DOCUMENT RESUME ED 402 810 HE 029 727 TITLE Study in the Netherlands: Small Countries Have ToBe Smarter. General Edition. INSTITUTION Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education, The Hague. PUB DATE 96 NOTE 109p.; For a related document, see ED 387 066. Printed on colored paper. PUB TYPE Reports Descriptive (141) Reference Materials Directories /Catalogs (132) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC05 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS College Housing; College Students; Dutch; Dutch Culture; Foreign Countries; Foreign Students;Higher Education; Insurance; *International Educational Exchange; Program Descriptions; Student Financial Aid; Student Transportation; *Study Abroad IDENTIFIERS *Netherlands ABSTRACT This booklet describes opportunities for higher education study in the Netherlands along with information,addresses, and practical tips for foreign students who areconsidering taking a course or earning a degree at a Dutchinstitution of higher education. Six sections cover: (1) the rewards of theinvestment in study abrod"c1;(2) background on contemporary Netherlands society; (3) student roles in the Netherlands (critical andindependent); (4) Dutch higher education and what it offers foreignstudents; (5) exchange programs and scholarships; and(6) practical matters (language, insurance, money, housing, transportation). Anextensive "yellow pages" section lists and describes 336 courses and study programs conducted in English byinstitution. A section of "blue pages" contains charts listing programs conductedin Dutch in the following subject areas: agriculture and naturalenvironment, science, engineering and technology, health care,economics, law, behavior and society, language and culture, fine andperforming arts, economics, and education. A final section provides addressesfor the universities and institutions listed.(JLS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made *" from the original document: *********************************************************************** My a 411 1 NI r, "Om , - 2_,111 1 1 1 .I r. 1 . 1 1 1 4 ' e BEST COPY AVAILABLE 74 U S DEPARTMENT OP EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS BY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED CENTER (ERIC) r, document has been reProduCed as received from the person or orgaruzation NUFFI Originating it ID Minor cnanges nave been made to improve reproduction duality Points &vies/ or Opinions stated in tea 00C TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ment do not necessarily represent official 0E1,11 position or MetiCy INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." 2 7 ,Orig:30-kr-12411- Small 'countries *aye .toi 'smarter Contents ' an:iiiviiirioSWItiidded :value 3 Just tulips, 'windmills and wooden' shoes? A dynainic,'Imowledge7basethiociety 4 'Students in-the Netherlands: _Criticaland independent; 8 What. can Dutch.higher, education offer you? 11 - 'Money, housing,and.otherPiactical matters 20 Yellow pages: Courses and study programmesTonducted in English 23 Blue pages: .Study programmes conducted in Dutch 77 lo 111 ':Addresses 102. BEST COPY AVAILABLE Study abroad:an investment with added value More and more students are convinced that considerable value is addedto their higher edu- cation if at least part of it is obtained in a foreign country. You learnabout other cultures and other ways of thinking. In societies where globalization and international contactsare increasingly impor- tant, such knowledge can serve you well. Before starting higher education you must make several crucial decisions.What shall I study? Where? How can I make sure to choose options that will helpme get to where I want to be in society? For example, you might want to consider reaching your goal--obtainingyour degree or diploma--via a scenic route that includes a sojourn on the continent of Europe.In this case you could hardly pick a better point of entry than the Netherlands. It is often called thegateway to Europe. Some even say that the Netherlands is a sort of Europe in miniature.Nestled as it is between France, England and Germany, it offers opportunities to sample the influences ofthree of Europe's major cultures. This publication provides an overview of the many possibilities for higher. education that the Netherlands makes available to foreign students. It also describes the practical side of studying in the Netherlands, as well as the added 1 value that can be found at this European 0 VIENNA . a t. BUDAPEST °OWNS BEST COPYAVAILABLE Just tulips, windmillsand wooden shoes? dynamic, kn «wee Ask anyone what the name Holum Netherlands brings tomind::t71' bably say tulips, windmills Anyone who travels over the Netherlands'flat, For many years this image ha green surface soon sees signs ofthe country's rich past. The Netherlands draw tourists windmills that dot the landscape include traditional onesthat world. But there is more to w were once used for regulating water levels in the polders,and for grinding grain and making paper. But you also seehigh-tech Behind those dykes is a dyn wind turbines