University Trip to The Netherlands

by Jayne Baker, University Counsellor

Taking this trip to The Netherlands was therefore the ideal opportunity to support the students in their the process of narrowing their choices for possibles universities to apply to by allowing students an opportunity to make more informed decisions. Students in Year 12 will need to decide where they want to apply in the following year, and the Year 13s had the chance to see the campuses of their top choice universities, making the decision about where they want to go next year that little bit easier.

As someone who definitely isn’t a morning person, the first day of the trip was definitely the most difficult for me. Our flight departed Bucharest at 8:35, meaning we had to be at the airport at 6am in the morning. Thankfully, we didn’t have any issues when it came to leaving the country, boarding our flight with a sense of excitement about what was to come.

Day 1 – UvA

When we arrived in The Netherlands, we were welcomed by a chilly wind and cold weather, but, thankfully, we came prepared for cooler weather, dressed in warm clothes. The hotel was really beautiful, and we had some time to marvel at the view from our rooms before visiting the University of Amsterdam and talking to several IBSB alumni that are currently studying there. We spoke to Tudor, who is studying business, and Matei who is studying Political Science, and they told us about their experience at the university and showed us around the Business, Law, and Social Sciences Buildings. They told us about their journey applying to UvA and finding accommodation, which definitely helped those wanting to apply there. After UvA, we had some time to visit Amsterdam and enjoy the busy atmosphere of the city, walking around, shopping, and going to cafes. At 20:00 we had dinner at the hotel, which looked really appealing and was delicious. Day one definitely exceeded our expectations!

Day 2 - Maastricht, Erasmus, Delft, and Tilburg

The second day was another busy one: our group split into two, with half visiting Maastricht University, and the other half visiting the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, Delft, and Tilburg.

It was a 3-hour train ride to Maastricht, so we got to the city at around 12, where we had some free time before meeting up with Lucas, an IBSB alumni med student at Maastricht University scheduled to give us a tour of the campus. While walking around we enjoyed the beautiful architecture of the city and went into the local shops. Later on, Lucas gave us a tour of the university, including the lecture halls, study areas, cafeteria, and library. The futuristic design of the university was really unique, and contrasted with the architecture in the rest of the city. Lucas told us about student life in Maastricht and his experience with med school, so we definitely left there with a better understanding of the application process and life in Maastricht.

Students who visited Rotterdam went to Erasmus University, where they met up with IBSB alumni and talked about life at the university, and got the chance to see the business and social sciences buildings. From there, the group further split into two, some students went to Tilburg University and others went to Delft University of Technology. In Tilburg, a representative of the university gave them a presentation including all the information that students have to know in order to apply. They also got a tour of the university and got to see buildings from all departments, as well as various lecture halls. In Delft, students got to visit various laboratories, including a marine biology laboratory, architecture, which was absolutely fascinating. Delft is the highest ranked university in the Netherlands, and definitely a university destination to consider to consider for our academically ambitious STEM students.

Day 3 – Groningen, Utrecht University College, & Utrecht University

On the third day, half of us visited Utrecht and the others went to Groningen. The Utrecht group got to the city at about 9:00 and then went to an information desk, where some people talked to us about the application process, and gave us maps so that we could visit the various faculties around the city. We got a chance to see the pharmaceutical science building and the medical faculty that is situated inside a hospital. We also visited Utrecht University College, which is a faculty of Utrecht University, that has accommodation on campus. On our way there, we saw the Utrecht Stadium and went to see it as well as get merchandise from the shop, it was a really unique experience that was also unexpected. At Utrecht University College we got a tour of the study rooms and lecture halls, and got to see an apartment from the accommodation building. The students who went to Groningen University walked around the campus and visited the psychology faculty guided by IBSB Alumni Diana Raducu, and had the chance to see the psychology laboratories and lecture halls. They also went to the business building, where two more IBSB Alumni, Andrei and Maria, showed them around.

All in all, this trip really helped guide and influence all those applying to the respective universities. It was an informative and exciting experience, that we would highly recommend to future students to repeat in the following years.