NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences
speciality: Politics

As an international European Studies student, NHL Stenden is a perfect place for ambitious, creative, internationally minded and practice oriented students. The structure of the university allows you to create your own path even during your studies. As one Example I could mention the countless opportunities in year 3, namely the option for exchange, grand tour, minor and internship, which completely depends on the students own preferences.
Another big advantage is the international environment at the university. In European Studies, the new classes consist of 50% international students and this makes a culturally diverse environment with people from all around Europe (and the World). This is an ideal environment for group projects, which is another advantage I would highlight. In these project we can already apply the theories we learned. In the case of European Studies, that could be a campaign strategy or a policy brief in various topics.
Overall, I can definitely recommend ES at NHL Stenden if you desire more practice, however, sometimes I feel like a bit more theory could help us a lot during specific fields like Policy or Economics, so if you seek a more theoretical study programme at another university.

My personal experience at NHL Stenden has been very different for myself because i come from a former communist and conservative country which is very focused on theoretical learning and less on creativity and personal development.
I believe design based education did not only open a lot of doors for me to learn through practice but i did also enjoy working in groups which all of the courses at NHL Stenden do. Furthermore until now i had no problem adapting and meeting new international students and i also was very much happy to work with multiple companies and clients for the different projects that we needed to do .
As for the time management in order for you to study and work i had no problems with until now – and i am a second year student.
In addition i have also enjoyed being able to assimilate the Dutch culture through NHL Stenden and with the help of our teachers.

I’m in my second year of European Studies at NHL Stenden in Leeuwarden, and I have really enjoyed the program.
Its diversity in courses has proven to be an extremely valuable aspect for me so far. The focus is not only on knowledge about the European Union, its institutions, and how it works, but also on things like media and journalism, cultural awareness, and English writing skills. This has guided me to think about eventual career options in the fields of political journalism for example and what I would want to search for when it comes to internship for year 4.
Through my first and second years of being here I have also found like-minded people who share my type of energy and enthusiasm, which for a social person like myself its precious.
However, there are some areas of improvement that I would like to recommend working on such as the consideration of international students when it comes to scheduling classes. For example, unfortunately, I’ll have to miss an important workshop in December, since the session is scheduled at the end of the week before the Christmas break. But this is a very fixable, minor remark.
Other than that I would definitely recommend the course for people interested in international relations, lobbying, policy-making, journalism, and want something more broader for a bachelor study before specializing in the related fields.

I have been studying at NHL Stenden for a year now and I am very happy with my choice.
I really like the student city that makes you feel connected to everyone and that never feels to overwhelming.
Moreover, the university looks and feels very modern and has a lot of spaces designated to the students and offers a lot of services to support the students in their studies and personal development.
The only downside is that my BA European Studies is a rather small study and is still rather new for international students and therefore feels like it is being overlooked sometimes.
In general, most of the lecturers are very friendly and helpful when approached with questions. Naturally, you will always find your favorits when compared and I did unfortunately have a bad experience with one which we were able to bring up to our other lecturers.
Something I like best about my study though, is the offered language courses so that I can learn Spanish and Dutch during my stay at in Leeuwarden which has been very helpful and motivating for me.
I still plan to finish my BA at NHL Stenden and I am really looking forward to my semester abroad and the possible internships in year 3 and 4.