Pre Departure Briefing 2012

Pre-departure briefing

Nuffic Neso
July 2012

Agenda

• Impression of the Netherlands

• Before departure

• Arrival in the Netherlands

• Life and study in the Netherlands

• After graduation

Agenda Impression Before departure Arrival Life and study in the Netherlands After graduation

An impression of the Netherlands

The country

• Gateway to Europe

• Weather

• People

• Religion

• Tourism


Travelling through Europe

• Schengen possibilities
• Transportation options

Cities to visit:
• London
• Brussels
• Berlin
• Rome
• Paris
• Barcelona
And many more..


The weather


The Dutch

• Forthright way of communication (language, body language,
environment)
• Values (truth, time orientation, yes-no, independent, friendship)
• Calvinism (hard work, sober, no-nonsense)
• Mindset “You can do it yourself”
• Punctual
• Privacy is important
• Announce your visit
• Male/female equality


Religion

• Churches
• Prayer rooms
• Ramadan
• Halal food available at ethnic markets and in some institutions’canteens.


Top 10 tourist destinations

1. Van Gogh Museum
2. House of Anne Frank
3. Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
4. Keukenhof
5. Delft (historic city centre)
6. Kröller-Müller Museum
7. Delfshaven
8. Madurodam (Holland in miniature)
9. Kinderdijk (famous windmills)
10. Archeon (technology museum)

Before your departure

Arrange your documents!
• Collect your passport and visa from the Dutch embassy
• Check validity of date of entry on your visa


Checklist

• Valid passport, entry visa, and birth certificate
• Marriage certificate (if applicable)
• Medical insurance
• Diplomas or certificates you already possess
• Admission letter + tuition fee receipts
• Scholarship letter (if applicable)
• Evidence you have enough money to stay
• Housing contract (if applicable)
• Address of university, telephone number of your contact person at the university
• Tools like cell phone, laptop, camera (and don’t forget the chargers)
• Summer and winter clothes
• Medicine (check with the airport the medicine you are allowed to take)

Take both original and duplicated copies of these documents!

Booking a flight

Arrange your ticket through an international agency or airline, such as:

KLM www.klm.com

Approximate costs: ..


Rules: luggage
Free baggage allowance (fly with KLM)
• Economy Class
• 1 item of check-in baggage, each max 23 kg, max.158cm (l + w+ h)
• 1 hand bag measuring 55*25*35cm (not exceed 12kg)
• Business Class
• 2 items of check-in baggage, each max.32kg, max.158 cm (l + w + h)
• 1 hand bag measuring 55*25*35cm (may not exceed 18kg)

For on the plane, in your hand luggage
• Comfortable clothing and shoes
• Book to read
• Some cash (there are cash machines in the arrivals hall at Schiphol airport)
• Medical records, prescriptions for any medication
• Important documents


Rules: liquids

Special rules apply for liquids, creams,
pastes, gels and aerosol cans.

You may only carry these in your hand
baggage in small amounts not exceeding
100 ml ( 3.4 oz) per article.

Exceptions:
- Medicines
- Special diet food to be consumed
during the flight


Arrival at Schiphol Airport
• Passport control: show them your passport & visa, admission letter,
return ticket and evidence of finance
• Pick up your luggage
• Are you being picked up at the airport?
• If not, head for the airport train station and buy a ticket for your
destination
• train information can be checked on www.ns.nl


Important things to do upon your arrival

 Register at the Dutch institution / international office

 The institution will assist you to
 register at the town hall/immigration service
 register with IND for the temporary residence permit
 make an appointment with GGD for the TBC health check
 open a Dutch bank account

 Don’t forget to register with your own embassy!


More things to do

 Open a bank account
(ABN-AMRO, Rabobank, ING, and more)
Don’t forget to bring passport & visa, residence permit, address in the
Netherlands

 Arrange your housing

 Buy a mobile phone
(T-Mobile, Vodafone, KPN, Orange, Tele2 and more)

 Get a (second hand) bicycle!

Student housing

• In a student room: a shared house, with other students
• On-campus (but not common)
• Ask the help of your institution!

Study in the Netherlands

• Different education system

• Different teaching style

• Education shock?!


