My next stop on my around the world in 80 universities is in Venlo at Fontys University where I was picked up from the station, taken to the university by car and had a proper Dutch breakfast! I had visited Venlo in 2015 where I attended an international open day at the university. The place was just as welcoming today as it was back in 2015!
Fontys Hogescholen (Fontys University of Applied Sciences, or ‘Fontys’) is one of the largest Dutch universities and is considered to be one of over 30 University of Applied Sciences. There’s a two tier education system in The Netherlands - the University of Applied Sciences and the traditional research university. In a nutshell, the University of Applied Sciences offer programmes that focus on the practical application of arts and sciences. In contrast, the research university focus primarily on academic research. Neither is better, it’s a case of working out which one works for you! You’ll be able to read more about the differences between applied sciences and research universities in our blog later on this month!
Fontys have played a proactive role in internationalisation, offering a wide range of English taught courses to ensure students from across the world can study or take part in exchange programmes.
Despite the large student numbers, education at Fontys is organised on a small scale. At Fontys, internationalisation is a key driver. They offer English-language education to international students who wish to follow complete course programmes and/or to international students visiting as exchange students. Quality is the key feature of the Fontys vision. They strive to achieve a level of quality that will match that of any higher education institution in the European context. You could sense this just by walking around the campuses and taking a look at some of the classes going on - full of activities, interaction and learning.
Fontys focuses particular attention on the parameters necessary for ensuring the smooth progress of studies, such as study career supervision, coaching and a ‘buddy’ system, education, feedback regarding assessments and assignments, study progress registration, information provision and the accessibility of teaching staff. The attention to detail at Fontys was evident, even by the way in which I was questioned on my work, people were curious!
Fontys strives to be an educational institution that ‘inspires growth through support & challenges’. This is also something that you will notice throughout Fontys, e.g. in the course programmes, with the teaching staff, in the personal supervision that you receive and in the facilities available. At Fontys, you will learn in conjunction with others and we will provide you with intensive supervision throughout this process. You could sense this by looking at some of the entrepreneurial projects going on. Back in 2015 I was lucky to visit a fair at the university where students showcased their work which involved product development! In short, choosing Fontys for your further education amounts to a good choice!
Taking a walk through the campus you can see that classrooms are equipped with computer rooms, libraries and student restaurants. The notion that quality is a key driver at a national level across the Dutch education systems was evident at Fontys.
Fontys, until next time, thank you!
Want to find out more about studying overseas? Then visit one of our events!
Look out for more information on our events:
Study Abroad Roadshow - Monday 12th March - Thursday 15th March 2018
International Education Week in the UK is a platform that aims to connect UK Students with universities outside the UK. It is the first official week dedicated to studying overseas.