Part 2 of this exploration examines the experiences of students from Sint Eustatius and Saba who are studying or have studied in the United States and the Netherlands. It is an eye-opening account of the harsh realities many students face, including financial constraints, significant language barriers, and the continued limitations caused by restricted access to Dutch-language programs.
On Sint Eustatius and Saba, studying in the Netherlands is often promoted as the more affordable option, an argument that resonates strongly with both students and their parents. However, according to Saba student Alma Johnson, the “glorification” of the Netherlands could be placing students in a trap.
Alma initially spent one semester studying in the United States in 2022. Due to financial constraints faced by her parents, she decided to continue her education in the Netherlands, where she enrolled in a bachelor’s program in Early Childhood Education taught in English.
‘Triple the work’
“My first year was hard because I felt like I had to do triple the work to catch up, but I was able to finish the first year just shy of the total credits needed. But I wasn’t really happy with the way this curriculum was set up, I felt like it was very random and not focused on the program I chose.”
Within six months of starting the program, Alma discovered that it was not accredited. “The school itself was accredited, but the program wasn’t. That’s why they still gave me the study loan, because the school is accredited,” she explained. Ultimately, even if she had completed the program, she would not have been eligible for a teaching license in Early Childhood Education.
“The school wasn’t accredited by the Dutch government, so I was told that once I finished, I could go a year or two, to a Dutch university. But I would have to learn Dutch so that I could get accredited to teach in Dutch schools. But if I wanted to teach in English, I would have to go to the United States and do a year or two over there, or maybe England, which would have been more money.”
Despite realizing the limitations of the program, Alma chose to continue into her second year and even switched to a secondary education track halfway through. “Some of my credits were transferred, but I felt like I wasn’t learning what I needed to know and I didn’t have the experience other students had, so I was already a few steps behind.” She noted, however, that the Dutch-language version of the program appeared to be more structured, according to what she had learned from other students.
US: Stress-free, supportive – still steep
Reflecting on her time in the United States, Alma compared the two experiences, “I noticed that I did so much better in my one semester in the United States I wasn’t stressed at all.” For her, the overall experience studying in the United States was ultimately more positive than her time in the Netherlands.
“The United States is expensive, that’s obvious, but I feel there is more support and they care about you understanding the concepts,” she said. “Basically, the Netherlands was glorified to me. Nobody told me the cons. I did not get a good idea on what it’s like to study there. I thought it would be simple. I have a Dutch passport and everything was easy for me because of my Dutch nationality, but academically I really struggled.”
Alma hopes to continue her studies, but this time in the United States. “I really liked how the academics are structured there. It’s clearer and more straightforward. In the Netherlands, I felt like I was in an obstacle course,” she explained. While the Netherlands is often promoted as the more affordable academic option, Alma emphasized the hidden costs of living there. “In the Netherlands, you pay for rent and are charged for almost everything separately. In the United States, you make one payment and most things are included,” she said.
Alma’s advice to the schools is that during trips to the Netherlands, when potential students are introduced to student life, they should look beyond the excitement of the visit and consider the realities of studying there. “You are going there without any family and miles away with a completely different time zone and sometimes not enough money. Students don’t have any skills in budgeting, because we are not taught how to survive over there and because of that a lot of us struggle. I noticed a lot of students either drop out and start working, or they come back home, or they just get lost up there.”
Settling for an undesired program in the Netherlands due to the language barrier
Billy Jean Rodriguez graduated from secondary school at the CSEC level and completed two years of the CAPE program before moving to the Netherlands. “I wanted to come to the Netherlands to study medicine, but that didn’t work out, because I quickly realized that if you study anything in healthcare, you need to know Dutch and my Dutch was not at a level that it has to be in order to enter into a medical school or any other Dutch program.”
Ultimately, Billy Jean decided to pursue a degree in International Law instead. “I was tired of being on Saba and I just wanted to get out of there. So, I chose law, which was something I literally didn’t know anything about. I literally just jumped into the deep water without even realizing it. I can say I settled because I really would’ve enjoyed working in the medical field more,” she explained.
Billy Jean has one more year of studies before she can finally return home, as she eagerly wishes. However, she does not feel fully confident about entering the labor market with her degree, as she believes her program emphasized theory over practical experience. “All they teach you is theory. I feel like I’m not prepared for the job market at all, which is something I’m really scared of.”
Despite her concerns, Billy Jean is determined to complete her studies. “To be honest, I’m just sticking it out because I don’t want to be one of those students that just go back home and do nothing with their life, while having this huge bill to pay back. I want to just finish school even if it takes me an extra 10 years. A lot of students also come here and change their programs more than once, but every year you change, you’re starting all over again. The first year was really hard for me and I did fail a lot of classes, but I told myself I’m going to just stick this out, even if it’s not what I want to do in the future.”
She also expressed concern about not speaking Dutch, noting that most jobs require it. Reflecting on her work experiences outside of her studies, she shared how her limited Dutch fluency has cost her valuable opportunities. “I’ve had opportunities to have really good jobs, but at the same time, as soon as they hear, I don’t know Dutch, it’s like: “No, we can’t have you.”
Extremely challenging
Additionally, Billy Jean described her transition to the Netherlands as extremely challenging. She experienced a complete culture shock when she was placed in a student flat with ten other students and faced racism on an unimaginable scale. “I feel you are not told about these things that you have to go through and for example they also say the Netherlands is cheaper, but that’s a lie. The Netherlands is extremely expensive,” she echoed this sentiment.
After her experience living with so many other students, Billy Jean decided to rent private housing. “My rent is really expensive because nothing is included. I have to pay for everything separately; water, heating, gas, electricity, telephone, Wi-Fi. Even groceries are very costly. So even if your parents are helping, they are paid in dollars, not euros, and the conversion makes a big difference, especially now,” she explained.
Billy Jean said she initially had a job to help ease the financial burden on her parents. However, balancing work with her studies proved extremely difficult, and she eventually stopped working. “In the United States, you get the privilege of just focusing on school, which is amazing. Here, it’s much harder, you have to work, focus on your studies, and manage your life. You’re far away from your family and if you don’t have any family here, it’s even worse,” she explained.
In Part 3 the Caribbean Network shares the experiences of students currently studying in the United States and highlights the clear benefits of pursuing higher education in the mother tongue – English.
