All roads lead to Rome
Reading Time: 10 minutes
Also published on the Engineering Ambassador's website for Ohio University's Russ College of Engineering and Technology For my second ambassador post of Spring semester, I decided to write about the differences in education system between that of my home country (the Netherlands) and the United States of America. Click on the "Read More" button to read the full post |
It will be hard to emphasize those differences because some of the names and levels of education are not translatable. However, I hope this post will serve as a resource for High School students as well as OU students who are looking into a semester abroad. Studying abroad has been the best decision in my life so far which I hope everyone to experience! It widens your horizon.
Studying abroad opened my eyes to several cultures and made it easier to communicate with people having different backgrounds. In school as well as in the work field, you will encounter people who have distinct believes and were raised in various parts of the world. In globalized times like this, I believe it is very important to understand those differences and respect one another.
That being said, I will try my best to explain the differences in education system that I experienced thus far. For example, at home we start off with kindergarten at the age of two up till four. When a child turns four, he or she goes to primary school (“basisschool”) up till twelve (grade 1 – grade 8). At home, private schools are uncommon so most kids go to a local, public primary school at a walking distance of 5-10 minutes (yes my country is small, haha). 90% Of the Dutch elementary schools are part of the government and use the same teaching style around the same level of education.
When a primary school student reaches the age of 11 (grade 7), he or she is required to take a standardized test similar to the American SAT’s: “The Central End Test for Primary Education” (“CITO”). The results of this test in combination with another standardized test the following year (grade 8), determine what level of high school the student should do. Levels are directly related to above average, average, or below average test scores and the years one will be enrolled in high school (4, 5, or 6 years). This test is also an important part of the decision to what high school one would like to go since not all schools offer all different levels.
The levels of high school are split up in three main levels: 6 years of VWO (pre-university and research focused), 5 years of HAVO (general second education, still provides entrance to university), and 4 years of VMBO (more technical, highest VMBO can continue to HAVO after graduation). These first and third levels can be further divided into VWO-TTO (education in English), VWO-Gymnasium (focused on Greek, Latin and classical antiquity), VWO-Atheneum (basic), VMBO-T (entrance to HAVO), VMBO-basis, and VMBO-kader. The last two are focused on practical and technical education known as “technical schools” in the USA.
Now that I tried to explain the Dutch system to you, you might wonder what these Italian pictures have to do with the education system. Well, in our last year of high scool (“senior year”) we do a trip abroad with our class. I graduated high school with a VWO-Gymnasium degree, so we got to travel to Rome and experience all the ancient structures and art pieces we were taught about during our 6 years of high school!
Because of my Dutch high school degree and experience, the transition to a(n American) university was made a little easier than expected. Thus, use your opportunities to explore the world and become a sophisticated student creating for good!
Because of my Dutch high school degree and experience, the transition to a(n American) university was made a little easier than expected. Thus, use your opportunities to explore the world and become a sophisticated student creating for good!