For my particular course and interests, I knew I wanted to go to Europe as the best courses in sustainable energy are offered here. However, depending on the country's energy policies, the courses offered are highly tailored to teach students what their country requires. The Netherlands is the only country with a well-balanced approach toward transitioning to a more sustainable future. Thus, the course offered was in sync with my interests. Not to mention, the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at UU publishes high quality research with one of the highest number of citations. All in all, for my particular course (Energy Science) I couldn't have found a better university except maybe TU Delft.
Course Curriculum :
The courses are very rigorous. They are specific designed by taking current industry expectations in consideration. Most professors at the university are highly involved with public and private projects. The courses developed by them tend to include their work. Even though the courses are rigorous, if you love the topic you will be learning, the studies are interesting and no extra motivation is required to do your best. I would suggest everyone to do research about the Dutch Grading System. No one gets a 10/10 here and 9s are handed out rarely. An 8/10 is equivalent to a 9.5-10/10 (Indian Grading system) or a 4/4 (American Grading system).
Exams :
My GRE score: 324 (quants: 167, verbal: 147, writing: 4.5) My TOEFL score: 114/120 For UU, you only need to pass a English proficiency test. GRE or any other test is not required. UU accepts TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge English. To be eligible to apply, a minimum score of 100/120 is required in TOEFL. Although, this criteria may vary from course to course. Every course has its webpage with detailed requirements.
Placement :
Unlike Indian colleges, universities here do not conduct placement seasons. Students have to find jobs on their own. They can do so by keeping tabs on job fairs and vacancies published on various forms of media. If anyone wants to pursue a career in academics, they can do so by getting in contact with professors and developing their relationships. Based on the information provided by my seniors, if you are adequately good with dutch by the time your master's ends, you will have a good chance of getting a job.
Internship :
As part of my curriculum, I can do an internship of 6 months. However, I have not yet applied for any.
Events :
I cannot answer this as I joined during the coronavirus pandemic and all my education has been online so far. However, UU does keep its libraries and study spaces open for its students to get together and study in a group. There are tons of students groups for almost any topic one can think of. Even with the pandemic, these groups are highly active and are always organizing online events and in some cases even on campus events with the appropriate permissions and rules in place. There is no shortage of fun activities at UU.
Fees :
The fees for my course is €20,000 per year.
Scholarship :
I have not received a scholarship. Scholarships are highly selective and you are required to be an overachiever from your previous education in order to be qualified for the few available opportunities. For ex, a minimum aggregate grade of 8/10 is required.
Faculty :
As already mentioned, the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development is a highly ranked Institute globally with cutting-edge research publications and is the one of most cited institutes in the world. There is a lot of weight for the Institute in the European industry.
Hostel :
Finding accommodation is the most difficult task in the Netherlands, especially in Utrecht. There is an extreme shortage of available spaces. Accommodation is extremely expensive. UU does not have any hostels but they have agreements with some student housing providers. However, the seats available are very few and the number of applicants is very high. One has to be very lucky and fast to get into one of these "affordable" sharing rooms. There are various student housing facilities in and around the UU campus and Utrecht city that offer shared rooms or studios. I would suggest checking out the housing rent allowance in the Netherlands as people with low income satisfying specific conditions can get a rent allowance from the Dutch government. Ads for rentals can also be found on various Facebook groups.
