Name: Alex
Country of origin: Romania
Programme: Technical Computer Science (BSc)
Hi! My name is Alex and I am currently following the Technical Computer Science Bachelor program at University of Twente. So far, my experience here has been amazing and I want to share with you in this testimonial why I consider this choice a great one. Maybe this can guide and help you to find out answers to some questions that I also asked not so long time ago.
Why did you choose this study in The Netherlands?
First of all, I was oscillating between doing a Computer Science / IT&C programme in my country and going abroad for an international experience. After a while, I made the decision to push me out of the comfort zone and to chose an international university because in the IT domain the worldwide communication is a key aspect. Later, when I started my studies, I realized that this process of exchanging ideas with the international fellow students is more valuable than I thought.
After that, another decision that I had to make was about what country to choose. In the finals were The Netherlands and The United Kingdom and this choosing process was a little bit more laborious because there are a lot of similarities between these two countries. In order to make things clearer I made two low cost trips: first one in London for week while I tried to speak with locals and students to achieve something more than a tourist-view perspective; second one was in Amsterdam where I tried to do the same thing. The conclusion after this was the following: London can provide you a fancy, fun and unsettled metropolitan life but for me, The Netherlands was a perfect match. I really like a lot of aspects about this country from small things like bikes, tulips and cheese up to architecture, art, Dutch people’s creativity and the overall relaxed way of living.
Why University of Twente?
At that time, the number of Computer Science programmes completely taught in English was not that big, but during an educational fair I found that is very possible to have the chance to be one of the first students who are doing this programme completely in English. Good news for me, but a lot of new questions started to circle around in my head: “Where is this university located? I like to be a pioneer in general, but is this programme good enough at its first iteration in English? Are there enough international students? How are the teachers?” and many more. For the most of these question I found answers only a few weeks after, during the Open Days. I really encourage you to participate to this events because it provides you an amazing opportunity to make a better picture about the campus, the student life and the general atmosphere here. About the quality of the studies related questions I can say that everything is above my expectations day by day.
How is your programme?
I found the Technical Computer Science programme to be a challenging one, maybe more challenging and innovative than I expecting, but I really like it. I have always been passionate about IT and technical aspect of it in general but here I feel that I am learning or relearning things in more solid and complete way. I like the fact that the lectures are combined with a lot of assignments, practical sessions and academic report writing. I feel like all of these activities combined provide me enough knowledge either for a job or for an academic career.
How is life in Enschede?
Despite the fact that the University of Twente is officially located in Enschede, I am living in Hengelo. Actually, the UT is placed exactly at the middle distance between these two cities. As a piece of advice, I can say that you do not have to be reticent in looking for a place to rent here because this city is also a nice one, with a lot of companies and job opportunities, a nice city center and a quite big student demand.
Contact me!
Please don’t hesitate to contact me on Facebook because I have some more knowledge that I am willing to share with you!