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My experience studying in Maastricht University

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Reply 160
I have no idea if everyone in Maastricht speaks English as I live in the west and have only been in Maastricht once when I was 8. Not even sure if it was Maastricht to be honest. I think most people will speak English there, but knowing some Dutch can't be a bad thing.

I can't say anything specifically about that university or that course, but as they gave every applicant an offer before, that course can't be that oversubscribed. There are some other courses that have a quota, but in reality pretty much everyone gets in. Biomedical sciences for instance which officially has a quota as well, usually a plan B for medicine applicants who didn't get in. I don't know if this applies to the course you're applying to next year, but I think it's much easier to get into Maastricht University than a university in the UK.
Original post by R93t
Thanks :smile: So did they give you any more info after you did the survey, as in have they made you an offer? Or are you still waiting? I'm so confused by their system compared to the uk one



After they screened my questionnaire I was emailed welcoming me to the program & invited to attend the introduction day on the 29th of August. But I still have to satisfy the legal requirements, which I think includes me needing to send off my secondary school diploma (but I need to email them to clarify), and uploading my passport to the my UM portal, and they send an invoice for the tuition fee at a later date.
Also on the my UM portal my admission status is now "conditionally approved".


Hope that has enlightened you somewhat :smile:
Reply 162
Original post by LPickering
After they screened my questionnaire I was emailed welcoming me to the program & invited to attend the introduction day on the 29th of August. But I still have to satisfy the legal requirements, which I think includes me needing to send off my secondary school diploma (but I need to email them to clarify), and uploading my passport to the my UM portal, and they send an invoice for the tuition fee at a later date.
Also on the my UM portal my admission status is now "conditionally approved".


Hope that has enlightened you somewhat :smile:


Hi, how long did it take after you filled out the questionnaire until they offered you a place?
Original post by chrizzy92
Hi, how long did it take after you filled out the questionnaire until they offered you a place?


Hi, when I sent it off they said I would get a reply within a month, however I sent it on a Friday & got a reply the following day. Albeit telling me that they attempted to screen it, but there had been technical difficulties so I had to email around, anyway long story short after they corrected the problem I got a reply about a week after I first sent it and was invited to the introduction day.
A few days after that I received an email about registering with the university & was given a student email address & various information regarding the legal requirements. So it all happened within a 2 week timeslot. :smile:
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 164
Original post by LPickering
Hi, when I sent it off they said I would get a reply within a month, however I sent it on a Friday & got a reply the following day. Albeit telling me that they attempted to screen it, but there had been technical difficulties so I had to email around, anyway long story short after they corrected the problem I got a reply about a week after I first sent it and was invited to the introduction day.
A few days after that I received an email about registering with the university & was given a student email address & various information regarding the legal requirements. So it all happened within a 2 week timeslot. :smile:


Ok, thank you:wink: I got an email asking me to fill out the questionnaire, so I'm going to do it today.
Reply 165
Original post by chrizzy92
Ok, thank you:wink: I got an email asking me to fill out the questionnaire, so I'm going to do it today.


hi.. did they send you on the questionnaire via your normal email or the maastricht student portal email? My status says that im conditionally accepted but they havnt gotten me to do the questionnaire :/
Original post by R93t
hi.. did they send you on the questionnaire via your normal email or the maastricht student portal email? My status says that im conditionally accepted but they havnt gotten me to do the questionnaire :/


same here :/ but it depends on the course, for International Business they told me I will receive the official acceptance June 15th
Reply 167
Original post by R93t
hi.. did they send you on the questionnaire via your normal email or the maastricht student portal email? My status says that im conditionally accepted but they havnt gotten me to do the questionnaire :/


The questionnaire was sent to the email address I registered on My UM( normal email). I'm sure you will receive the questionnaire soon :smile:
Original post by Kaas
As you can see on the Maastricht website (I posted the link a few posts back) there is no lottery anymore for this course and the university will handpick their students.

