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Amsterdam University College vs University College Maastricht

I have applied for both universities and don't know which one is better. Does anyone know anything about the differences between the unis? I am looking to do a combination course in social sciences and humanities.
(edited 10 years ago)
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3LZ3r0
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Both are great. However break down your search between these two in terms of the program you want to study eg. Sociology, Economics, Poli-Sci, Psychology. Then just the dutch Uni college rankings for those programs or associated degrees.

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You may want to make your decision not only based on programme, but location. Amsterdam is a gorgeous city filled with life and plenty of things to do, and is considerably larger than Maastricht. With tons of coffeeshops, tourist attractions, restaurants, canals, and historical sights, Amsterdam would be ideal for the active student.
Maastricht, on the other hand, rivals Amsterdam in that it is much smaller, and is MUCH more of a student city. Your friends will be reachable on foot if you live on the west end, and to walk from end to end usually only takes 30 minutes. It is very hard to get lost. Maastricht feels more like home to students, as roughly 20,000 of the 120,000 person population are students. With a good handful of resaurants, clubs, shops, and a few museums, Maastricht is much less touristic and busy than Amsterdam, and offers a beautiful relaxed environment in a beautiful city with a unique southern Dutch culture.

Your environment and where you choose to live your life as a student is just as important as your programme of choice.

In terms of quality of teaching, I can't say anything about AUC, because I've never been there. UCM, however, teaches using problem based learning, as does the rest of the University of Maastricht. This makes education very personalized and keeps students involved during the dry spells of long lectures. With a typical lecture setup of 2 hrs, there are also several tutorials per week. Tutorials are when students organize in groups and discuss what they deem to be important in the material. The tutor simply acts as a guide, weeding out the unimportant and emphasizing the crucial. Unique to UCM, sutdents also have a""reflection week" efter 6 weeks, which is basically a week where you get to do nothing and reflect on your life or something like that... Pretty lax if you ask me, but the UCM kids seem to enjoy it.

Good luck and enjoy the Netherlands!
I am going to AUC; come join ME :biggrin:!

@MartinVanMaas,

I have to completely agree with you! I have lived in Amsterdam all of my life and just can't see myself living somewhere else. But If I had to choose a different city in the Netherlands Maastrich would be in the top 3 for sure. I have been there once an a small weekend (I know, not much) and it is a stunning city in my opinion. It is small though but if you love that close-knit city vibe it is perfect. However I would recommend Amsterdam any day! Amsterdam has an AMAZING night life with loads of fun bars, cafes and REALLY GOOD CLUBS. I love going out in Amsterdam since every night something different is going on and it is busy 5 nights a week for sure. Amsterdam is beautiful as well with an amazing architectural and historical center. It is a big but not too big compared too other capitals in the world. The AUC campus is a 15 - 20 minute bike to the center and the campus is gorgeous.
I don't really know what to put here precisely but if you have questions ASK ME OP~!:smile: Would be awesome to see you at AUC next year :smile:!
Hey!! hahaha I know this is two years late but could you tell me a bit more about AUC? Especially about the rooms because I'm not to keen on sharing a room!!

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