Delft University of Technology - TU Delft (reviews)

Mechanical Engineering at TU Delft is a broad programme with lots of different subjects. The facilities and campus of TU Delft are nice. Teachers and professors are excellent. Only downside is the lack of personal guidance, because the huge amount of mechanical engineering students.

I like how TU Delft is one of the few places where the focus is on Engineering. The campus brings some down sides like the wind and the course contents can be somewhat difficult and more stressful because of the mathematics. But that is why I think TU Delft in the Netherlands is so charming.

Hello,
[Skip to “Conclusion” for a brief summary]
In this post, I’ll share my experience with the TU Delft Industrial Design Engineering bachelor’s program as a graduate, so that future students can make a more informed decision.

I chose this bachelor’s program because I expected it to involve a lot of engineering and technical content, which would help me understand how most products are made, think production techniques, appropriate material use, product manufacturing, and the integration of technology and mathematics that’s common in modern products. However, I ended up learning very little about these topics during my time in the program.

The study mainly consisted of filling out Miro (an online platform) templates, coming up with systems, and focusing on sustainability (which, to be fair, isn’t necessarily a bad thing). But I never felt like I was learning anything new; I was just repeatedly filling in the same kinds of templates for the DP/PO (Design Project/Project Organisatie) courses throughout the full three years. Each year, you follow two DP/PO courses.

The only courses I personally found useful in terms of learning product design were the drawing classes and a first-year SolidWorks course (3D modeling). Normally, I find math courses boring and difficult, but thanks to this bachelor’s, I actually really enjoyed the two math/physics courses (Product Dynamics and Product Statics). For the first time in a while, I felt like I was doing something meaningful, had to put in effort, and was actually learning something new.

Another thing I really disliked about this program is how “school-like” it’s structured. You’re required to be on campus every day from 8:45 AM to 5:30 PM, working in a so-called “studio” (classroom) with your fellow students, supposedly to learn from each other. This might work for some people, but for me (and I think for others too), it didn’t. I can’t focus well in noisy, crowded spaces, and I rarely connected with my fellow students. The social atmosphere was always centered around the typical student lifestyle (like student associations), and I wasn’t involved in that kind of life at all.

The strict scheduling was probably the worst part. It made me feel like I was still in high school, instead of being a responsible adult who should be allowed to structure their own time. In many courses, you’re also penalized if you’re absent or not actively participating in class. Your final grade often drops as a result, especially since there’s always a rubric item about “communication and presence” of the student.

Now on to a very different, but important point I want to share. I’m a guy with a Turkish background/ethnicity. This has, in my experience, had a significant impact on how I was treated and assessed during my studies. Because of my appearance, I stood out a lot in this predominantly Dutch/white bachelor’s program. I was one of the very few students with a migration background (I could count them on one hand, out of 300+ students in my year).

In group projects and reports, I often felt like I wasn’t taken seriously by the lecturers. I never really felt welcome at the faculty or in the studios, I often felt like an outsider. The assessments for reports/projects were always subjective. Yes, there’s a so-called “rubric,” but it’s completely vague and can be interpreted in many ways, so you never know whether you’ve actually met the expectations. In my opinion, grading was purely based on the teacher’s personal opinion, and this was even confirmed by one of the teachers, who admitted the rubrics were “kind of nonsense” and that they just decide the grade based on how they feel about you and your work. As a result, I rarely received high marks for assignments, even though I consistently scored 8s on exams, which are graded objectively.

I even went to the study advisor once because I had been unfairly graded. But even the study advisor couldn’t care less. He flat-out said “NO” to my face when I expressed my concerns emotionally. I didn’t even get a fake “that’s unfortunate” or a polite smile. That showed me that basic empathy is not standard for everyone. In my view, these are the bare minimum responses you’d expect when a student is struggling. That’s why I want to clearly state in this post that, in my experience, there’s a significant amount of racism within the IDE bachelor’s program at TU Delft.

You might be wondering, after reading all this, “Why didn’t you just quit the program?” I started this program during the COVID outbreak, which meant my entire first year was online (with mandatory Zoom attendance from 8:45 AM to 5:30 PM). So at first, I thought my negative experience was due to the pandemic. When I finally got to campus in my second year, I realized too late that this program just wasn’t the right fit for me. But I’m someone who always sees things through and doesn’t quit halfway. Since I had already completed more than a year, I was determined to finish.

Conclusion
All in all, I strongly advise against choosing this bachelor’s program if your goal is to pursue a real engineering-focused, challenging, and educational degree, because IDE at TU Delft is certainly not that.

To future students with a migrant background: only consider this program if you’re planning to do it with a friend. You’re unlikely to make many friends here, and you’ll probably end up feeling lonely and like an outsider, especially if your values or cultural background differ from the average “IDE” student.

I’m now studying something else at a different university, and I’m much happier. I’m achieving great results and feel appreciated. Just to be clear: my review is not about TU Delft as a whole, it is specifically about the Industrial Design Engineering bachelor’s program.

If you have any questions after reading my “mini-book,” feel free to send me a private message on Reddit or leave a comment under this post. I’m happy to help you make a better-informed study decision, something I, unfortunately, didn’t have.

TU Delft is seen as one of the most prestigious technical universities in the world. However, the conditions in real life differ much from the appearances online. There is no actual, coherent structure for the university overall; each faculty can choose their rules. Hence, many things could be improved for the Materials Science and Engineering faculty. They advertise a very diverse curriculum and many options regarding courses. However, you are limited in the courses you can take and the time in which you can do that, as graduation within 2 years is quite unlikely. There are about 45 ECTS of mandatory courses, unevenly distributed through courses, which do not reflect the actual workload expected to be put in to pass the classes. Overall, I would say it is important to research the faculty you want to apply to well before deciding to come here. (Also, watch out for the very real housing crisis in The Netherlands and especially in Delft)