serving as an alternative sourceof energy. For society. One based on knowl although the Netherlands has an old culture, withtraditions that go back centuries, it is also an ultra-modernsociety with a be discovered.... post-industrial economy. Advanced services dealing with people The 15 million inhabitants of the Netherlands live on aflat delta in an open, safe society that is accustomed to from around the world, and above all, workingwith them. at the mouth of the mighty Rhine and Meuserivers. Much of The Dutch population itself has alwaysrepresented a Europe's economic development has taken place,and still does Respect for the other take place, along the banks of these two Europeanarteries. variety of religious and political viewpoints. national virtue that Rotterdam. at the mouth, has developed into one ofthe world's person's opinions and convictions is the its many strands. In largest ports. Shiploads of goods are unloaded here.Not all of gives strength to the fabric of society, with is a member of these products stay in the Netherlands; most areeventually one sense or another, everyone that to be treated with respect distributed elsewhere, often after a process of refinement or some minority, and understands requires treating others the same way. fabrication has added value. The Netherlands is a net exporter of food.Among other Cosmopolitan outlook dollars per capita. things it exports more dairy products than any other countryof The national income is approximately 15,000 the population as a the world. The Netherlands is also home to manymultinational This wealth is distributed fairly evenly over (the more you earn the companies, among them Shell, Philips and Unilever.But as befits result of a graduated system of taxation higher percentage you pay in tax) and anelaborate system of sub- a modern economy, the country'sprosperity is based primarily sidies and social benefits. This has three consequences.First, if on the advanced services it provides on aworldwide basis. level of prosperity it An open, and safe society the Netherlands wants to maintain this must earn its living with advancedproducts and services. This A country that offers global services has anattitude of openness innovation on all fronts is absolutely towards the rest of the world. It stands open forbusiness, but means that continuous vital. Secondly, the country needs a highlyeducated population. also open socially and culturally. This makes theNetherlands to the world, and ideally suited for receiving people who seek to enrichtheir And thirdly, it must be cosmopolitan--oriented knowledge through study abroad. What they find is hospitality without provincialism. ;%4r. r. The rest of the world is a big place', say the Dutch, wellaware of how small their country is. The Netherlands lies at the point where the German. British and French cultures meet. This is evi- dent as soon as you turn on the television. In this well-cabled country. programming from thesse three countries and more can be received in nearly every household. It is also evident in the average Dutch bookstore. The Netherlands imports more books in English than any other non-English-speaking country. And cin- emas show films from around the world in their original lan- guages. Alongside the usual church towers and synagogues, the minarets of mosques are now appearing in the large cities. You can dance the salsa every bit as easily as in Latin America, and zi fast food is becoming almost as familiar as standard Dutch fare. a:Gs Gateway to the European Union Although Dutch people are urbanites who can easily imagine themselves living in London, New York or Paris, there are no real- ly large cities in the Netherlands. The largest city, and the city that its residents think of as the only city, is Amsterdam, but even this city has a population of less than 700,000. The Dutch have an urbane, cosmopolitan lifestyle, but in cities built on a human scale. Closer inspection reveals that the cities in the r western part of the country in fact form a continuous ring, 60 kilometres in diameter. These include Amsterdam, Rotterdam, 9 The Hague. Utrecht, Leiden and Delft. But each city has its own character, its own specialities, its own history, its own city centre, and even its own accent in the Dutch language. The atmosphere in the rest of the country is urban as well, despite the small scale of communities. The Netherlands is a small country that you can traverse by train in less than five hours. An ultra-modern telecommunications network (see the Digital city) and an extensive system of public transportation ensure that nothing is far away. Other European capitals are also Rotterdam: the world's largest port. (Top) within easy reach. Brussels is two hours by train, and a one-hour flight from Schiphol Airport will take you to Paris. London or Books in English. Berlin. The Netherlands is a gateway to the European Union, of which it is a founding member. Education: continuous quality control Dutch people live in this cosmopolitan atmosphere without losing their own identity, however. This is largely due to their education.