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Answers From Amsterdam: Part Nine
Seeing as you are an exchange student, what are some major differences in how the Dutch universities approach education as opposed to American universities?
Apart from the excitement and rush of living in such an international environment (created by the huge variety of nationalities that study in Amsterdam), the educational system of the Netherlands is one of the best things about studying in Amsterdam. The most noticeable difference between the university system in the Netherlands and the States is the course of difficulty and required independence in studies. My courses at VU Amsterdam are much harder than any course I’ve taken at ETSU (including Software Engineering). Even Media History (essentially film history) was a much more difficult course than it would be in the states. Strangely enough, it is the difficulty of the Dutch system that makes it an immensely better education system. Gone are the standardized, multiple choice questions, that often only cover part of the course. Instead, most classes involve massive amounts of reading leading the student to discover and pursue their own interests in a course. Additionally, testing is administered through comprehensive exams involving open-ended questions, often with a paper or experiment proposal (as I had to do in my Neuroscience Attention course) in addition. Other methods include weekly essays and writings replacing the need for an end of course exam. Finally, one of the best parts, though subtle, parts of the Dutch education system that universities in the States should adopt more often are breaks about every 45 minutes. A 10-15 minute break for food, coffee, and socialization can do wonders for refocusing one’s attention.
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