Code of Conduct (CoC)

• Guarantee of the education quality in the Netherlands

• Condition to recruit international students

• Responsible organization: DUO

• List of Dutch institutions that signed the CoC

• Complaint: ask the CoC contact person at your host institution


Academic year
• From September til June (42 weeks)

• Semesters (4 months), trimesters (3 months) and blocks (6 weeks)

• At the research universities, there is usually a formal ceremony to mark
the start of the academic year


Credits and grading system
• European Credit Transfer System
• 1 ECTS = 28 hours of work
• Grading scale 1 (very poor) – 10 (outstanding)
• Lowest passing grade is 6
• Difficult to score a 10!
The Netherlands Your country
9.5-10 Excellent 1%
8.5-9.4 Excellent 5%
7.5-8.4 Very good 23%
6.5-7.4 Good 30%
5.5-6.4 Pass 30%
0-5.9 Fail 11%


Lectures
• Different types of lectures
• Independent, problem-based learning
• Practical assignments
• Group assignments and self-study
• Work experience (internship)
• Research
• Essays, exams
• Interactive

• Students are expected to be assertive,
be able to work independently and
develop a ‘critical’ opinion.


Assessment and grading

• Exams will consist of questions that ask to reproduce knowledge but also
questions that ask for application, combining, criticizing and concluding.
• Exams can be ‘closed book’ or ‘open book’.
• Marking system is from 1 to 10 or 1 to 100, with pass mark of 6 or 60.
• Most students get a mark between 6/60 and 8/80.
• Grading is absolute with a fixed minimum score for passing.
• Rules are rules. Norms for grading and assessment regulations are
hardly ever deviated from.


The international classroom
Key figures International students in the Netherlands

(academic year 2009-2010)

Relation teacher-student
formal --------------------------------------------x------- informal

equal ----x----------------------------------------------- hierarchical

• There is limited distance between teachers and students.
• Dutch teachers are informal. They allow students to call them by their first name.
• A teacher is very accessible and tends to be a true interlocutor for his/her
students.


Relation between students
individualists -------------x------------------------------------- group

• Dutch students socialize with each other in study/student associations, sports
clubs etc.
• It may seem that friendships with Dutch students are less easy to establish
compared to other countries. It is less common to eat together, or visit each
other’s houses.
• However, being part of an international classroom and/or living in students
houses offers students the chance to meet students from all over the world


Interaction in classroom
one way -------------------------------------------x--------- two way
communication communication

• In an international classroom it can be difficult to understand each other’s English.
For example, a student from Ghana can speak English in an entirely different way
compared to a student from Mexico.
• Lecturers raise questions to students and the other way round, discussion is
stimulated.
• Team work as a method to learn from each other.


Direction of the learning process
lecturer ---------------------------------------x----------- student

• There is less focus on the reproduction of knowledge.
• Students need to develop and express their own opinions and creativity
in applying their newly acquired knowledge.
• Students are expected to study actively and independently.
• Lectures are often not compulsory.
• Mix between detailed instructions and open assignments.


Aim of the learning process
understanding ----------------------------------------x------------ professional
of theory and/or academic skills

• Memorizing and understanding are seen as valuable but only as the first step of
learning. More emphasis is put on development of academic and/or professional
skills.
• Students are expected to use the knowledge (applying, combining, selecting, and
concluding) and develop an own opinion and critical attitude towards knowledge.
• For most Dutch students getting a passing grade is sufficient (6).
• Dutch students are more process-oriented (knowing how to apply their newly
acquired knowledge) instead of result driven (getting the highest grade for an exam).


Use of resources
many ------x------------------------------------------------ few

• International students will have to get used of the specific resources that they have
at their disposal in the Netherlands like for instance Blackboard i.e. the online
learning community/environment used by many Dutch higher education
institutions.
• Students are expected to have basic practical skills already (computer skills, lab
skills, field skills)
• Lectures are used to introduce the topic; not to present all content.
• More compulsory and recommended literature available than students can study in
the time available. Students are expected to have skills in selecting literature and
selecting the relevant sections for detailed study.


Education shock

• Dutch education style can differ from the style at home
• You bring a set of values and expectations from your own country, culture and
education
• The difference can result in frustration, feeling offended and fear at first
• Start with an open mind and postpone judgement!

(Source: Ieneke ten Dam)


Student life in the Netherlands

• Welcome reception for international students
• Where to buy food?
• Shopping
• Transportation
• Networking
• Visiting people
• Not feeling well?
• Public holidays

Agenda Impression Before departure Arrival Life in the Netherlands After graduation

Welcome reception
Dutch institutions organize welcome receptions for international students.


Culture shock

1. Tourist phase / honeymoon

2. I-hate-this country phase

3. Adjustment phase

4. Mastery phase


Culture shock symptoms

• Angry about minor inconveniences
• Irritability
• Withdrawal from people who are different from you
• Extreme homesickness
• Sudden intense feeling of loyalty to own culture or groups
• Overeating or loss of appetite
• Boredom
• A need for excessive sleep
• Feeling sick often (headaches, stomach aches)
• Depression
• Loss of ability to work or study effectively
• Unexplained crying
• Marital or relationship stress
• Exaggerated cleanliness


How to overcome a culture shock

• Hang out with people/friends
• Join the sports club at your institution or in town
• Join a student club
• In case of difficulty: contact student counselor
• Stay in touch with your family and friends


Not feeling well?

