Minnesota Named Second-most Educated US State

Minnesota Named Second-most Educated US State

明尼苏达被评为美国第二最受教育的州

【听力音频】

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　　By Dan Friedell

　　13 January 2024

　　Minnesota has the second-highest education level in the U.S. as measured by the scholarship research website Scholaroo.com.

　　A representative from Scholaroo told VOA Learning English that the state has a high percentage of residents with advanced degrees. It is ranked above Connecticut and just behind Massachusetts overall.

　　The state is number one in the percentage of residents with doctoral degrees, Schoolaroo says. The top study programs there are in education, medicine and law.

　　VOA Learning English talked with students and college supporters to learn why they think Minnesota is a good place for higher education.

　　Next gen med

　　Akhil Kollengode is an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota-Rochester. He is in a new program that offers an undergraduate degree in two and a half years compared to the traditional four.

　　His study program is in health sciences. It is called NXT GEN MED, which deals with medical administration. He hopes to move from studying to working at the nearby Mayo Clinic, a well-known hospital based in Rochester.

　　"It is a big reason why I chose to stay in Minnesota," he said.

　　Kollengode is in his second year of college. 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. He said, "We felt a little more motivation because we understood how much it could be taken for granted."

　　He also saw the example of his parents working in the medical field and wanted to follow their path.

　　Kollengode said many young people in Minnesota think they can only reach their goals by moving away.

　　"These younger students are always told ‘oh everything is so good when you leave home and when you can finally live on your own. But you can do all of those things when you're still in your hometown. Saving money, getting the same education and sometimes maybe better education if you're in your hometown."

　　College in three

　　Lori Carrell is the chancellor, a top official, at the University of Minnesota-Rochester. She said a number of universities in the U.S. are part of a new program testing "college in three." It aims to get students a degree in three, not four years.

　　She said many students in the U.S. are questioning the value of college because of the cost. They also are concerned about finding a good job when they finish.

　　Schools like hers are working to help students complete their degrees with a good job and not a lot of debt. Students stay in school all year and work at the Mayo Clinic, which is close by, Carrell explained.

　　She said, "We need people to come to Minnesota:"

　　"There are a lot of needs for people with advanced degrees in Minnesota, making this three-year undergrad option even more attractive."

　　Once people finish their undergraduate degree, she said, they can move on to advanced degrees and find a good job in Minnesota.

　　Out of State

　　Students from other states like Minnesota, too.

　　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."

　　She said she considered schools in California, Michigan and the rest of the U.S. But the combination of a strong educational program and a good financial aid offer brought her to Minnesota.

　　She said she and her classmates consider undergraduate degrees just the start.

　　"I plan to go to law school. I have friends who want to go to medical school at the university. I have friends who want to get their master's and their graduate degrees at the university. 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."

　　But she also said the school wants students who come from families that might not be considering college.

　　Sakhardande noted the university's scholarship for Native American students, called the Native American Promise Tuition Program. It started last year. The university says it pays for 100 percent of school fees for students from recognized Native American tribes in Minnesota.

　　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. She said the North Star Promise scholarship program will make sure all students in Minnesota think about college.

　　Community college ‘saved me'

　　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.

　　"Minnesotans have long seen the value of higher education as a path to economic mobility," he said.

　　Fateh said it is important to make higher education possible for all students in the state. He said the scholarship he is supporting can be used at both two-year and four-year colleges.

　　Fateh's parents were immigrants from Somalia. His father came to the U.S. to study at Montana State University. He grew up in Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. But he was not a good student in high school. He said he was saved by a school program.

　　"... a program called the Pathways Program, which recruited students that were deemed to be ‘at risk youth' into Northern Virginia Community College. That's why I'm a big supporter of community colleges because I believe it really it really helped me and saved me."

　　Carrell said Minnesota clearly values higher education: "There's a great appreciation for advanced degrees and higher education in the state of Minnesota." She added that education leaders there feel a responsibility to give students a good ROI, or return on investment, for their time in school.

　　Sakhardande thinks students from inside and outside of the U.S. should consider Minnesota schools.

　　"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."

　　I'm Dan Friedell.

　　Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English.

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　　作者：Dan Friedell

　　日期：2024年1月13日

　　根据奖学金研究网站Scholaroo.com的数据，明尼苏达州在美国的教育水平排名第二。

　　Scholaroo的一位代表告诉美国之音英语学习频道，该州有很高比例的居民拥有高级学位。它的排名高于康涅狄格州，仅次于马萨诸塞州。

　　Schoolaroo表示，该州在拥有博士学位的居民比例上排名第一。那里最受欢迎的学习项目是教育、医学和法律。

　　美国之音英语学习频道采访了一些学生和大学支持者，以了解他们为什么认为明尼苏达州是接受高等教育的好地方。

　　下一代医学

　　Akhil Kollengode是明尼苏达大学罗切斯特分校的本科生。他正在参加一个新的项目，该项目提供的本科学位只需两年半的时间，而传统的学制需要四年。

　　他的学习项目是健康科学。这个项目被称为NXT GEN MED，主要研究医疗管理。他希望能从学习转到在附近的梅奥诊所工作，这是一个在罗切斯特设立的知名医院。

　　"这是我选择留在明尼苏达的一个重要原因，"他说。

　　Kollengode现在是大二学生。他说他和他的同学们看到COVID-19疫情如何剥夺了他们的一些老朋友的面对面的大学体验。他说："我们感到更有动力，因为我们明白这些体验是多么容易被忽视。"

