Scholarships and Accommodation High in the Minds of Asian Students at Dutch Placement Days

https://www.wittenborg.eu/students-flock-dutch-placement-days.htm

Senior admissions officer at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences, Florian Oosterberg, has just returned from a 3-week tour of Southeast Asia, speaking to almost 100 students and education agents in three countries - Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. The main goal of the tour was to attend the 2018 Dutch Placement Days (DPD) organised by Nuffic via their respective NESO offices in the region.

DPD mainly targets prospective students who have a strong interest in studying in the Netherlands, and gives them the opportunity to speak to various Dutch institutions, including Wittenborg who enrol a high number of Asian students each academic year. "This is a much more focused crowd compared to other international education fairs where students might not be sure in which country they want to study," Oosterberg said. "Questions from potential students ranged from enquiries about scholarships to concerns about accommodation and questions about entry requirements and application procedures."

In Vietnam, Oosterberg was in Hoi Chi Minh City and Hanoi, in Indonesia she visited Jakarta and Surabaya, while in Thailand it was Bangkok. Besides meeting with students and catching up with Wittenborg alumni, Oosterberg also held information and training sessions with education agents, and looked in on existing agents with whom Wittenborg has built relationships."

NESO Thailand recently announced that it is to close its offices by the end of this year. As from 2019, NESO Indonesia will take over support for the Thai Holland Alumni Network.

"The DPD was very well-organised and NESO staff were really helpful and accommodating." Oosterberg spoke to around 80 potential students - equal numbers of male and female. She also spoke to one student who will join Wittenborg for its December-intake and an MBA student who will study in Amsterdam.

WUP 28/11/2018

by James Wittenborg
©WUAS Press