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A German Student Explains his Decision to Study in the Netherlands

The number of international students in the Netherlands hit an all-time high last year, most of whom came from Germany – so much so, that it recently led the rector of the University of Amsterdam to question the desirability of this.

So why does a German student want to study in the Netherlands?

We asked Tilman Schmitz, a German student who came to Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences in the 2013-14 academic year to do an IBA in Real Estate Management.  “I could not find a similar programme in Germany, and to be honest, Dutch and German cultures are not that much different, so I can understand why it is an attractive study destination for German students. It has also not been hard for me to understand Dutch as a language.”

During his studies he stayed in Apeldoorn. Is there anything he disliked about Dutch culture? “The fact that they seem to eat a lot of fried food.”

Tilman recently completed his internship at A. Frauenrath Bauunternehmen GmbH , a one-stop company that provides a range of state-of-the-art services in the construction sector from project development, leasing, road construction and leasing, to facility management, recycling and earthworks.

In his work placement presentation, Tilman, raved about everything he learned there. “I worked in their real estate department preparing contracts, in the engineering department and recycling. I was even able to apply many of the things I learned from Wittenborg in my internship, especially helpful were the financial modules. My biggest challenge was fitting into a new environment, but everyone was very helpful and answered all my questions.”
 After doing a master's degree in Germany he wants to work in  architecture or be a real estate manager.

WUP 1/2/2018

by Anesca Smith
©WUAS Press