[ti:Minnesota Named Second-most Educated US State]
[al:Education Report]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2024-01-14]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]Minnesota has the second-highest education level in the U.S. as measured by the scholarship research website Scholaroo.com.
[00:10.93]A representative from Scholaroo told VOA Learning English that the state has a high percentage of residents with advanced degrees.
[00:21.14]It is ranked above Connecticut and just behind Massachusetts overall.
[00:27.51]The state is number one in the percentage of residents with doctoral degrees, Schoolaroo says. 
[00:35.15]The top study programs there are in education, medicine and law.
[00:41.68]VOA Learning English talked with students and college supporters to learn why they think Minnesota is a good place for higher education.
[00:51.79]Akhil Kollengode is an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota-Rochester. 
[00:58.82]He is in a new program that offers an undergraduate degree in two and a half years compared to the traditional four.
[01:08.20]His study program is in health sciences. 
[01:11.87]It is called NXT GEN MED, which deals with medical administration. 
[01:18.64]He hopes to move from studying to working at the nearby Mayo Clinic, a well-known hospital based in Rochester.
[01:27.85]"It is a big reason why I chose to stay in Minnesota," he said.
[01:32.96]Kollengode is in his second year of college. 
[01:37.24]He said he and his classmates saw how the COVID-19 pandemic took away some of the in-person college experience from their older friends. 
[01:48.10]He said, "We felt a little more motivation because we understood how much it could be taken for granted."
[01:54.68]He also saw the example of his parents working in the medical field and wanted to follow their path.
[02:03.59]Kollengode said many young people in Minnesota think they can only reach their goals by moving away.
[02:11.79]"These younger students are always told 'oh everything is so good when you leave home and when you can finally live on your own. 
[02:19.32]But you can do all of those things when you're still in your hometown. 
[02:22.98]Saving money, getting the same education and sometimes maybe better education if you're in your hometown."
[02:30.43]Lori Carrell is the chancellor, a top official, at the University of Minnesota-Rochester. 
[02:37.44]She said a number of universities in the U.S. are part of a new program testing "college in three."
[02:45.93]It aims to get students a degree in three, not four years.
[02:51.71]She said many students in the U.S. are questioning the value of college because of the cost.
[02:58.32]They also are concerned about finding a good job when they finish.
[03:03.51]Schools like hers are working to help students complete their degrees with a good job and not a lot of debt. 
[03:11.58]Students stay in school all year and work at the Mayo Clinic, which is close by, Carrell explained.
[03:18.63]She said, "We need people to come to Minnesota:"
[03:22.55]"There are a lot of needs for people with advanced degrees in Minnesota, making this three-year undergrad option even more attractive."
[03:35.16]Once people finish their undergraduate degree, she said, they can move on to advanced degrees and find a good job in Minnesota.
[03:46.25]Students from other states like Minnesota, too.
[03:50.50]Siya Sakhardande came from Texas to study psychology at the University of Minnesota's main campus, in Minneapolis and St. Paul, known as the "twin cities."
[04:04.16]She said she considered schools in California, Michigan and the rest of the U.S. 
[04:10.43]But the combination of a strong educational program and a good financial aid offer brought her to Minnesota.
[04:18.93]She said she and her classmates consider undergraduate degrees just the start.
[04:26.29]"I plan to go to law school. I have friends who want to go to medical school at the university. 
[04:30.49]I have friends who want to get their master's and their graduate degrees at the university. 
[04:35.34]The university definitely encourages that and like uses whatever resources they can to like, help us plan a future and a career beyond just going to school there."
[04:45.24]But she also said the school wants students who come from families that might not be considering college.
[04:52.51]Sakhardande noted the university's scholarship for Native American students, called the Native American Promise Tuition Program.
[05:03.16]It started last year.
[05:05.47]The university says it pays for 100 percent of school fees for students from recognized Native American tribes in Minnesota.
[05:15.98]In addition, Sakhardande helped with a recent campaign by a state lawmaker to push the state to pay low-income students' costs for attending a Minnesota public college.
[05:30.35]She said the North Star Promise scholarship program will make sure all students in Minnesota think about college.
[05:39.78]The state senator who worked on the project was Omar Fateh, whose district is in Minneapolis. He said he is not surprised Minnesota ranks high in education.
[05:54.52]"Minnesotans have long seen the value of higher education as a path to economic mobility," he said.
[06:02.78]Fateh said it is important to make higher education possible for all students in the state.
[06:10.56]He said the scholarship he is supporting can be used at both two-year and four-year colleges.
[06:18.24]Fateh's parents were immigrants from Somalia. 
[06:22.46]His father came to the U.S. to study at Montana State University.
[06:27.33]He grew up in Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. But he was not a good student in high school.
[06:35.02]He said he was saved by a school program.
[06:38.29]"... a program called the Pathways Program, which recruited students that were deemed to be 'at risk youth' into Northern Virginia Community College.
[06:46.78]That's why I'm a big supporter of community colleges because I believe it really it really helped me and saved me."
[06:53.23]Carrell said Minnesota clearly values higher education: "There's a great appreciation for advanced degrees and higher education in the state of Minnesota."
[07:05.10]She added that education leaders there feel a responsibility to give students a good ROI, or return on investment, for their time in school.
[07:17.70]Sakhardande thinks students from inside and outside of the U.S. should consider Minnesota schools.
[07:26.94]"It's just a little bit less recognized than states like California and the Ivy Leagues. But I think once you get to Minnesota, you understand that there are great things to do here."
[07:36.17]I'm Dan Friedell.