• Health insurance: valid from date of departure
• Don’t forget to extend the policy beyond the end date of your enrolment
• Basic medicines (paracetamol) available at supermarkets and drug stores
• Otherwise go to a GP or family doctor (huisarts)
• Diagnosis
• Go to a pharmacy (apotheek) for medicines

In case of an emergency:
• Call 112 (police, fire, ambulance)
• Hospital

Visiting people

• Dutch tend not like spontaneous or unannounced visits
• Coffee is always ready to be served!
• Gift for your host: flowers, cookies or chocolates


Shopping
• City centre
• Shopping etiquette
• Take a shopping bag with you
• Paying in cash/by ‘chipknip’/pin
• Bargaining is not customary
• Eye contact and greetings
• In general: Monday to Friday 9:00 - 18:00 hrs,
Saturday 9:00-17.00 hrs
• “Koopavond” - late night shopping:
one evening each week shops close at 21:00 hrs (Thursday or Friday)
• “Koopzondag” – Sunday trading: shops sometimes open on Sundays.


Where to buy food?
• Buy food at the supermarket
(Aldi, Lidl and Bas = relatively cheap) (Albert Heijn, C1000, Super de
Boer = relatively expensive) Some supermarkets are open from 8:00 hrs
till 22:00 hrs
• Avondwinkel: shops that are open till late at night from 22.00-6.00 hrs
(expensive!)
• Ethnic shops such as Asian (Indonesian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai)
Moroccan, Japanese, Indian etc.
• Open air market: 1 or 2 times a week
• University canteens
• Restaurants (some expensive), some cafes offer cheap ‘dagmenu’s’
• Dutch food


Dutch food

• Dutch way of eating: one hot meal a day (lunch or dinner)
• Typical Dutch food

Transportation

• Bicycle
• Train
• Tram/bus
• Metro (Amsterdam & Rotterdam)
• Taxi – very expensive
• OV-card


Bicycles

• Buy a second hand bicycle (€25 - €100)

• Always lock your bike and switch your lights on at night. Preferably
attach your bike to a bike stand, railing, lamppost, etc.

• Observe the traffic rules.

• Ride carefully!


Public holidays and traditions

1 January New Year’s Day
6 April Good Friday
8-9 April Easter
30 April Queen’s Day
4 May Remembrance Day
5 May Liberation Day
17 May Ascension Day
27-28 May Whitsun
18 September Prinsjesdag
5 December Sinterklaas
25-26 December Christmas


Student life

• Member of a club or association
• Member of sports club
• Hang out
• Terrace culture

Agenda Impression Before the Departure Arrival Life and study in the Netherlands After the Graduation

Costs of living & part-time job

Life and study in Holland
€700 - €1,000 a month (total expenses)

Two job options:
1. 10 hours a week, all year round
2. Full-time during June, July and August only

• If you don’t work officially (zwart werk), you are not covered by insurance
• Employers are not always willing to apply for the work permit for
international students, which makes it difficult to find a legal part-time job
in the Netherlands
• We don’t recommend working while studying


Tips!
• Get together with other students to cook an international dinner

• Make a schedule for household chores, like cleaning and doing the
dishes

• Respect each other’s culture and customs

• Try to get engaged in activities with other students at your institution or in
your city.

• Useful websites and Do’s


Websites

• Embassy website: • Nuffic (Study in Holland, Nuffic
Neso)
www.nuffic.nl
• Dutch Ministry of foreign affairs
www.minbuza.nl/en/home • Insurance
www.ips-lippmann.com
• International Students www.myaon.nl/students
www.internationalstudents.nl
www.internationalstudy.nl

Do’s!

Please do join the student association in Netherlands

AND

Please join the Holland Alumni network when you
finish your study programme!

Stay in contact with Nuffic Neso!

After graduation

Don’t forget to have your degree
certificate authenticated!

Legalizing your degree

DUO – IB-groep
Diploma Recognition & Legalization Dept.
• DUO – IB-groep has been appointed by the Ministry of Education, Culture
and Science to keep track of who can issue what degrees, and who can
sign them.

Check the information on their website.


Stamps

You will need three stamps for legalization:
 One from DUO – IB-Groep
• Legalize signature
 One from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Provide official translation
 One from the Embassy (or Consulate) of your country
in the Netherlands
• Legalize signature and Dutch procedure


Job opportunities

• The 12-month ‘search year’

• Work as a highly skilled migrant

• Job agency for international students and graudates in the Netherlands

Don’t forget to join in the Holland Alumni Network after your study!


Good luck and the best of success with your study
programme in Holland!

Pre Departure Briefing 2012

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