# University for Expat kids



## sunsolaris (Oct 21, 2010)

Let me tell you about my son who is currently in US.He graduated High School in Abu Dhabi (Al Raha International), UAE then he returned to the US in June where he had grown up (we had only moved to Abu Dhabi a couple of years back). He isn't doing will in college in the US, largely because he misses his family.

We want to bring him back to Abu Dhabi and get him into a good university here. We are looking for a university that shares accreditation with the US since he will end up in the US eventually we believe

I am seeking any help and guidance on good school with great accreditation here in the Abu Dhabi or Dubai area. Does anyone have kid attending university level institutions here in the UAE? Please let me know of any good experiences you and your kids have had with colleges in the UAE, especially in or near Abu Dhabi. If there are none in Abu Dhabi, if we could find one in the UAE at least he could travel home many weekends. Thanks for any advice you can supply us

Thanks


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

sunsolaris said:


> Let me tell you about my son who is currently in US.He graduated High School in Abu Dhabi (Al Raha International), UAE then he returned to the US in June where he had grown up (we had only moved to Abu Dhabi a couple of years back). He isn't doing will in college in the US, largely because he misses his family.
> 
> We want to bring him back to Abu Dhabi and get him into a good university here. We are looking for a university that shares accreditation with the US since he will end up in the US eventually we believe
> 
> ...


Hi,
There is NYU Abu Dhabi campus on Saadiyat island - many of the lecturers are from New York.
Cheers
Steve


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## iggles (Jan 4, 2015)

sunsolaris said:


> He isn't doing will in college in the US, largely because he misses his family.


Is that the reason he told you?? haha. He's probably smoking weed, drinking vodka shots and spending time with girls!

Thats the reason why he isn't doing well at University!


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

You'll also find that associations notwithstanding, a degree from Dubai or anywhere else is the Middle East, isn't as respected as a degree from the respective home countries.

if he wants to live off his degree qualification anywhere except the subcontinent, then get one from outside of the Middle East.


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## INFAMOUS (Apr 19, 2011)

NYUAD
AUD
AUS
CUD

All accredited here by the Ministry of Higher Ed. All I am sure with partnerships with the US. I suggest you find out which institutions have full recognition in the US. There are many companies there that do equivalencies. 

IE: My masters was from Australia and it was easily given equivalency.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

INFAMOUS said:


> All accredited here by the Ministry of Higher Ed.


Which means precisely nothing in most of the world. Its barely better than a correspondence degree and why so many people here with money send their children to western universities in foreign countries.



INFAMOUS said:


> There are many companies there that do equivalencies.


You should consider which employers consider equivalency actually equivalent - the large corporate ones I've worked for certainly don't consider a UAE degree as good as a western one.


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## Racing_Goats (Sep 5, 2015)

I don't know about ME degrees vs other countries, but NYUAD is very good in terms of campus, facilities and extra curricular/student life - plus saadiyat island is just about commutable from Dubai if your son prefers or money demands staying at home is better.. 

I think there's quite a lot of Western students now choosing to study here rather than home for variety of reasons - I know I'd rather employ a graduate who's experienced different cultures, taken a risk in moving to a new environment and performed academically and personally in a multi cultural setting.

Good luck

Ps. Rascal is probably right about the vodka and girls and telling you a bit of what he thinks you want to hear, part of growing up


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## T'challa_Udaku (Nov 14, 2014)

Racing_Goats said:


> Ps. Rascal is probably right about the vodka and girls and telling you a bit of what he thinks you want to hear, part of growing up


Rascal must be a right villain. He hasn't posted yet but gets all the blame lol


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## Racing_Goats (Sep 5, 2015)

T'challa_Udaku said:


> Rascal must be a right villain. He hasn't posted yet but gets all the blame lol


new to the forum my bad.. rascal, iggles, hard to tell the difference really


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## INFAMOUS (Apr 19, 2011)

twowheelsgood said:


> Which means precisely nothing in most of the world. Its barely better than a correspondence degree and why so many people here with money send their children to western universities in foreign countries.
> 
> 
> 
> You should consider which employers consider equivalency actually equivalent - the large corporate ones I've worked for certainly don't consider a UAE degree as good as a western one.


I have worked in Higher Ed for over 10 years in North America, Australia and now UAE and I have seen many students transfer and continue Masters/ PhD programs in North America to extremely reputable institutions from the UAE... 

Also, I worked for the State of Texas with an equivalency from Australia where I would put many UAE degrees up against mine. The State of Texas only had 3 recognized places to seek the equivalency. This is why it's important to see which ones they recognize. 

I understand your stereotypes of education here however there are MANY crap universities in North America as well.... so it's all debatable depending on what the OP is referring to.

OP> you will get a lot of opinions on this forum and generally negative ones as it's easier to complain and vent then recommend and commend. You will also here from a lot of "prophets"... I am not saying that everyone is wrong however take opinions here for what words are worth and make your own education decision based on feedback and facts!

Hope this helps.


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## taliacottage (Dec 2, 2014)

I met a few students from NYUAD a couple of months ago. They were American students who had moved to the UAE specifically to go to NYUAD - experience a new culture, live in a different part of the world etc. etc. They only had good things to say about their experience in the Abu Dhabi campus - both academically and otherwise. 

All except one student intends to return to the US when they graduate next year. I did not discuss future employment opportunities with them but there didn't seem to be any indication that they would find it difficult to find a job back home. 

Of course, it also depends on what field of study your son wants to pursue. Some industries are more picky about where the academic qualification comes from than others. 

Good luck!


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

taliacottage said:


> I met a few students from NYUAD a couple of months ago. They were American students who had moved to the UAE specifically to go to NYUAD - experience a new culture, live in a different part of the world etc. etc. They only had good things to say about their experience in the Abu Dhabi campus - both academically and otherwise.
> 
> All except one student intends to return to the US when they graduate next year. I did not discuss future employment opportunities with them but there didn't seem to be any indication that they would find it difficult to find a job back home.
> 
> ...


Hi,
I meet many of the lecturers from NYUAD on a daily basis when collecting my son from school. They are a real decent bunch of people.
I reckon that a degree from NYUAD would stand up well in the USA - especially as most recruiters probably would not have a clue where Abu Dhabi was!!
Cheers
Steve


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