Much more of a challenging program? You mean than the Dutch VWO?



How come I've kept on getting notifications from the university saying "We will inform you of your ranking" and such? Is that not the lottery? Also telling me that DUO is in charge of the lottery... :/

IB just seems to have a good reputation worldwide, it is a challenging program. However I'm not taking any credit away from the Dutch VWO's difficulty of course, just that for International Business, it would make sense that the IB is well regarded. Seeing as it is an international course.


Edit: Nevermind! I just checked the website.... that totally confuses me now.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 169
Original post by vazee
I will start my studies being 20 years old. You should not worry about your age, particularly being only 21. :smile:


Thank you! That's such a good news. We normally start our studies being 17-18 (which is too early, I think) in Russia. I'm 20 now and it's my 3rd year at the Uni so I'm starting to feel old already))
Reply 170
Original post by MM92
Great thanks for the reply! Although for some reason you got thumbs down, which worries me. I think you got it because you wrote opposite of what you meant - chances of getting in after graduating with IB, A-levels etc. are higher, not lower. But anyway.

Seeing as Studielink allows to apply only to one uni with lottery (which is really strange to me, as 90% of all unis/courses have lottery), if I apply to Maastricht, I probably wont be able to apply to any other uni, so this is a big gamble for me. Could you please reassure me that this is worth it (i.e. I still have a reasonable chance of getting in) / could anyone else state their opinion on this?

Again, great thanks!


Hm, sucks I got two thumbs down.
Well anyway, as Kaas said, the system classifies you into various groups.
Now I want to make it clear to her too...

Original post by carolinesunshine
I'm doing IB and applied for International Business... I thought my chances would've been increased doing IB. It would not make sense to me that my chances would be lower seeing as it is much more of a challenging program. Why would they automatically place people without a Dutch diploma in group C, if the university is so set on having an international environment?

Thank you, I'm just worried now that I have already applied.


I am doing the IB myself (actually just finished), and as I live in Holland things were made very clear to me by DUO.
IB is classified into group C due to the fact that IB has no "direction", as the Dutch like to call this.
The Dutch system, VWO/HAVO, give students the opportunity to choose subjects based on a "Profile" (package of subjects) which has its corresponding direction, for example, Natuur en Techniek (Nature and Science) with subjects such as Maths B, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, etc. focuses on the scientific future of a student.
The IB on the other hand gives students the freedom to choose any 6 subjects they want, without a certain direction. Therefore IB and I guess A-Levels and EB are classified into group C.

Therefore you should make it as clear as possible in your letter of motivation that you are WAY better than what they classify you as. Although luckily, some universities are starting to recognize the IB (FINALLY!), but DUO/IB-Groep not yet...
Original post by edward94
Hm, sucks I got two thumbs down.
Well anyway, as Kaas said, the system classifies you into various groups.
Now I want to make it clear to her too...



I am doing the IB myself (actually just finished), and as I live in Holland things were made very clear to me by DUO.
IB is classified into group C due to the fact that IB has no "direction", as the Dutch like to call this.
The Dutch system, VWO/HAVO, give students the opportunity to choose subjects based on a "Profile" (package of subjects) which has its corresponding direction, for example, Natuur en Techniek (Nature and Science) with subjects such as Maths B, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, etc. focuses on the scientific future of a student.
The IB on the other hand gives students the freedom to choose any 6 subjects they want, without a certain direction. Therefore IB and I guess A-Levels and EB are classified into group C.

Therefore you should make it as clear as possible in your letter of motivation that you are WAY better than what they classify you as. Although luckily, some universities are starting to recognize the IB (FINALLY!), but DUO/IB-Groep not yet...


