Understanding the Dutch higher education system can feel confusing at first, especially when you’re coming from a different academic background. Ata from Türkiye shares his personal experience as a Tio student and breaks down the key differences between hbo and wo in a clear, practical way. Alongside insights into internships and student life, he offers an honest look at what to expect when starting your journey in Amsterdam. A helpful perspective for anyone considering studying in the Netherlands.
So, you want to move abroad and experience the land of bicycles and tulips but are not sure how the process works and what you should consider before moving to the Netherlands. Hello, I am Ata, a student in Tio Business School from Türkiye, attending the International Business Management programme. I’m going to tell you about what to consider and the things I had to learn when moving to Amsterdam from abroad.
Types of universities
First things first, the way Dutchies approach higher education really threw me off in the beginning meaning, the Netherlands has a distinction between different types of degree programmes for higher education:
- Hbo is the degree focused on practical professional skills. It stands for Hoger Beroepsonderwijs, so University of Applied Sciences. These universities focus on practical professional skills, and the programmes are case-based and focus on real companies. The workload in these types of universities is mainly linked to skills, projects and internships. Tio Business School falls in this category.
- WO stands for Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs so a Research University. The curriculum is fundamentally different to hbo, considering the research universities focus on theoretical and analytical subjects rather than practical skills. These programmes are more suited for research focused positions such as, academics, PhD candidates and data scientists. WO programmes tend to consist heavily of research, theories and mathematics.
Interships
Hbo courses prioritise internships as a core part of the course: Accelerated entry to the job market
This is especially true for Tio Business School, but coming from Türkiye, other universities back home never placed too much focus on gaining professional experience through a internship. After a year in the Netherlands, I have learned that a internship as a core part of a course is a very important part of Hbo universities. So, if you are considering taking the hbo route, you you’ll eventually have to look for an internship and plan accordingly.
For example, I found my first internship in an accounting firm in Amsterdam. That was around 2 years ago, and I am still working there on a working student basis in my last year of studies. I can honestly say that the extra experience has been invaluable to me and has been as helpful to me as my core studies. Plus, the extra income doesn’t hurt when covering living expenses that come with moving to Amsterdam.
Luckily, companies in the Netherlands are used to the fact that internships in universities of applied sciences are common practice and tend to be supportive when looking for a place to work during your internship.
Living in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is a gorgeous city, and other people know this as well.
I know Amsterdam’s housing market is infamous worldwide, but whenever a new student comes to Amsterdam, it always feels like they underestimate the situation with the housing market. The reality is, Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful cities in the whole of Europe, and this attracts all kinds of people from around the world... A true global hub, you might say!
This was one of the main reasons why I wanted to come here. The sad reality is, there are simply not enough homes for every new coming student to live in. This is why Tio helps their students by guaranteeing their housing for the entire duration of their study. If you are aiming to find housing yourself, that is also an option. When coming to Amsterdam, it is very important that any new student finds a place to stay for at least a year, which is lucky because, a yearly contract is standard practice here.
These are the top 3 things I would tell myself if I could go back to the beginning of my journey to the Netherlands.
Do you have more questions?
Join us in our Amsterdam campus in one of our Tio open days! Furthermore, if you want to ask some questions personally, feel free to reach out to me or one of my fellow Tio ambassadors on Unibuddy, and we will be happy to help you work through any concerns you might have.