FOR many Jamaican college-age students, getting the opportunity to pursue tertiary studies abroad, particularly in the United States of America, is the chance of a lifetime.

Every year, many of these dreams are fulfilled through academic or athletic scholarships. But on arrival in the USA, a few of these eager students are jolted by the recognition that the American experience does not play out the way they had expected.

Instead, it turns out to be nothing short of a nightmare.

While many become the victims of harsh racial and ethnic prejudices, others are shocked to find out that some of their expectations – such as financial assistance and accommodation – are not met.

Dr Dennis Minott whose renowned A-Quest programme has been helping scores of Jamaican students get into American tertiary institutions for years, said his students never encounter such difficulties, as they prepare thoroughly and they do not lie on application forms.

Minott knows, however, from the stories he has heard that some students find it difficult to survive.

“We’ve heard of a few cases where students get stranded or are thrown out of school because they did not have proper financing, especially in the case of student athletes.

Some of them misrepresent information to the colleges and get in trouble. It’s rarely the colleges’ fault,” Minott said. “Fraud on the part of the coaches is one of the causes of this problem. Some of these coaches make it seem as if they are handing out scholarships and this is crookedness because it ends up hurting the students,” he added.

Ian Forbes, who works with local coaches and students to secure overseas scholarships, said he has first-hand experience of what some of these students go through.

“A lot of the coaches make lofty promises to parents and students telling them that full scholarships are available and when the students reach, it is not the case,” Forbes, a Jamaica College old boy, said.

“As a result, many of them have to seek out employment and do very demanding jobs such as manual work, waiting tables or on-campus jobs. Even though this can help their personal development, when you are not prepared for it, it can affect you negatively in [your] school work.”

While he refused to mention names, Forbes told the Sunday Observer that in one case, a student was provided with no accommodation and had no bed to sleep on.

“This can result in them straying down the wrong path,” said Forbes.

Jamaican student Carla Williams, 24, who is studying at the University of Miami on

an academic/basketball scholarship, said international students have to be careful as there are a lot of ‘hidden’ information of which students need to be aware.

“The international fees are very high and a lot of things are hidden so you have to be constantly on your guard. International students have to be extra attentive,” Williams, who has represented Jamaica in netball said.

“Sometimes when they say it’s a free scholarship, it is not technically free because you have to pay for some things. When I was at Broward Junior College, I was told that food and boarding would be free. I had to pay for my own food and pay for electricity,” Williams said, adding that at the University of Miami, she gets a monthly allowance and her tuition and books are covered.

She pointed out, too, that while prejudices abound on campus, she has not been victimised.

“One of my major challenges at the outset was adapting to the new environment. There are a lot of prejudices about Black foreign students. People think that we are actually slower than the average student and they believe we are hostile because we speak our minds. If you get into a fight with a white student, you are more likely to get expelled than the other student,” she said.

In mid-June, former St Andrew High School student Latoya Heath, was kicked out of Lindenwood University, Missouri, in the United States with nowhere to turn. The Daily Observer reported in June that Heath said she was wrongfully expelled after she was attacked by another student and was merely defending herself.

Despite written statements from three eyewitnesses that the other student, a dorm mate, whom Heath asked to turn down her music while trying to study, pushed and hit Heath after the request was made, Heath was told to vacate the university campus the very same day – without taking her final exams. Heath was subsequently charged by the local police for assault.

Minott said A-Quest students are responsible for reporting any fights in which they are involved.

“The group is very clear about the rules and responsibilities involved. There is no room for misrepresentation of information,” Minott said.

In the meantime, 19-year-old Javan Mitchell who begins studies at Wesleyan University in Connecticut in September says he is not worried about encountering such problems.

“I am not particularly worried, just nervous about being in a new environment. I haven’t heard anything negative about [Wesleyan]. It’s a very liberal institution. Plus, I know other people who are going there,” the former Mannings High head boy said. “It’s a full scholarship which covers tuition, travel and other expenses so I will only have to take care of the minor additional costs.”

Minott told the Sunday Observer that his programme is set up in such a way that the possiblity of students running into financial difficulties is extremely minimal.

“With the over 3,000 students who have passed through A-Quest, we have never had a problem where a child had to be thrown out of school because of financial reasons. The only minor case we might have had was solved by the student requesting a small loan. Other than that, we do not know what it is to have a student sent home,” he said. “Getting everything is rare, but most of our students get 80 per cent and upwards in terms of scholarships so they can usually afford the rest. When it is all added up, you end up paying less than what students have to pay at UWI. Our students do not leave home without their finances being in order.”

He outlined a simple formula that is employed by A-Quest members to avoid problems, which he noted should be adopted by all students who want to pursue studies in the US.

“What we do is prepare, do well in school and speak the truth on the applications. We insist that the students speak the truth so that they do not have to come back home with their heads down.”