Thank you for the clear explanation! That makes me a bit nervous :frown:
Reply 172
Hiya. I m living in the UK at the moment. Im contemplating whether i should stay here where there is good student finance and i dont have to pay the tuition fees at front or go to holland. I was wondering whether you have to pay the tuition fees at front? If so then I dont think I can afford it at the moment

Also do they have religious (visibly) students over there such as bhuddhist, sikh, muslim
This was posted from The Student Room's Android App
Reply 173
Original post by Boqore
Hiya. I m living in the UK at the moment. Im contemplating whether i should stay here where there is good student finance and i dont have to pay the tuition fees at front or go to holland. I was wondering whether you have to pay the tuition fees at front? If so then I dont think I can afford it at the moment

Also do they have religious (visibly) students over there such as bhuddhist, sikh, muslim
This was posted from The Student Room's Android App


No you don't have to pay upfront! You can pay the tuition fees every month
Original post by Boqore
Hiya. I m living in the UK at the moment. Im contemplating whether i should stay here where there is good student finance and i dont have to pay the tuition fees at front or go to holland. I was wondering whether you have to pay the tuition fees at front? If so then I dont think I can afford it at the moment

Also do they have religious (visibly) students over there such as bhuddhist, sikh, muslim
This was posted from The Student Room's Android App


...& the first installment isn't paid until the end of October, so you have plenty of time to settle in & get everything organised :smile:
Reply 175
Original post by LPickering
...& the first installment isn't paid until the end of October, so you have plenty of time to settle in & get everything organised :smile:



Original post by Duncan8
No you don't have to pay upfront! You can pay the tuition fees every month


Cheers guys!

Do the universitys provide any scholarships or bursarys? And are the accomdation provided by the uni?
How does the teaching method in Holland differ from universitiesnin the UK?
What I dislike about the degree courses in Holland is that if you want to do,say international studies, I'll have to do economics even though I haven't studies maths since at secondary school.

Sorry for bombarding you with Q's:colondollar::biggrin:
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 176
Original post by Boqore
Cheers guys!

Do the universitys provide any scholarships or bursarys? And are the accomdation provided by the uni?
How does the teaching method in Holland differ from universitiesnin the UK?
What I dislike about the degree courses in Holland is that if you want to do,say international studies, I'll have to do economics even though I haven't studies maths since at secondary school.

Sorry for bombarding you with Q's:colondollar::biggrin:



Hey,

1. As regard to scholarships, I think they are rarely granted to incoming Bachelor students. Most of them (if not all of them) are offered to Masters students, I have a friend who got one.

2. The University provides accommodation for students through maastrichthousing.com. You can also check out http://www.unimaas.nl/guesthouseum/. For other accommodation plans, just ask me if you have more questions, they are lots of landlords that offer accommodation ranging from 250-350€/month. The landlords usually advertise their rooms through Facebook groups or agencies in Maastricht. If you cannot go to Maastricht for flat hunting, I would advise you to stay a couple of months in the University-managed accommodation, and then take over a flat. However, I would like to warn you: I've heard some not-so-glamorous stories about the GuestHouse UM, it's quite the party place to go, the kitchen becomes quickly as dirty as a football pitch after a heavy rain in a matter of days, so.. Better pass your way! The best if I were you would be to go to a Facebook group and contact people, and stay in a short-term accommodation by that time.

3. I have never been to the UK for studying so I cannot really tell you. However, the teaching in Maastricht is rather practical-oriented if I could sum it up in one word.

As regard to the number of teaching hours, you have class roughly 4 to 6 hours a week (yes, you read it right), where you have to solve cases. It's interesting as it looks like you are handling real-life situations! You have several presentations, papers to hand in etc. The year is divided in 5 or 6 blocks of 7 weeks. You usually have 2 courses per blocks worth a certain amount of credits (usually 6 or 12, or 16 at maximum), after the 7 weeks, you have one week of exams. It is really nice as it helps you to focus on certain topics, then you have exam and you take new courses! So you don't have to drag a course you don't really like for like one semester!

