The presence of critical, demanding foreign MSc students helps TU Delft to become a more internationally orientated university, according to Dr.
Annemarie Rima, head of the MSc office.
“MSc students are pioneers, and because they’re here, lots of things are changing. There are now more courses in English and people are also starting to make announcements in English,” says Dr. Annemarie Rima, regarding the MSc program started two years ago. “Foreign exchange students who previously weren’t interested in studying here because of language problems, are now coming to Delft because they see at our website that TU Delft offers MSc courses in English.”
Rima believes the problems that this year’s sixty foreign MSc students encounter are temporary. “These are start-up problems,” she says, adding that oversights, like those at the Architecture faculty, where MSc students weren’t told they needed to sign up for courses and drawing facilities and therefore missed the boat, are steadily being rectified. Today, a booklet, in English, is available that lets new foreign students know where and when to sign up. “Foreign MSc students just have the tough luck of being guinea pigs,” Rima says. “On the other hand, because they are pioneers they also get extra attention.”
Problems won’t be solved by cancelling the courses that attract few MSc students, according to Rima. “It’s the total amount of foreign students at a faculty that counts, which includes also the number of exchange students,” she explains.
Rima’s glad that foreign MSc students are critical and demanding. She believes the student’s complaints help stimulate TU Delft to become a more international orientated university. “Our first group of MSc students all came from Indonesia. In their culture, it’s not common for students to complain about teachers. This year, however, students from thirty different countries started MSc programs, paying 13,000 guilders each. They’re a nice, super-assertive group: if they receive a letter in Dutch, they immediately go to their faculty co-ordinator, because they’re paying for an education in English.”
The executive board of TU Delft wants the number of foreign MSc students to rise in the coming years, reaching 175 students in 2003. “To increase student numbers, we won’t lower our entrance requirements,” Rima warns. “For next year’s program, three hundred people applied, but only 92 made it through our tests.”
Rima also has a stern message for the brokers who earn big money by finding universities for Chinese students: “The brokers can’t influence us, because for us, it’s only the quality of somebody’s education that counts.”
The presence of critical, demanding foreign MSc students helps TU Delft to become a more internationally orientated university, according to Dr. Annemarie Rima, head of the MSc office.
“MSc students are pioneers, and because they’re here, lots of things are changing. There are now more courses in English and people are also starting to make announcements in English,” says Dr. Annemarie Rima, regarding the MSc program started two years ago. “Foreign exchange students who previously weren’t interested in studying here because of language problems, are now coming to Delft because they see at our website that TU Delft offers MSc courses in English.”
Rima believes the problems that this year’s sixty foreign MSc students encounter are temporary. “These are start-up problems,” she says, adding that oversights, like those at the Architecture faculty, where MSc students weren’t told they needed to sign up for courses and drawing facilities and therefore missed the boat, are steadily being rectified. Today, a booklet, in English, is available that lets new foreign students know where and when to sign up. “Foreign MSc students just have the tough luck of being guinea pigs,” Rima says. “On the other hand, because they are pioneers they also get extra attention.”
Problems won’t be solved by cancelling the courses that attract few MSc students, according to Rima. “It’s the total amount of foreign students at a faculty that counts, which includes also the number of exchange students,” she explains.
Rima’s glad that foreign MSc students are critical and demanding. She believes the student’s complaints help stimulate TU Delft to become a more international orientated university. “Our first group of MSc students all came from Indonesia. In their culture, it’s not common for students to complain about teachers. This year, however, students from thirty different countries started MSc programs, paying 13,000 guilders each. They’re a nice, super-assertive group: if they receive a letter in Dutch, they immediately go to their faculty co-ordinator, because they’re paying for an education in English.”
The executive board of TU Delft wants the number of foreign MSc students to rise in the coming years, reaching 175 students in 2003. “To increase student numbers, we won’t lower our entrance requirements,” Rima warns. “For next year’s program, three hundred people applied, but only 92 made it through our tests.”
Rima also has a stern message for the brokers who earn big money by finding universities for Chinese students: “The brokers can’t influence us, because for us, it’s only the quality of somebody’s education that counts.”
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