Three days, three cities, and two universities. A group of Scottish students is visiting the Netherlands to see what Dutch university life is about, and to get excited about studying abroad.

No, the Dutch do not all wear clogs and there really are not as many tulips here as you would think. Also way less drugs going around! Visiting the Netherlands shatters a lot of stereotypes, sometimes for the better.

At least, that is true for a group of Scottish students visiting Radboud University on Wednesday. Made up of first year students from the University of Glasgow, the group has been given the opportunity to get a taste of what it is like to study abroad in the Netherlands for a semester or two. Amsterdam and Utrecht are also stops on the three day trip, which is part of an initiative from the University of Glasgow to reach out to students who normally do not always have the chance to study in another country.

Enjoying their warm lunchtime meals in de Refter before exploring the Radboud Campus along with staff from Radboud International Office, some students share their first impressions so far. ‘Everything is so modern here. I really was not expecting that’, says Emma Hinderie (18). She is studying Law and Politics in Glasgow, where everything is ‘more formal, and a little old-fashioned.’ Her friend Rebecca Barrowman (18) is studying to work in primary education and agrees: ‘People here seem a lot more relaxed, which is really getting me excited to perhaps study in the Netherlands.’

Both of them are happy to have a chance to get to see more of the country than just Amsterdam. ‘Even though I have never been here, that city feels more like what we know. Nijmegen is very different, but in a good way’, says Barrowman.

Surprised
Rory (19), Luke (18), and Ivan (18) are all into engineering and are also positive in their judgment of Nijmegen and Radboud University. Luke is especially surprised by how much larger the campus is than he expected, and at how many English-spoken programs and courses there are to choose from. ‘That really makes it attractive to come study here’, he says.

Despite this, he is not sure yet whether he actually will come to Nijmegen at some point during his studies. ‘Sweden also seems like a really cool place to go to, so I am keeping my options open for now.’ Rory explains that a warmer country like Australia has his preference so far. Ivan is also not sure yet, though he says that ‘this trip has definitely made me a lot more excited about the idea of studying abroad. I really want to engage with different cultures and different methods of learning. Perhaps even here in Nijmegen.’ / Frank Kruijsbeek