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International students miss contact (Amsterdam)

According to a survey of three student organisations in which more than a thousand foreign students took part, international students miss contact with Dutch students. Protected content
They are especially positive about the quality of Dutch teachers, but also report negatives.
Three quarters of them say they want more contact with Dutch students. Something teachers can also contribute to by allowing foreign students to work together more often with their Dutch peers. Furthermore, more attention should be paid to cultural differences in the lecture hall.
Learning the Dutch language can also help. However, around 37 percent of respondents say they are (very) dissatisfied with the possibilities for this. They believe that more attention should be paid to Dutch at universities and colleges. Another point of criticism is finding a home. Almost 72 percent of the respondents indicate that this should be arranged better. More than a third say they have been rejected one or more times for a home due to their foreign background. An equally large group has experienced that they also have to pay more than someone from the Netherlands.
The student organizations also point out the importance of psychological support for international students. More than 43 percent of them say that they experience very to extremely high levels of stress. About 40 percent even say they have moderate to extreme psychological problems. The student clubs therefore consider it important that foreign students receive the same help that is given to Dutch students.

The number of foreign students at Dutch colleges and universities is increasing, also in Amsterdam. At the start of this year, more than 12,000 foreign students were registered in Amsterdam. In Protected content , there were around 10,000.

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