Why study in Amsterdam? Three reasons why you should study in the city of canals.

1. The weather: it rains, it rains, and some other times it rains. For weeks you can absolutely forget about that yellow thing up in the sky. It rains. And yes, if you are about to say that this is a negative thing… hang on a minute and let me show you how the grey and raining days may work for you. Picture yourself looking out the window, what do you see? – I just told you, RAIN and grey sky. So what do you feel like doing? Shopping, enjoying sometime on the beach with friends, or a romantic time with your lover in a park? No, you do not. You are not in Gold Coast Australia where you feel like surfing 365 days per year you are in Amsterdam. Therefore, Amsterdam with its sad and long -lasting weather will already eliminate the massive temptations to waste your time outside. The time outdoor is for some other days. * I will explain more at the end* 

2. The bicycles: no I am not here to write what has been written by many about the bicycles in Amsterdam. It is well-known, over documented, and somehow boring. The good news that I want to bring here to you is that it does not matter where you are from, how much money you have, or how good your house is… you will end up using your bicycle to go to class. And that is what I call “BD” Bicycle-Democracy. All students, maybe dressed up differently, will struggle to find a spot to park their bicycle, and they will take even more time to look for their bicycle once they need to leave, and last but not least all students will get wet during a raining day. Of course, there are students that will come to class by public transport, walking, or motorbike (like I did till it was stolen) but trust me… Bicycle-Democracy keeps all students equal, and that is something that you will see in Amsterdam day in and day out. And this is a plus for Amsterdam.

3. The professors: do you remember the Bicycle-Democracy? Well I am sure you can get it now. The majority of Professors I had till now came to University by bicycle. Sometimes, you also park next to them and express a comment or two about the weather. Now, think about any movie staged in an English or American schools. What do you see? Rich students driving dad’s car, poor students reaching University by bus and the professors? Well the successful who won prizes and wrote important books come to university driving a full-optional Mercedes class C, while the freshly PhD drive a second hand Toyota Corolla 2005 and this professor does not even have the assigned car park! Here in Amsterdam you cannot see this massive difference gap. Professors are professors, and students are students. However, here in Amsterdam, the professors do not go around with an untouchable aura of prestige and look down to students. For my experience the opposite is actually true. By the way, do not get me wrong, the professors in Amsterdam are top class. If you do a little research you will see how many international scholars chose Amsterdam to lecture.