Hello!
My daughter has asked me to help her choose among the following programs:
University College Utrecht
University College de Hague
University College Groningen
University College Maastricht
It is difficult to get any answers anywhere. It seems that the Dutch simply go to the school either closest to their home residence or the college that offers the degree they are seeking, while others do not seem to be aware that the universities have each a respective university college connected to the main university.
Is there anyone here who has either participated in one of the above university colleges or who has lived in The Netherlands who can help us?
Thank you!
Gronigen especially for Environmental science and issues, The Hague for policy, human rights, social justice.
Maastricht is more international, smaller, easy to get to Belgium/France; Utrecht is older, with historical buildings, in a large, vibrant city.
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Thank you for your response.
Thank you for helping me find someone to respond.
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I’m still learning about a lot of this myself and don’t really know anything about the programs themselves, except that: The Dutch think most of their university programs are at about the same level; the Dutch are skeptical about whether a university college education is good for getting a job; and the Dutch admissions offices are disorganized and hard to deal with.
If your daughter starts applying to Dutch schools, have her take a screen shot of any screen that contains a promise, or an indication that she submitted some required information or attachment.
Anyhow, based solely on me passing by the towns, as a tourist:
Groenigen: To me, honestly, it seemed small, out-of-the-way and rough.
Maastricht: If your daughter wants the cheapest housing, easier access to Belgian food, and a quieter way of life that some Dutch university students might find a little dull. My guess is that this is the program where the overall experience is most like the experience in a good U.S. liberal arts colllege.
Utrecht: If she wants moderate housing costs and a pretty, lively city that’s easier to handle than Amsterdam.
The Hague: If she’d love to try to get internships with the Dutch government or international businesses, or if her idea of a good time would be to take the train to the beach. (Katwijk.) To me, The Hague feels more down-to-earth than a lot of the rest of the Netherlands. It’s a little lived-in without feeling menacing.
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Hey, hope I’m not too late for this! I’m an international student in Utrecht. I would definitely recommend either Utrecht or The Hague, the latter is bigger and does have more international institutions (like the international court of justice) & opportunities in that field. Utrecht is the way to go for humanities and liberal arts! I’ve heard from friends who attend the university college, UCU, that it is demanding but very nice.
The city in itself is so charming, it’s like a smaller, more authentic version of Amsterdam. I can only recommend Utrecht, I fell in love with it the moment I moved here! If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out! If your daughter does end up coming here I would be glad to show her around.
My daughter’s boyfriend just chose Utrecht over The Hague. He is a Dutch citizen who has been living in the US for the past 5 years. His parents both went to Utrecht and his mother taught there, so that probably influenced his decision. He is graduating from high school this year and will start at Utrecht this Fall. He wants to study liberal arts and intends to eventually go to law school.
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