From HAVO to one of the world’s top universities — with a stop at a community college Near San Francisco
Caspar Koopmans shares how his gap year turned into the realization of his academic dreams. “To this day, I have not met a single other Dutch person who has done what I have done. It is truly unique!”
Caspar Koopmans is a student who knows exactly what he wants. Ambitious, eager to explore, and determined to make the most of his remarkable academic journey in North America — and he is doing just that. “We first spoke with a competitor of UStudy, but their focus was more on language learning, and I already spoke English pretty well. That is when my dad reached out to Marina from UStudy to see if she could help us out.”
After figuring out what Caspar was looking for, they quickly landed on the idea of attending a community college. With over 1000 community colleges to choose from, it might seem overwhelming — but for Caspar, it was an easy filter. He was quickly on his way to starting his American dream. “I knew I wanted to be near San Francisco, so the decision came pretty fast. Three months after that conversation, I was already there. UStudy arranged everything — from application to visa.”
Originally, he left for a gap year at Foothill College, a community college in California. But soon, one year turned into two. “The goal of a community college is to transfer to a 4- year college or university. My intention was to be away for just one year, but I got swept up in the whole experience.”
Now in his fifth year in North America, Caspar is continuing his studies after completing two years of international relations at Foothill Community College. He is now in Canada, attending one of the best universities in the world. “My mom always had a feeling I would not return to the Netherlands to finish my degree. My dad realized it a bit later, but it did not come as a surprise when I decided to extend my time here.”
After two years at Foothill, Caspar started a new chapter at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver — a campus within walking distance of the beach and home to around 65,000 students. “It is like a city of its own. You do not even have to leave campus to do things — there are even bars and clubs right on campus!” But it is not just the nightlife that excites him. Despite the large student population, Caspar does not feel like just a number at UBC. “This school is truly unique. It is big, but there are so many ways to get involved. And the class sizes are relatively small for a school this large.”
And he is involved. At Foothill College, he quickly joined the student council and became a member of the Model United Nations (MUN) team — a group that travels across North America to simulate United Nations conferences. “Model UN is the coolest thing I have done in these five years. You really get to understand how diplomacy works — it is incredible! It helped me figure out what I truly wanted to do.” Caspar since worked his way up to Secretary-General of the MUN conference.
At UBC, he is just as active. He works as a Resident Advisor, supervising fellow students who live on the same campus as him. “It is a great deal, I get paid and get free housing, which saves thousands of euros a year!”
Caspar is well aware of how special this academic adventure in North America really is. “When you live in a big city, you get this feeling that the whole world revolves around where you are. That sense of pride… you are in a place that everyone dreams about!”
