I’m currently a rising senior at a highschool in the US about to start applying for college.
I’ve been drawn to Dutch universities (perticulrly Leiden for its IR degree), but I’m not sure if it’s right for me. I understand the basics of how the school system works in the Netherlands and how my classes would be in general. My main concern, however, is how it would be as an international student with no real knowledge of Dutch. I’ve never been to the Netherlands before and in most ways I’d be diving entirely into the unknown.
I’m drawn to go there because I really want the international experience. I’m looking as well at colleges in Canada (particularly McGill), and in Great Britain. What I like about the Netherlands over Canada and GB is that it’s a more different culture as compared to the US, and from what I’ve read, I feel like I would like it. Additionally, it’s in continental Europe, so additional travel would be easier than if I were in Canada or in GB.
My number one worry is that I’d have a hard time making friends and feeling at home there. I know that university-life there, as compared to the US, is far more independentally oriented and far less campus-oriented; in essence, there’s no “hand-holding”. I want to go out of my comfort zone and have a truly wonderful experience, but my worry is that I would go to the Netherlands and have a really hard time socially and feel isolated and have no real way to get back to the US, where my family is.
In the end, it’s about my wanting to travel and experience other cultures. If it really gets down to it, I have the option to apply (and have a relatively good chance at getting accepted) to a variety of schools within the US, so going to the Netherlands would not be out of necessity, but out of wanting to see what’s out there in the world.
Basically, I just want to hear other people’s experiences and advice after having done something like this. Do you think I should stay closer to home? Will it likely be hard for me to make friends there? How do I know if it’s the right choice for me? I’ve done a fair amount of internet research, and I’ll be doing more, but I’ve had a harder time learning about people’s experiences socially, as opposed to just academically.
I think it shows a lot of maturity that you are giving so much thought to the different aspects of what studying abroad might be like.
Leiden teaches entire undergraduate degree programs in English, doesn’t it?
Before I go into a long-winded explanation of why I personally would not want to live in a country whose language I do not speak, let me jump ahead to the conclusion and tell you what I would do in your situation. I would enroll in a year-long intensive language course first. Some universities teach these for free or very cheaply to prospective international college students. (Don’t know about Dutch universities.)
If you decide that you like living and studying in Europe, you can start your degree program there without the disadvantages of not knowing the local language. If you discover that Europe is not your cup of tea, you’ll have a year of study-abroad experience, you’ll have learned another language, and you can start college in the US as a freshman with all of the admission advantages that only freshmen get (like access to scholarships).
Here’s why I would not want to live in a country whose language I do not speak. You’d be fine in day-to-day life, as businesses in the vicinity of the university would be quite accustomed to serving English-speaking visitors. You would also likely find a core group of friends among other international students at Leiden.
However, when I am in a country whose language I do not speak, I can never shake the feeling of being left out. It might be small things, like people reacting to some news on the radio and I don’t know what was said. Or hanging out with Dutch friends, only for them to switch the conversation to Dutch to share a joke that doesn’t translate. There’s also larger obstacles, like it being much harder to find a part-time job or an internship. You’ll probably experience a fair share of misunderstandings as the person who gave you information was mistaken about the meaning of some English word.
There’s one more thing that annoys the crap out of me but may not be a big deal to you. I get very impatient when I speak to intermediate-level non-native speakers in my native language (German). They speak slowly with a funny accent, they make grammar mistakes, and they mis-use a bunch of vocabulary. When I interact with non-native speakers occasionally, I can have empathy. But if most of my interactions were like that every single day, I might go nuts…
Leiden is working hard to attract international students, The Hague is a great place to be for IR, the price is a bargain (but stay in university housing- The Hague is an expensive place to live), and it’s just 3 years to a BS in Political Science.
On the other hand, most of your classes will be lectures of 500+, especially in the first 2 years, when you have no choice of course selection, and you will have to be willing to continuously push yourself to take the lead in your social life.
Finally, it is likely that most of your friends will be other international students, with a handful of Dutch students thrown in. That is neither good nor bad, just something to be aware of. (fwiw, I still have friends & colleagues around the world from being an international student).
If you are serious about Leiden, I suggest you get the hop on @“b@r!um” suggestion and start working on learning Dutch right now. Look for a summer course at the local community college. See how you take to the language. If it’s going well, keep studying it through. If you end up choosing Leiden, you should arrive in the Netherlands in a little more than a year from now with passable Dutch (sorry, @“b@r!um”!). Once you are there everybody will speak to you in English, but you will understand much more of what is going on around you, which reduces stress levels a lot, and make the overall experience more fun.
Leiden universities web page seems to have lot’s of information for international students including an online year long Dutch language course. Studying in the Netherlands is even popular for students coming from Germany and the Dutch have a very positive reputation for welcoming international students. It’s also a great location as a base to explore the rest of Europe.
well I am studying in Netherlands and Leiden is not international city and is also pretty boring.
Remember it is relatively easy to get in Dutch Research university but It is very tough to stay in Dutch universities! Especially year one will be super difficult. Drop out rate in Dutch research universities (approx same for Leiden) is 30% first year, but it is mostly dutch students who drop out, so do not worry much about it, however lots of international students drop out or get kicked out anyways.
Will be harder to befriend Dutch students, but you will have lots of international students in Leiden anyways, so you should be fine with finding friends, its all up to you, if you are social you will make friend from any country easily.
ALL OF DUTCH people speak perfect English, immigrants might not speak good English but they will be fine.
Remember : even if Dutch people speak perfect English, you are still being left out in some occasions, simply because Dutch is first/official language of the Netherlands. However It is not a big deal.
Amsterdam is definitely the best city in Netherlands, however Hague is a nice city as well for example.
I studied abroad in several different countries while in college. Never had any problem making friends. Language was not a problem as everyone spoke English.
I only visited the Netherlands as a travelling student. People were very friendly. English was the common language.
I think that your fears, though rational, are unfounded.