　　他也看到了他的父母在医疗领域工作的例子，想要追随他们的脚步。

　　Kollengode说，明尼苏达州的许多年轻人认为他们只有离开家才能实现他们的目标。

　　"这些年轻学生总是被告知‘哦，当你离开家，当你终于可以独立生活的时候，一切都会变得很好。但是你在家乡也可以做到所有这些事情。省钱，获得同样的教育，有时候如果你在家乡，可能还能获得更好的教育。"

　　三年大学

　　Lori Carrell是明尼苏达大学罗切斯特分校的校长，也是该校的高级官员。她说，美国的许多大学都是一个新项目的一部分，这个项目正在测试"三年大学"。它的目标是让学生在三年，而不是四年内获得学位。

　　她说，由于学费的问题，美国的许多学生都在质疑大学的价值。他们也担心毕业后能否找到一份好工作。

　　像她的学校这样的学校正在努力帮助学生在找到一份好工作的同时完成他们的学位，而不是背负大量的债务。Carrell解释说，学生们全年都在学校学习，并在附近的梅奥诊所工作。

　　她说："我们需要人们来明尼苏达："

　　"明尼苏达州有很多需要高级学位的人，这使得这个三年本科选项更具吸引力。"

　　一旦人们完成了他们的本科学位，她说，他们就可以继续攻读高级学位，并在明尼苏达找到一份好工作。

　　外州学生

　　其他州的学生也喜欢明尼苏达。

　　Siya Sakhardande从德克萨斯州来到明尼苏达大学的主校区，也就是位于明尼阿波利斯和圣保罗的"双子城"，学习心理学。

　　她说她考虑过加利福尼亚、密歇根和美国的其他学校。但是强大的教育项目和良好的财务援助使她选择了明尼苏达。

　　她说，她和她的同学们认为本科学位只是开始。

　　"我计划去读法学院。我有朋友想在大学读医学院。我有朋友想在大学获得他们的硕士和研究生学位。大学肯定鼓励这一点，并且尽其所能使用各种资源来帮助我们规划未来和职业生涯，而不仅仅是在那里上学。"

　　但她也说，学校希望那些可能没有考虑上大学的家庭的学生能来。

　　Sakhardande提到了大学为美洲原住民学生提供的奖学金，名为“美洲原住民承诺学费计划”。这个计划去年开始。大学表示，它为明尼苏达州认可的美洲原住民部落的学生支付100%的学费。

　　此外，Sakhardande最近还帮助一位州立法者推动州支付低收入学生的明尼苏达公立大学的费用。她说，北星承诺奖学金计划将确保明尼苏达州的所有学生都考虑上大学。

　　社区学院“救了我”。

　　参与该项目的州参议员是奥马尔·法特，他的选区在明尼阿波利斯。他说，他并不惊讶明尼苏达州在教育方面的排名很高。

　　"明尼苏达人长期以来一直看到高等教育作为经济流动性的途径的价值，"他说。

　　法特说，让州内所有学生都有可能接受高等教育非常重要。他说，他支持的奖学金可以在两年制和四年制的学院中使用。

　　法特的父母是来自索马里的移民。他的父亲来美国在蒙大拿州立大学学习。他在华盛顿特区和北弗吉尼亚州长大。但他在高中时并不是一个好学生。他说，他是被一个学校项目救了出来。

　　"...一个叫做Pathways Program的项目，它招募被认为是‘处于风险中的青少年’进入北弗吉尼亚社区学院。这就是我为什么大力支持社区学院，因为我相信它真的帮助了我，救了我。"

　　Carrell说，明尼苏达州显然重视高等教育："在明尼苏达州，人们非常欣赏高级学位和高等教育。"她补充说，那里的教育领导者感到有责任为学生在学校的时间提供良好的投资回报率，或者说ROI。

　　Sakhardande认为，来自美国内外的学生都应该考虑明尼苏达的学校。

　　"它只是比加利福尼亚州和常春藤联盟的学校少一些认可度。但我认为一旦你来到明尼苏达，你就会明白这里有很多伟大的事情可以做。"

　　我是丹·弗里德尔。

　　丹·弗里德尔为学习英语写了这个故事。

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　　故事中的词汇

　　scholarship –n. 奖学金，给予学生的一笔资金，用以减轻他们的教育成本

　　resident –n. 居民，生活在特定地方的人

　　advanced degree –n. 高级学位，比学士学位更高的学位

　　doctoral –adj. 博士的，与大学授予的最高学位相关的

　　take for granted –v. 忽视某物的价值，视为理所当然

　　deem –v. 认为，把某物看作某种方式

　　district –n. 区，由政府为特定目的设立的地区

　　mobility –n. 流动性，能够移动或达到不同层次的能力