Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam - VU Amsterdam vs Tilburg University vs TIAS School for Business and Society vs Fontys University of Applied Sciences vs ONCAMPUS Global

As a computer science student at the Vrije Universitet in Amsterdam, I have been thoroughly impressed with the quality of education and the level of expertise of the professors at this esteemed institution. The faculty members are passionate about their subjects and are always willing to provide guidance and support to students. The curriculum is rigorous, and the coursework is designed to challenge students and prepare them for the ever-evolving world of technology. The courses cover a broad range of topics, from programming languages and algorithms to artificial intelligence and machine learning. The faculty also encourages students to take part in research projects and internships, providing valuable opportunities to apply what we have learned in the classroom to real-world scenarios. The campus facilities are excellent, with state-of-the-art labs and equipment available for students to use. The university's location in Amsterdam also offers plenty of opportunities for students to engage in cultural and recreational activities outside of their studies. One of the things that stand out to me is the diverse student body. Being exposed to different perspectives and backgrounds has enriched my learning experience and expanded my understanding of computer science as a field. Overall, I would highly recommend the Vrije Universitet to any computer science student looking for a challenging and rewarding academic experience, excellent faculty, and a diverse and inclusive community.

The city is quite bad to live in and ugly, on top of very expensive. The faculty of psychology is quite okay. Studying there has given me a good theoretical base. However, I have one major complaint, which is the way the university treats students individually. The student desk is the only way to obtain official documents from them (for example, the documents I needed to apply for a Master's degre) and aside from the difficult office hours and long wait time on the phone, I was literally told upon requesting a very necessary document "sorry, we´re not going to do that for you, it is too much work for us". when I suggested that I could put the document together myself and then just have it reviewed and stamped by them, she said htat it wouldn´t be valid. This resulted in me not being able to apply for Masters that year and taking a gap year, which is not the impact I ever thought a clerk would have on my life. Another complaint I have that resulted in a life-changing event is about my thesis. I chose to do a systematic review (within the Clinical Track) because it interested me, and I was fully informed that the program of the systematic review was still a pilot and subject to change. My supervisor was lovely and I had a great experience with her, that left me feeling like I learned something, and I was going to get a decent grade on said thesis that would then allow me to apply for a Clinical Psychology Masters in the Netherlands. For context, up until this point in my education, I had never failed an exam or a course as I always had average to high grades and I dedicate the appropriate time and effort to my studies. My thesis, on the other hand, was rather controversial. I received the grade I expected from my supervisor (which was within the range of my grades overall), whereas the second assessor failed me on half the criteria and didn't put in the effort to provide appropriate feedback. As the two grades were too different from each other, my thesis was reviewed by a third assessor, who just did the averages between the grades of the first two assessors and included sad faces ":(" in her feedback for my months of work, which all resulted in a grade that still hinders me in my academic progress, two years later. Upon respectfully confronting the third assessor I was offered neither an explanation nor a justification (perhaps I had been misled during the process of writing my thesis) for the feedback (which at times was completely erroneous as it contradicted published and peer reviewed literature I had consulted while while writing), and I was told that my thesis would just not be reasessed. I would not still be going on about this if it wasn't for the fact that I was just taught the findings of my thesis (which I was told was completely wrong) while studying for the master's degree that I did manage to get into with my grades. To sum up, while this faculty rigurously prepares students through content and theory, the students are nothing to them.

Nothing to show

I like the possibility to self study, find materials and information, as well as the freedom of learning what I am interested in, while receiving feedback from my teachers which helps me getting on the right track.

Nothing to show

Nothing to show

I already hold a bachelor’s degree from one of the top 100 universities in Europe, so I have a solid basis for comparison. And let me tell you—Rotterdam Business School (RBS) is, without a doubt, the lowest-level institution I have ever come across. Frankly, it’s embarrassing that they even call themselves a university because this place is a complete mess. After two years of frustration, I finally lost my patience and decided to leave and continue my marketing studies elsewhere. The problems began on day one. On September 1st, students still weren’t assigned to their actual classes. Instead, we were forced to participate in random “bonding activities” with people we wouldn’t even be studying with. The university blamed this on having to move buildings that year, but let’s be real—this level of disorganization is unacceptable. Then came the courses, which were painfully useless. They had us writing essays about ourselves for grades and attending mandatory “coaching” sessions where we had to answer personal questions about our families. I am 25 years old, a grown adult, yet I had to sit through these infantilizing sessions where refusing to answer personal questions was apparently unacceptable. And let’s talk about the complete lack of information. The school constantly forgets to communicate important details. A perfect example: RBS invited first-year students who earned all their credits to attend a ceremony and pick up their propedeuse diploma. What they failed to mention in the email was that you needed to bring an official ID document. I showed up with my driver’s license, and the teacher refused to give me my diploma, demanding I go home and get a “real document.” I told her I live far away and wouldn’t make it back in time, to which she scolded me. How is that my fault when the school didn’t bother to provide clear instructions? Despite my disappointment in year one, I held out hope that things would improve once I reached my marketing specialization. Well, that was a mistake. There is absolutely no difference between specializations—every student, regardless of what they choose, studies the same subjects, does the same assignments, and takes the same exams. What’s the point of choosing a specialization if the school doesn’t even bother to teach it properly? For the entire year, I had only one lecture per week related to my specialization. The rest of the time, I was drowning in pointless assignments like personality quizzes and cultural competence reflections. I learned how to make a LinkedIn page, write a CV, and roleplay a job interview with my groupmates—for a grade. Oh, and of course, there were more discussions on environmental dangers. Was this worth €250 a month? Absolutely not. Looking ahead, it’s clear things don’t get any better. Year three consists of either an exchange or an internship, and year four is another internship. It seems like this school will do anything to avoid actually teaching its students. On top of that, electives are constantly getting canceled at the last minute. I had an elective get canceled on the same day it was supposed to start. Since all the other courses were already full, I had to literally beg a teacher to let me into another one just so I could earn enough credits. The teachers at RBS are another major issue. Many are arrogant and clearly favor Dutch students. During one of my recent exams, the supervisor refused to give instructions in English. When my class president pointed out that most students were international, she just continued speaking Dutch. Then, when a classmate asked if she could leave early if she finished her exam, the supervisor sarcastically asked, “Do you really think you’re that smart?” That level of unprofessionalism is just shocking. Some teachers even force students to buy their own books, blatantly saying, “If you don’t buy this book, you won’t pass the exam.” There are no clear grading guidelines, so your grade often depends on the teacher’s mood rather than your actual work. And if you fail an exam? Good luck figuring out what went wrong—many teachers don’t even bother writing feedback. There is one particular teacher I know of who has received numerous complaints from students, yet nothing has been done about it. He continues to teach as if nothing ever happened, and the university simply ignores the issues. To make matters worse, exams are full of mistakes. Whoever creates them clearly doesn’t double-check their work, so students often have to waste time figuring out what was actually meant. It’s frustrating when you’re sitting in an exam, already under pressure, and you find errors in the questions themselves. Rotterdam Business School is an absolute joke. If you want to do middle-school-level assignments and waste your time, go ahead and join. But if you actually want to become a specialist in your field, do yourself a favor and look elsewhere.