For the MSc class of 2004, the TU Delft experience is coming to an end with this summer’s graduation ceremonies. So, the question is, was it all worth it? A graduating MSc student gathered together a group of his classmates to reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly of their two years of studying and socializing at TU Delft.
The last academic year at TU Delft has come to an end for us, the MSc class of 2004. For many of us, we will leave Delft with some of the most treasured experiences we have had thus far in our lives. To understand this in greater detail, I recently gathered together a group of international students and asked them to share their experiences with me over some cold beers in the hot midday sun.
The approach to this article was to ask everyone four questions that would hopefully capture their overall impressions of TU Delft. It was also of course a chance for me to reflect on my own experiences of being a foreign student in Holland and at TU Delft.
My venture began in 2004, when I arrived in Delft from Sweden to do a Master’s degree at the Faculty of Industrial Design. I remember distinctly that my first day here in September was gray, windy and rainy (one of many such days to follow, I’d soon discover). But being so excited about embarking on my new TU Delft adventure, on this day at least the bad weather didn’t matter.
There were so many new faces with names to try to connect on that first day, and I distinctly remember observing how everyone was so eager to meet people who they had something in common with, and in this way to feel more secure in a group, before entering the new courses.
The first moment I really understood that I was in Delft was when I entered my new DUWO room and unpacked my suitcases, only to discover that there was no one around to celebrate over a beer with. In despair, I went to the supermarket, where I happened to meet a Lebanese guy in the check-out line. We began chatting and soon discovered that we were actually neighbors! We instantly hit it off, as we were both lonely souls in Delft, and we had lots to talk about, since we came from such different parts of the world. It was fine and lucky start to my two years here.
But if that’s the beginning of my personal TU Delft story, I was more interested to hear what my fellow foreign students felt about their time at TU Delft. I began by asking the assembled group what their best experience was here? Somewhat surprisingly, many immediately replied, ‘Queen’s Day!’, the day when the Dutch and foreigners alike come together in one big whirlpool of drunken, orange-clad humanity to celebrate Queen Beatrix’s birthday.
Other students said they liked how they were able to mix their studies with extracurricular activities at the university’s Sports Centre and Cultural Centre. One Asian student even said he loved how clean the air is in Holland and how inexpensive the wine in the shops. He also appreciated how the Dutch express their opinions so bluntly.
I then asked everyone to say what the worst experiences here were? To this, a Belgian guy jokingly replied: “Pindakaas!” For most, though, the most unpleasant and difficult thing here to overcome was the thick layers of bureaucracy within the governmental agencies that handle visas and other essential paperwork for foreigners, and this, combined with the Dutch unwillingness to deviate even slightly from the rules, made their stays here very frustrating at times.
Other students also complained that the food served in the faculty canteens was lousy and overpriced. One student also complained about the relatively poor level of English proficiency of some of the professors teaching MSc courses.
For me, the worst experience was the problems I encountered when trying to find new accommodation. And having to attend ‘instemmings‘, which are hugely time consuming, often lasting an entire evening, was never pleasant.
It’s highly debatable how fair instemmings are in fact for foreign students trying to enter Dutch student houses (‘oh no, the residents think, don’t vote for him, we’ll have to speak English all the time!’), and how supposedly democratic instemmings are when friends of somebody already living in the house (and therefore already a friend or acquaintance of most of the residents) are competing against you at the same instemming!
My third question was what, if anything, the students would suggest that TU Delft change in future? Most of the students said “pimping” the campus with more bars for partying and socializing would help to create a real international atmosphere on campus. Other students said TU Delft should follow the example of US universities and make the Sports Centre free-of-charge or at least a lot less expensive for students.
With midday turning to early evening and our beers almost finished, I asked the students if there was one thing about TU Delft they could bring back to their home countries, what would be? Many students said the super-fast Internet connection. Others said the botanical garden. And, happily for the university, a few students said most of what they had been taught here.
Personally, I’d take back TU Delft’s excellent ability to organize, plan and execute with a process in mind, in order to achieve the best results. This is best exemplified by creative and collaborative student projects, like the Nuna solar powered car, and other such achievements gained by combining various student competencies into a single project.
