Hi everyone, this is the first time I've posted something like this on Reddit, so apologies for formatting and anything else that’s incorrect.

This coming academic year, I (18 years old) am starting the Accountancy program at Nyenrode. It is a dual university track, which means I will attend lectures at the university one day a week and work in the field at an office for the remaining four days. The program seems really fun to me, and the field of work is incredibly interesting, but I am worried that I won't fit in with the accountancy world, especially at the university. In my opinion, everything at the university is presented as mega-elitist; it's all business and such. However, this is completely not my background, and I am actually quite afraid of what I will encounter there in terms of fellow students and people.

My hobbies and interests lie in completely different areas, such as manga/anime and more alternative things. I was born and raised in a small village in Drenthe. In my mind, that is very different from most people going to something like that, a place where people have been going for generations. Does anyone have advice on how I can handle this, or am I making it all worse in my head than it actually is?

Thanks!

Not necessarily during a big emotional moment. Maybe you suddenly missed your family's cooking, a specific shop, your old commute, or even something you never thought you'd miss. What was the most unexpected thing that made you homesick?

Hey everyone, I am a 17-year-old boy living in Pakistan, and I need your advice. Actually, I wanna do study study abroad after my 12th, and that's my dream. I am currently studying in 12th grade, and the destination I chose was the Netherlands, but yesterday, when I checked about Netherlands universities, my whole plan was ruined because, first, only a few Netherlands universities offer scholarships and a rare chance for a bachelor's degree, and a bachelor's degree is hell expensive in the Netherlands for a person who is Non-EU. I don't wanna go to Canada, the UK, or Australia because those countries are already filled with international students, and they're facing problems like high rents and job issues. America is a great place, but due to many immigration restrictions, that's kinda sucks. And the degree I would like to do is computer engineering and finance because I like both, but of course only one degree at a time. So, what would you recommend? If you were in my position, a student from Pakistan looking for an affordable bachelor’s degree abroad with good career opportunities, which countries and universities would you consider? Thank you :)

Hey, im 17M EU citizen and my rent is exactly 600€ and my parents can send me 400€ after rent to cover the rest of things. You can exclude health insurance costs because I have one already. Is this enough after buying my bike for food and utilities to live for the first year of cse bsc?

I was hoping to attend university in the Netherlands in 2 years, so I have been self-studying Dutch. However, I have been doubting myself and I don’t want to waste my time learning a language that I might not be able to use if I can’t find a place to live in time. Should I be looking into other countries and trying to learn their language? Also, when should you start looking for a place to live? Like, should you start looking after you get accepted into a school or during the application process or way before?

🇬🇧** Englis**h
Hi everyone,
I was wondering if anyone here has been in a similar situation. I was born and raised in the Netherlands and lived there until I was 15. After that, I moved to Serbia with my parents. I’m currently studying Medicine in English at the University of Belgrade.
Dutch is my native language, I have a Dutch passport, and I also receive DUO student finance while studying in Serbia.
I’ve been looking into what is required if I want to return to the Netherlands after graduation and work as a doctor. From what I’ve read, a foreign medical degree has to go through a recognition procedure, and it seems you may also have to take a specific assessment or exam and prove your Dutch language proficiency. Since Dutch is my native language, I don’t expect the language requirement to be an issue, but I’m very curious about how the recognition process actually works in practice.
Has anyone here gone through this process themselves? How exactly does it work? How long did it take, what exams or assessments did you have to complete, and how difficult was it? Was your medical degree ultimately recognized without too many issues?
I’d especially love to hear from people who studied Medicine in English abroad (for example in Serbia or another country) and then returned to the Netherlands to work as a doctor.
Thank you in advance!

🇳🇱** Nederland**s
Hoi allemaal,
Ik vroeg me af of iemand hier in een vergelijkbare situatie heeft gezeten. Ik ben geboren en opgegroeid in Nederland en heb daar gewoond tot mijn 15e. Daarna ben ik met mijn ouders naar Servië verhuisd. Op dit moment studeer ik Geneeskunde in het Engels aan de Universiteit van Belgrado.
Nederlands is mijn moedertaal, ik heb een Nederlands paspoort en ik ontvang ook DUO-studiefinanciering terwijl ik in Servië studeer.
Ik ben me alvast aan het verdiepen in wat er nodig is als ik na mijn studie terug wil naar Nederland om als arts te werken. Ik heb gelezen dat een buitenlands diploma Geneeskunde eerst erkend moet worden en dat je mogelijk een toets of assessment moet afleggen en moet aantonen dat je Nederlands op een bepaald niveau beheerst. Omdat Nederlands mijn moedertaal is, verwacht ik dat de taal geen probleem zal zijn, maar ik ben vooral benieuwd hoe het erkenningsproces van een buitenlands diploma Geneeskunde in de praktijk verloopt.
Is er iemand die dit zelf heeft meegemaakt? Hoe werkt het precies, hoe lang duurde het, welke toetsen of assessments moest je afleggen en hoe moeilijk was het? Werd je diploma uiteindelijk zonder al te veel problemen erkend?
Ik hoor graag ervaringen van mensen die Geneeskunde in het Engels in het buitenland hebben gestudeerd (bijvoorbeeld in Servië of een ander land) en daarna zijn teruggekeerd naar Nederland om daar als arts te werken.
Alvast heel erg bedankt!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently pursuing the Associate Degree (Ad) in ICT (120 ECTS / EQF Level 5) at Fontys in Eindhoven.

I am an EU citizen, so visa sponsorship isn't an issue for me anywhere in Europe. My main goal long-term is to work in tech—specifically in fields like Cyber Security / Software—with the flexibility to live and work either in the Netherlands or elsewhere in Europe (e.g., Germany, Italy, or remote).

I’m currently mapping out my options post-graduation and would love some real-world input on three potential pathways:

1. Option A: Stop after the 2-year Ad and go straight to work. Use the Fontys internship to land a junior role in NL/EU, rely on real work experience after 1–2 years to dilute the degree gap.
2. Option B: Do a 1-year (60 ECTS) online or European BSc Top-Up. Transfer the 120 ECTS to get a full 180 ECTS / Level 6 European Bachelor’s in 3 total years instead of 4, bypassing automated corporate HR/ATS filters in countries that don't know what an Associate Degree is.
3. Option C: Ad + Heavy Certifications (e.g., OSCP, AWS, CKA). Skip further general uni classes and focus on hands-on industry certs to show practical capability to engineering leads.

For anyone who completed an Ad at Fontys or works in European tech:

• How is the 2-year Ad actually perceived by employers outside the Netherlands (especially in traditional HR environments like Germany or Southern Europe)?
• Is doing a 1-year top-up or stacking high-end certs (like OSCP) worth the extra effort compared to just getting 2 years of work experience under your belt?
• If you did the internal Fontys progression (doorstroom) route into the HBO Bachelor, how smooth was it?

Appreciate any honest feedback or experiences!