Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam - VU Amsterdam
speciality: Philosophy

The VU University is trying to become more international, and that’s shown by the increasing number of international students every year. However, although the vast majority at the university know English very well, there are still some barriers for international students. For example, some staff members don’t know English, or some signs are only in dutch, and that’s not only a barrier but also makes the student feel out of place. Again, I’m not saying that you cannot live at uni with English. On the contrary, the university is international, and almost everyone knows English very well, but I was just suggesting further improving the institute’s internationalization. For what regards my course, PPE, I can say that it is very challenging, but at the same time, it allows you to open your horizons to the understanding of the world around us. PPE has its own floor in the main building, which was renovated when the program was started so that the facilities are modern and absolutely efficient in answering the demands of a modern type of education. Furthermore, the teaching staff is always very student-friendly. They encourage you to ask questions and emphasize the importance of discussing the topics explained (especially during the seminars, which only involve approx.15 students to guarantee a small-scale education and a personalized education). The content of the course is excellent, even though sometimes there is the impression (especially for the philosophical courses) that topics, thoughts, and ideas are briefly covered in light of the time constraint (especially in the first year). The VU is a campus university, with all the buildings in one place. This fact creates a pleasant “campus environment” where you can find all the facilities (gym, lecture halls, canteen, supermarket, theater, cinemas) in one site instead of many sites throughout the city. Although some new buildings have been built in the last few years, the campus is still undergoing an impressive renovation. Rightfully so: the W & N building is a bit outdated and will be replaced by new buildings, the Main Building is nice (and this is biased by the fact that I spend most of the time there eheh). Still, it is a funny combination of recently renovated areas and outdated spaces, but many say that this is his strength, and that’s actually what it makes it nice. One last thing: although the quality of education is pretty high, and the research output impressive (just look at the research and citation indexes in the leading university ranking), I would put more emphasis on networking and placement for the students as well.