There are so many places where the Netherlands can "go out of the loop": milk, windmills, tulips, Van Gogh, Rembrandt... There are also universities in the Netherlands.
How hard is the quality of teaching in the Netherlands? Times Higher Education released its latest World University Rankings in September 2021, and among the top 200 universities, the top 3 universities on the list are Oxford University, California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, a total of 16 schools in China, Tsinghua University and Peking University tied for 16th place. (Of course, this ranking is for reference only, in addition to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the U.S News World University Rankings and the World University Academic Rankings also have great reference value.) ）
There are 10 universities in the Netherlands, of which Wageningen University ranks 53rd, to know that there are so many excellent universities in the world, the Netherlands as a country with a land area equivalent to the mainland Sichuan Province, but 10 universities have been sent to the Times rankings, this result is indeed very eye-catching.
▲Source: Times World University Rankings Micro Official Website
When it comes to Dutch universities, the first thing that comes to mind are 14 U-class research universities, in fact, there is another type of university that is not well known to many people, they are H-class applied science universities. What is the difference between an H-class university and a U-type university? What are the misconceptions about H-class universities?
U-class universities refer to research universities (WO) that focus on teaching and research. At present, there are 14 research universities in the Netherlands, the more famous ones are: Wageningen University (ranked 53rd, higher than Fudan University ranked 60th), University of Amsterdam (ranked 65th, followed by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in Hong Kong, China), Utrecht University (ranked 69th), Leiden University (ranked 71st) and so on.
3 years for undergraduate courses and 1-2 years for master's programs at U-class universities.
H-class universities refer to the College of Higher Professional Education (HBO), which mainly cultivates applied talents, and is slightly different from U-class universities in terms of academic year arrangement: 4 years of undergraduate courses, 1-2 years of master's courses, and it also depends on what major to study.
13 of the 14 U universities in the Netherlands have entered the TOP200 ranking, H-class universities do not participate in the ranking, but also can not be underestimated the status of H-class universities, U-class universities and H-class universities have their own advantages, if summed up in one sentence, that is: U-class universities pay more attention to cultivating students' academic ability and scientific research ability; H-class universities pay more attention to cultivating students' comprehensive quality and hands-on practical ability.
▲Source: pixabay.com
It's time to dispel misconceptions about H-universities in the Netherlands:
Myth 1: Class H universities are junior colleges.
NO。 Class H universities are also recognized by the Ministry of Education as a university of the Eight Classics, not a junior college, nor a "third-rate pheasant" university. H-class universities focus on cultivating applied talents, schools and social organizations have close cooperation, the courses offered are the knowledge that students can use after graduation, many majors are only available in H-class universities, such as most of the art majors, in this regard, some like domestic professional colleges, such as the School of Finance and Economics, the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, etc.
Myth #2: Class H college coursework is easy.
NO。 The number of courses per module of H-class universities is 1-2 more than that of U-class universities, compared to U-class universities, more emphasis is placed on students' self-learning ability, students need to study a large number of literature, and there are many group practice projects, which add up, the pressure of coursework is not small, not a place where you can casually touch the diploma.
Myth 3: The faculty of H-class universities is weak.
NO。 H-class universities do not have many doctoral professors like U-class universities, but generally need a master's degree or above, because many of the teachers hired by the school are senior managers from the industry, experts in the field, and big winners in various industries, these teachers have rich workplace experience, such experience is very valuable to students.
H-type universities have produced many applied technical talents for the Netherlands, and students from H-universities are also eligible to apply for graduate students at U-universities after graduation. The more famous H universities are: Evans University of Applied Sciences, Groningen Hans University of Applied Sciences, Hann University of Applied Sciences, The Hague University, Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, etc.
Dutch children's academic careers begin with fun, and "childhood happiness" is known all over the world. However, at the end of primary school, there is a very important primary examination (CITO), which "diverts" the children:
The best grades of the batch, directly into the college preparatory department (VWO), read 6 years of secondary school, after secondary school can choose to go to college, smoothly apply for U (WO) universities, and U universities can not refuse students' applications;
Children with upper-middle grades enter the General Secondary School (HAVO) and enter the H-Class University (HBO) after 5 years of secondary school to learn about applied technology;
Children at the bottom of the ranking enter the junior vocational school (VMBO), similar to the domestic secondary school, after the age of 16, they can work directly, and they can continue to study in the secondary vocational school (MBO) to learn more skills.
In this way, this primary examination directly determines the trajectory of children's future education. However, the Dutch education system allows children to adjust their direction in later learning, children who study in secondary school in the preparatory department of college, as long as they are interested, can also apply for H-class universities, and children in ordinary secondary schools can also obtain bachelor's and master's degrees in U-class universities as long as they are willing to work hard.
▲Source: www.tudelft.nl
Dutch H-class universities belong to the "wide in, strict out" type, for Chinese students, the minimum admission requirements for H-class universities are high school diplomas, qualified IELTS scores (generally 6.0 or above), do not require college entrance examination scores; and U-class universities require high school diplomas + college entrance examination scores (from the undergraduate line), and some universities need undergraduate freshman study experience.
In the following figure, the horizontal coordinate represents the proportion of unemployed after 1.5 years of graduation, the vertical coordinate represents the average salary of graduates, orange is H graduates, green is U graduates (different circles represent different majors), it can be seen that the average salary of U graduates is higher, but H graduates are generally better at finding jobs, of course, the specific salary of graduates will also vary according to industry, region, and experience.
▲Source: Dutch Ministry of Education
The Netherlands attaches great importance to vocational education, Dutch parents encourage their children to do their favorite jobs, whether it is H-class universities or U-class universities, as long as the children really like it, can learn a skill of employment, parents will feel very pleased.