For those of us graduating this summer, what we can all probably agree on is that we came, we saw and we succeeded. And now it’s time for us to go out in the working world and conquer our goals.
img:23mainarticleimage.tif
‘Impressions: Two years at TU Delft’ (Illustration: Juan Carlos Ortiz Nicolas, MSc, Mexico)
The last academic year at TU Delft has come to an end for us, the MSc class of 2004. For many of us, we will leave Delft with some of the most treasured experiences we have had thus far in our lives. To understand this in greater detail, I recently gathered together a group of international students and asked them to share their experiences with me over some cold beers in the hot midday sun.
The approach to this article was to ask everyone four questions that would hopefully capture their overall impressions of TU Delft. It was also of course a chance for me to reflect on my own experiences of being a foreign student in Holland and at TU Delft.
My venture began in 2004, when I arrived in Delft from Sweden to do a Master’s degree at the Faculty of Industrial Design. I remember distinctly that my first day here in September was gray, windy and rainy (one of many such days to follow, I’d soon discover). But being so excited about embarking on my new TU Delft adventure, on this day at least the bad weather didn’t matter.
There were so many new faces with names to try to connect on that first day, and I distinctly remember observing how everyone was so eager to meet people who they had something in common with, and in this way to feel more secure in a group, before entering the new courses.
The first moment I really understood that I was in Delft was when I entered my new DUWO room and unpacked my suitcases, only to discover that there was no one around to celebrate over a beer with. In despair, I went to the supermarket, where I happened to meet a Lebanese guy in the check-out line. We began chatting and soon discovered that we were actually neighbors! We instantly hit it off, as we were both lonely souls in Delft, and we had lots to talk about, since we came from such different parts of the world. It was fine and lucky start to my two years here.
But if that’s the beginning of my personal TU Delft story, I was more interested to hear what my fellow foreign students felt about their time at TU Delft. I began by asking the assembled group what their best experience was here? Somewhat surprisingly, many immediately replied, ‘Queen’s Day!’, the day when the Dutch and foreigners alike come together in one big whirlpool of drunken, orange-clad humanity to celebrate Queen Beatrix’s birthday.
Other students said they liked how they were able to mix their studies with extracurricular activities at the university’s Sports Centre and Cultural Centre. One Asian student even said he loved how clean the air is in Holland and how inexpensive the wine in the shops. He also appreciated how the Dutch express their opinions so bluntly.
I then asked everyone to say what the worst experiences here were? To this, a Belgian guy jokingly replied: “Pindakaas!” For most, though, the most unpleasant and difficult thing here to overcome was the thick layers of bureaucracy within the governmental agencies that handle visas and other essential paperwork for foreigners, and this, combined with the Dutch unwillingness to deviate even slightly from the rules, made their stays here very frustrating at times.
Other students also complained that the food served in the faculty canteens was lousy and overpriced. One student also complained about the relatively poor level of English proficiency of some of the professors teaching MSc courses.
For me, the worst experience was the problems I encountered when trying to find new accommodation. And having to attend ‘instemmings‘, which are hugely time consuming, often lasting an entire evening, was never pleasant.
It’s highly debatable how fair instemmings are in fact for foreign students trying to enter Dutch student houses (‘oh no, the residents think, don’t vote for him, we’ll have to speak English all the time!’), and how supposedly democratic instemmings are when friends of somebody already living in the house (and therefore already a friend or acquaintance of most of the residents) are competing against you at the same instemming!
My third question was what, if anything, the students would suggest that TU Delft change in future? Most of the students said “pimping” the campus with more bars for partying and socializing would help to create a real international atmosphere on campus. Other students said TU Delft should follow the example of US universities and make the Sports Centre free-of-charge or at least a lot less expensive for students.
With midday turning to early evening and our beers almost finished, I asked the students if there was one thing about TU Delft they could bring back to their home countries, what would be? Many students said the super-fast Internet connection. Others said the botanical garden. And, happily for the university, a few students said most of what they had been taught here.
Personally, I’d take back TU Delft’s excellent ability to organize, plan and execute with a process in mind, in order to achieve the best results. This is best exemplified by creative and collaborative student projects, like the Nuna solar powered car, and other such achievements gained by combining various student competencies into a single project.
For those of us graduating this summer, what we can all probably agree on is that we came, we saw and we succeeded. And now it’s time for us to go out in the working world and conquer our goals.
img:23mainarticleimage.tif
‘Impressions: Two years at TU Delft’ (Illustration: Juan Carlos Ortiz Nicolas, MSc, Mexico)
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