CAPE-EXPECTATIONS VS REALITY

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CAPE: EXPECTATIONS VS REALITY

y name is Haila Forde. I am a 16-year-old who

currently attends The St. Maarten Academy’s

CAPE Division and I am in my first year. CAPE,

which stands for Caribbean Advanced Proficiency

by Haila Forde Examinations, and is equivalent to the British

Advanced Levels (A-levels). Upon successful completion,

students are awarded an Associate’s Degree in their major, and

whose credits often equate to two years of a First (Bachelor’s)

degree, in the same or similar field.

Being a CAPE student comes with loads of responsibility and
let us not forget pressure; pressure to set an example for the high
school students; pressure to do what’s right even when no one is
watching. As a CAPE student, my schedule has become busy and I
now have to learn to balance extra-curricular activities with
courses and assignments. Nonetheless, this doesn’t stop me from
achieving my ultimate goal.

Before I entered CAPE, I didn’t have high or as much
expectations that a student who is entering a university for the first
time should have. I thought of CAPE the same way I thought high
school was going to be, challenging with strict teachers.

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And it was; except, they were also compassionate and
understanding. A week before school started, an orientation
meeting was held for all the first year students and two points
stuck with me.

The first point was that CAPE is challenging. Being a science
student who is obtaining an Associate’s Degree in Natural Science
is not an easy task. As a science student, it is required of us to
complete a certain amount of labs, for each science subject, at a
certain time. I chose to do all three of my science subjects, so you
do the Math.

However, trying to complete labs while having a load of
assignments and having to study is a lot for someone to manage.
This is where your skills as being someone who can manage their
time wisely and prioritize get tested. A constant reminder of what I
want to achieve at the end of my studies here at CAPE is what gives
me the motivation to keep me going. Also, my family, friends and
teachers play a huge role as they are the ones who continue to
support, motivate and guide me.

The second point that stuck with me was that as a CAPE
student, we do far fewer subjects than in high school. This allows
us to have more free periods. The free periods were beneficial

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because they allowed the teachers to use that time to get more
work done.

Additionally, these periods can be used to complete labs and
seek further assistance that we need concerning tests and
assignments.

Being a part of CAPE prepares you for the real world. It
prepares you for college and the work force. It teaches you
discipline, structure and time management skills. CAPE is
manageable but only if you stay up to task with your work and do
not procrastinate.

My advice to you is: Don’t give up! I’m enjoying this phase of my
educational journey. If I can do it, you can do it, too. As young
people, we have the opportunity to break barriers and surpass the
norm which is that society expects us to fail. But I believe that we
can prove them wrong. After all, we are the future.