can only be used in The DR.

Genistar: Saying the degree is useless is a huge generalization and shows you may know something about academics, but apparently not much about the job market.

 

[dv8]

hmmm... i am european indeed and universities in my country are free, just like in most of EU. hell, in some places they even pay you to study! why not choose europe then? better universities altogether, great adventure, opportunity to learn languages.

i would also like to bring everyone's attention to the list of best universities in the world. none of DR schools made it to the first 500...
World University Rankings | Top Universities

 

[EmilyCaldwell]

hmmm... i am european indeed and universities in my country are free, just like in most of EU. hell, in some places they even pay you to study! why not choose europe then? better universities altogether, great adventure, opportunity to learn languages.

i would also like to bring everyone's attention to the list of best universities in the world. none of DR schools made it to the first 500...
World University Rankings | Top Universities

I don't think anyone could expect a third world university to hold a candle to universities in industrialized countries in terms of rankings. And the OP is an American like me, so I don't think we're ever eligible for those lovely EU benefits like free education and healthcare unless we marry a European citizen or get a work visa (yeah right!)

I doubt anyone would argue that the DR universities are better, and I don't know anything about them, but it is true that attending a prestigious university for your undergrad degree here in the US will run you $80-$100K total, and there's a lot of debate about whether it's even worth it.

Almost no one my age (mid-20s) is using their college degree in their job right now (self included), so I think the "uselessness" of a BA from any university is kind of up for debate right now. Kinda depressing.

To the OP, I think a semester exchange program with a US university would be a great way to explore a university in the DR to see if it would work for you, and then you could transfer if you loved it. That way you would be able to transfer your credits in the event that you totally hate it.

Or, hell, take the plunge! You only live once, and even if it doesn't work out, you'll only have wasted a year. And I wouldn't even consider it a waste because at least you'll be gaining new experiences and working on your Spanish. I love the DR and would KILL to get to move there. If you have family there, I wouldn't let anything stop you.

 

[Africaida]

I don't think anyone could expect a third world university to hold a candle to universities in industrialized countries in terms of rankings. And the OP is an American like me, so I don't think we're ever eligible for those lovely EU benefits like free education and healthcare unless we marry a European citizen or get a work visa (yeah right!)

Not true, what you would pay as a foreign student would still be peanuts compared to a US university.

 

[AlterEgo]

hmmm... i am european indeed and universities in my country are free, just like in most of EU. hell, in some places they even pay you to study! why not choose europe then? better universities altogether, great adventure, opportunity to learn languages.

i would also like to bring everyone's attention to the list of best universities in the world. none of DR schools made it to the first 500...
World University Rankings | Top Universities

dv8, NOTHING is free in the US, unless you're on welfare or are one of the working poor.

I looked at the top universities link, and it reminded me that recently someone told me tuition at #1 ranked Cambridge is about $4000. Can that be possible? I'll bet #'s 2&3, Harvard & Yale, are more like $50,000 a year.

What is full time tuition cost at PUCMM?

AE

 

[suarezn]

Not true, what you would pay as a foreign student would still be peanuts compared to a US university.

That may be the case, but then don't you have to cover living expenses? Which from what I hear are quite a bit of money. Something tells me it's not a lot cheaper for a US citizen to go to Europe and study, because if that were the case I think we would have tons of kids doing just that and I don't really hear anyone wanting to go there except maybe for a semester exchange program or something like that.