International students
All you need for your future career
High level of education
‘For my Master, I was looking for a university that could give me all I need for my future career.’ Katerina Lepida (24) from Greece carefully selected the UvA and enrolled in the Master in International Finance (MIF). ‘My applications were accepted at many universities but I chose the UvA because of its high level of education and experience it could offer me.’
Katerina has not been disappointed by her choice. ‘My master’s degree at the Amsterdam Business School of the UvA is an international programme; all courses are taught in English. Most of the students are international and the level of English spoken in my department was more than excellent. Moreover, the level of education is high; the professors in my degree – who are both Dutch and from abroad - possess great experience in their field.’
Great atmosphere
‘I will always remember the fact that during the courses the atmosphere was very good’, says Katerina. ‘Our professors were always there for us and this really made me feel at home. The people from the international office of the Amsterdam Business School too were helpful from the first moment I arrived, and they were always available if I had any problems. The Dutch people in general are always willing to help you, and they speak English fluently.’
Meeting the world
‘The main difference between studying at my home university and here in Amsterdam is that at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) I met people from all over the world. I study together with people that I could not imagine I would meet, and learnt about their countries and cultures. I gained experiences that are truly memorable.’
Living in Amsterdam
‘Amsterdam is a busy city full of life, yet quiet and peaceful at the same time and I enjoyed this combination very much’, says Katerina. ‘The Netherlands is a beautiful country. I had very good time in Amsterdam and in other places that I have visited so far. I will definitely come back one day!’
Something Katerina had to get used to though was the Dutch weather: ‘I enjoyed every day of my stay here, but it was a bit difficult to get used to the unstable weather compared to the Greek weather. However, I was so busy with my studies that I didn’t have time to think of the weather very often.’
Katerina fully enjoyed the opportunities that Amsterdam has to offer. ‘Taking my master’s in Amsterdam gave me the opportunity to visit picturesque places in The Netherlands; besides Amsterdam is centrally located in Europe so I travelled to the neighbouring countries as well.’
Learning Dutch
Would international students coming to the Netherlands need to learn Dutch? Katerina does not necessarily think so.
‘It really depends on the duration of your stay. Since everybody in The Netherlands has a good command of English, you will not need to know Dutch. However, if you are planning to stay for a longer period and especially if you are planning to start working here you may want to take some basic Dutch language courses. You then show that you care to understand and that you want to be part of the Dutch people’s lives, and they would really appreciate that.’