However, the few amounts of hours you have in class suggests that you have a lot to do and prepare for the for the class. You have significant amount of reading material to read, essays might take long to write, and they are really (at least in Law), looking for precision, well-reasoned answers in your exams. The system might be a complicated for some people, but hard work always pays off. Even if the drop out rate is quite high (in some faculties such as Law), you can always manage to get into the second-year.


3. As regard to your concerns about doing some particular courses without have some extensive knowledge about it, I would say: Don't worry! The coursebooks are really well-explained, the tutors are very approachable, and you will have quite a lot of time for studying so don't worry too much. Once again, I cannot really talk about economics but for Law I did not know anything, my English was quite poor and I could barely speak in front of the class without chewing most of my words! After almost two years, I am now ready to take my first moot court competition, in a foreign language, and with a sound basis of law. If you are motivated and passionate about your studies, there will be no barrier at all for you to make it.
Reply 177
Original post by Duncan8
Hey,

1. As regard to scholarships, I think they are rarely granted to incoming Bachelor students. Most of them (if not all of them) are offered to Masters students, I have a friend who got one.

2. The University provides accommodation for students through maastrichthousing.com. You can also check out http://www.unimaas.nl/guesthouseum/. For other accommodation plans, just ask me if you have more questions, they are lots of landlords that offer accommodation ranging from 250-350€/month. The landlords usually advertise their rooms through Facebook groups or agencies in Maastricht. If you cannot go to Maastricht for flat hunting, I would advise you to stay a couple of months in the University-managed accommodation, and then take over a flat. However, I would like to warn you: I've heard some not-so-glamorous stories about the GuestHouse UM, it's quite the party place to go, the kitchen becomes quickly as dirty as a football pitch after a heavy rain in a matter of days, so.. Better pass your way! The best if I were you would be to go to a Facebook group and contact people, and stay in a short-term accommodation by that time.

3. I have never been to the UK for studying so I cannot really tell you. However, the teaching in Maastricht is rather practical-oriented if I could sum it up in one word.

As regard to the number of teaching hours, you have class roughly 4 to 6 hours a week (yes, you read it right), where you have to solve cases. It's interesting as it looks like you are handling real-life situations! You have several presentations, papers to hand in etc. The year is divided in 5 or 6 blocks of 7 weeks. You usually have 2 courses per blocks worth a certain amount of credits (usually 6 or 12, or 16 at maximum), after the 7 weeks, you have one week of exams. It is really nice as it helps you to focus on certain topics, then you have exam and you take new courses! So you don't have to drag a course you don't really like for like one semester!

However, the few amounts of hours you have in class suggests that you have a lot to do and prepare for the for the class. You have significant amount of reading material to read, essays might take long to write, and they are really (at least in Law), looking for precision, well-reasoned answers in your exams. The system might be a complicated for some people, but hard work always pays off. Even if the drop out rate is quite high (in some faculties such as Law), you can always manage to get into the second-year.


3. As regard to your concerns about doing some particular courses without have some extensive knowledge about it, I would say: Don't worry! The coursebooks are really well-explained, the tutors are very approachable, and you will have quite a lot of time for studying so don't worry too much. Once again, I cannot really talk about economics but for Law I did not know anything, my English was quite poor and I could barely speak in front of the class without chewing most of my words! After almost two years, I am now ready to take my first moot court competition, in a foreign language, and with a sound basis of law. If you are motivated and passionate about your studies, there will be no barrier at all for you to make it.


Hi, do you have a list of law books that you had to buy for the first year, and when does the academic year end for 2013?
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 178
For law books it's on the website!

By the way here is a really nice video of Maastricht: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSSHyFRjuhY&feature=player_embedded
Reply 179
Original post by Duncan8
For law books it's on the website!

By the way here is a really nice video of Maastricht: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSSHyFRjuhY&feature=player_embedded


oh :rolleyes: , I saw the books later on... thanks for the video :smile:

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