Living/Studying in the Netherlands?

[seon123]

tl;dr: How is living and studying in the Netherlands for a Norwegian?

 

I'm currently in the last year of Norwegian high school, and I'm looking at things to study, and where to study. The Aerospace Engineering bachelor at TUDelft seems interesting. I'm interested in and decently good at physics and maths (at least I think so?), and in tech in general, so this seems like something I could study. Now, obviously never having studied in the Netherlands before, I'm curious about how it is living and studying there, and specifically in Delft.

What I have found so far about the Netherlands:

• The Dutch are good at English
• There's a good public transport system
  • Larger cities are fairly easy to get to
• There are bikes everywhere
• There are lots of international students, especially in Delft 
• High standard of living
• The people can be a bit blunt in the way they talk about different subjects
• The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has classified the risk of terror in the Netherlands as "substantial"
• The cost of living is lower than in my home town

How important is it to know Dutch? Not just for the communication, but also for social stuff? In case it's important to learn, how hard is it to learn, compared to German (I have taken German classes at school)? 

How do people feel about just living in the Netherlands, and Delft in particular? And studying there? Like, in general, and not just by what the numbers can tell. 

 

I haven't applied yet, and I've still got some time to check out other places and studies. Any suggestions for those are also appreciated (as I have doubts as to whether or not I'll get accepted to Aerospace at TUDelft). Doesn't have to be in the Netherlands. 

 

Thanks

 

(yes, I could find a forum for this kind of stuff, but I can't be bothered to do that just yet. Maybe later)

[Zandvliet]

Hi, I'm Dutch and recently graduated so I'll try to give somewhat of an impression. I haven't studied in Delft myself, but in Groningen. One of the first things you must know about living in the Netherlands for international students is that it's really hard to find an accommodation. All cities having universities are having difficulties with accommodations for students and international ones in particular. As an example, I've heard that employees of the University of Groningen were asked if they could house international students for a while because there is a massive shortage. Plus, if you do find one expect to pay a high price as people will charge a lot. I'd say around 300-400 euro's a month for a 10-15m2 room is considered normal/cheap, depending on the house and location, I'm not sure about prices in Delft. Also be carefull when looking for an accommodation, there are various websites that are made for scamming you. You have to pay, say 1000 euros upfront, and when you arrive there isn't a room. Websites that are good are; https://kamernet.nl/, https://www.funda.nl/. 

It will help a lot if you already know someone in Delft who can help you.

 

That being said. The things you list are all true. You will get a bike and you'll find out the people can be blunt. Transport in cities having universities is great and also the intercity transport is good, though expensive (not sure about discounts for international students, you should look into that). I'd say it's not important for you to learn Dutch beforehand. As you say, almost all people in the Netherlands speak English and the study itself will of course be in English. Some German words are very similair to Dutch words, though. From what I've heard Delft is a nice place to study. I'd recommend finding a study/sport association which is a great way to connect to other students. 

 

If you have any more questions, just ask  

 

(great choice on Aerospace Engineering btw)

[seon123]

3 hours ago, Zandvliet said:

-snip-

Thanks! I'll start looking for a place as soon as I get accepted (assuming I do get accepted). That should be in June. 

 

I can't really think of any specific questions to ask, atm. It currently just seems a little too far ahead to assume I get accepted

[wasab]

4 hours ago, seon123 said:

 

• The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has classified the risk of terror in the Netherlands as "substantial"

Hahahahahhahahahahahagahahaha.....

 

Netherlands have good brothels in the red light district. These attract sex tourists. 

 

[seon123]

Just now, wasab said:

Hahahahahhahahahahahagahahaha.....

 

Netherlands have good brothels in the red light district. These attract sex tourists. 

 

It has been classified that way for the last 5 years. Should be fine, just something I noticed. 

 

If I get lonely. 

[minibois]

Dutch user here. Don't know any specifics on the subject of the study itself, but can answer some 'Netherlands questions'.

Although I don't know anything about that study subject, I can tell you there is also a TU in Eindhoven, but TUDelft is seen as one of the best schools in the Netherlands.

 

Delft is IMO a great place to live as access to the biggest cities in the Netherlands is very good. Rotterdam and the Hague are just 30 minutes away (with car or public transport, it's just a bit too far away to go with the a bike) and Utrecht and Amsterdam are just about 1 hour and a bit away (assuming no delays).

Furthermore, you can get around Delft with ease on a bike.

 

You just gotta find housing, as (somewhat affordable) rental homes are becoming harder to get in the Netherlands.

Most people here speak English (maybe except people that are over 60 or so), but even those who are not great at English, still try to converse with you in that language. It's also not considered taboo not to speak Dutch, but it is somewhat expected that you start learning at least some phrases and words, just to make life easier for yourself.

Also, I have a hard time judging how difficult Dutch is to learn.. Apparently it is somewhat similar to English and German in structure and the words... Well some words are just like the English or German ones. The grammar has some difficult aspects (kinda like the 'they're', 'their', 'there'- differences in English) which are not looked down upon too much if you get it wrong.

 

Delft is IMO one of the best cities in the Netherlands, having a lot of history still standing there (older buildings, churches and some quite important Dutch history like Willem van Oranje living there), this is mixed with the newer architecture you see in the newer parts of the city. 

 

So uhh,, I like the Netherlands, but some things (like cost of housing) could be expensive and there are not really cities closeby that might be less expensive, considering Delft is seen as a smaller city (or sometimes town) to Rotterdam and the Hague. Otherwise the people are welcoming to people that don't speak Dutch/foreigners in general (not counting in the vocal minority). Delft is also a good location of the Netherlands, as it is quite central.

[seon123]

3 hours ago, Minibois said:

-snip-

Thanks! The Netherlands in general seems very appealing to me. Nice place to live, and more to do than here.

My home town is like 20% students, so it can't possibly get that much worse for housing (I hope). 

I'll try hard to get in (though I don't have very high hopes). 

[minibois]

1 hour ago, seon123 said:

Thanks! The Netherlands in general seems very appealing to me. Nice place to live, and more to do than here.

My home town is like 20% students, so it can't possibly get that much worse for housing (I hope). 

I'll try hard to get in (though I don't have very high hopes). 

You have three (quite big) higher education schools in Delft, so there are a lot of students there; but I wouldn't describe it as a 'student city' still, which is a compliment.

 

Wish you the best of luck getting into this university and country!

[seon123]

3 minutes ago, Minibois said:

You have three (quite big) higher education schools in Delft, so there are a lot of students there; but I wouldn't describe it as a 'student city' still, which is a compliment.

 

Wish you the best of luck getting into this university and country!

Thanks!