BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-THOSE planning to pursue higher education in the near future are being invited to attend a special session on opportunities at Midwestern State University (MWSU) this Wednesday (Dec. 30).
Located in Wichita Falls, Texas, a town of roughly 6 000 people northwest of Dallas, MWSU is a trendsetter in international recruiting and uniquely offers in-state tuition rates for Caribbean students through competitive scholarships.
“Basically, at School A you might pay $10 000 and at Midwestern you might pay $4 000. That is the tuition difference. We are extremely cost affordable, and in fact Midwestern State University in 2008 was voted Best Value by Consumers Digest for the quality education at an affordable cost,” MWSU graduate Terrance Martin explained.
Martin is helping to organize Wednesday’s free informational session, which will be held at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College Multi-purpose Room at 4 p.m. He said that students from all majors are invited to attend and have their questions answered.
“It is an informal session. We don’t want it to be too rigid. We want people come out to ask questions and we are welcoming all majors…not just the traditional business and sciences. We are strongly trying to recruit a large number of Kittitians and Nevisians for fall 2010.”
Apart from the very affordable tuition offered at MWSU, Martin said that the school is uniquely geared to host Kittitians and Nevisians through its well-established Caribbean Students Organization (CSO).
Founded in 1993 by Grenadian Dr. Randy Glean, the CSO has successfully integrated hundreds of Caribbean students into university life while still preserving their culture.
“The school and community really appreciate the Caribbean culture. Every year in October we have Carib Fest, which was initiated by an Antiguan and has been going strong for 15 years. We have a mini-Carnival on campus where the community comes out and it helps raise money for charity.
“From the Caribbean perspective, our organization is the largest on campus and the most structured. It is socially huge, community oriented and you don’t lose your Caribbean culture by being in north Texas. We have all the DJs and all of the music, so we definitely balance fun and learning at the same time,” Martin said.
He added there are roughly 50 Kittitians and Nevisians currently attending MWSU and the CSO is hoping that three planned informational sessions would help add another 15-20 to that number for the fall semester of 2010.
Academically, MWSU students in the CSO have one of the highest collective grade point averages of all student organizations at the school, as well as a 70 % rate of going on to earn an advanced degree at MWSU or another school.
“The biggest problem for a lot of people is a lack of information. We want people to come out and ask as many questions as possible. Even if you are not sure that your major is offered at the university, comes still and we could point you in the right direction.
“Our main goal is to get as many Kittitians and Nevisians in higher education as possible,” Martin said.
