Hello everybody,I've applied to these 3 univ(Hague,Maastricht and Groningen) for International Law(and EU law). From Hague and Groningen I've already got an answer,Maastricht is taking their time(almost 3 month's,Gawd..) So the point is,if i get admitance from Maastricht I dont know where to go. Mostly I think beetwen Maast and Gron . I heard good stuf about both of them.
Groningen-The Law Faculty of Groningen(as they say) has been rated the best in the country.But it was in 2004,so who knows.Also it stand's good with rankings.As I heard the profesors are friendly,and the community is tight. But it's considered as a ''student city''.So the place is very small, and I think it wont give the same opurtunities as bigger cities.
Maastricht-is also a great university,but compared to gronin its very new(Groningen since 1600 ,Maastricht since 1998), it's ranked (by www.topuniversities.com) higher than groningen( Maastricht 116,Groningen 138),and is also said to be one of the best faculty of law in europe. Maastricht is a big city,and with more opurtunities with jobs(I think).

So basicly,help me choose one of the universities.And if you heard some stuff about them,please,tell.

Hey there! Are you Romanian? I am :). I'm currently a student at the University of Groningen (LLm in International law and human rights). My advide to you is this: between Maastricht and Groningen you should definitely choose Maastricht. Don't get me wrong. The Uni in Groningen is great, professors are great. The city... not so much. It's very small and extremelly booring. It's 300 km away from civilisation (Amsterdam, Hague, etc.). As for the job part, I don't think it would prove usefull choosing one or the other. It's extremely difficult to find a job in the Netherlands if you don't speak Dutch (and it's not an easy language to learn). Even finding and internship is much hassle. If you want to know more feel free to PM me.

Best of luck!

Teodora

If it's the Hague university, you should just keep it mind that it's a hogeschool and not a universiteit.

But what is the diferance betwen a hogeschool and universteit?
I tried searching but coudnt find...

Hogeschool is a university of applied sciences. Universiteit is a research university. The dutch will say that there are no difference, but I think for law, it is best to go to a universiteit. Especially because the highest level in a hogeschool is the Masters, but the highest for a universiteit is the PhD.

I also doubt that the Masters from a hogeschool is a LL.M. You can ask though, but it is best you go to Maastricht or Groningen. Or Leiden (where I am going) if you're keen on the Hague.

Ok,thanks for the advices !

Hi everybody:) I've also been admitted to both Hague Hogeschool and Groningen University to study Bachelor in International and European Law and I don't know what to choose:(
I know that Groningen seems the better choice, but it's a stutent town, it's difficult to find a job( I need to find a job because my parents won't be able to fully support me financially)
So, in Hague would be easier to find a part-time job and an internship(later). Besides, it's a bigger city with more opportunites, cultural life e.t.c.
What do you think? Please, give me some advice or share some personal experience =)

If you really applied to a Hogeschool and a University, it should be a no-brainer. The level of education at a Hogeschool is far lower than on a university. This is inherent to the Dutch educational system. During high school there are 3 levels of education, of which 1 gives a student direct access to university-level education afterwards. If a student has studied a level lower, he cannot go to university directly, but he/she can go to a 'Hogeschool'. Furthermore, Hogeschool education does not provide a Dutch student with the required diploma for practicing law. Neither can students with a Hogeschool diploma enter into an LL.M program without having to do some form of pre-master.

As to the difference between The Hague and Groningen, in general, The Hague should be more interesting to live in. However, as a student Groningen should be a good experience as Groningen itself is host to a variety of studies and therefore to a considerable student population.

So,not so long ago .I've went and saw both universities( Maastricht and Groningen) ,and they both are quite large and interesting. Groningen is relatively small compared with Maastricht, but it has it's beauty in it.Very few car's,but a lot of bicycles(The biggest nr. of bicycles I've seen in my life,I'm begining to think there are more bicycles than people there)
The Building of university is astonishing, no wonder it's second oldest university in netherlands.The cafeteria's are big, the libraries are full and so on.
Maastricht Univ. on the second hand, is quite similar with Groningen's. It's big, awesome and look's ancient(ancient good, not ancient bad) . The Library is huge ,and has everything a student can ever need(as in Groningen).
Actually both university are similar, if making a choice it's better to compare the cities not the universities.
Maastricht climate is slightly warmer than in Groningen, it's near Belgia and Germany,so people there are quite friendly with foreigners(many of them even speak German, French,English,D
utch).And if comparing the price of renting an apartment, Maastricht is cheaper than Groningen.

What about the Hague? I've also been accepted in the Hague and Groningen, but didn't apply to Maastricht, because I didn't want to study European, but International Law. I was really keen on both universities, but thought the Hague should be more interesting. Besides, I have a few friends who study there the same (International Law) and they say that they really have to study hard, so I was thinking that it really is going to give me the knowledge I want even though I was bothered that it's a hogeschool and not a universiteit. Also many sites on the Internet say that the difference between hogeschools and universiteits aren't so big now, that they're beginning to be very similar in the degrees they give and that there is no problem to study in a university after a Bachelor's in a hogeschool. All of these things I know from other people or from the Internet. So what's the truth at the end of the line? Are they the same, do I have a chance of actually working in a high position with a bachelors form the Hague, etc?

I would advise you again that if you have admissions to the universiteit in holland, to definitely stay away from a hogeschool qualification. It may be that "they study really hard", but for an law I'd say it's best you get qualifications from a research university, because only these universiteits offer LL.M afterwards.

There is no problem to study in a university after a Bachelor in a hogeschool, you are right, but they neglected to mention that you'd need an extra bridging year for you to join a university after a hogeschool. This speaks very plainly that the hogeschool is below in level to a university.

High position of course is always possible. A lot of hogeschool students earn very competitively, and in terms of their career in holland, sometimes it seems to make no difference. (especially in more practical or non-research areas). But law in itself is a research subject, so you should definitely shoot for a universiteit in this case.

Plus if you join the universiteit, you immediately get an LL.M together with your Bachelors after 4 years of study.

As I understand ,the main difference between hoogeshool and univ is that you make more practice than theory at hoogeschool.

Ok guys, so my choice was Groningen. Groningen is a dynamic city, burning with life, if you are up to it. Numerous organisations and festivals for you to join. Needless to say it has everything a student would ever need. The main problem you would have here is the accommodation. ALWAYS plan your place of staying beforehand. A good choice is the housingoffice, I would go as far as to say it is the best choice.

As to the University, it is a proper choice. Good in the ranking, and it justifies itself by hard work and ''dawdling'' grades you would have to go through. The teachers are experienced and knowledgeable about their subject, moreover, they are not stingy about giving you some private time for any question you would want to ask.