#studying in the Netherlands

[marylynbirds]

My journey studying with Autism (higher education)

Not sure if this is going to help anyone, but I wanted to share some of my experiences studying with autism (in the Netherlands specifically). I guess I just want to show, even though I'm doing well academically now, there is more to that than just being smart, I had to grow a lot before getting where I am today. Buckle up; it's a long one. (disclaimer after writing: it doesn't focus a lot on autism explicitly, but it definitely had a lot of influence)

tl;dr: I had a number of struggles, made some decisions, and am doing better now! First, some context: in the Netherlands, there are several forms of higher education; the ones that are important in my story are Universities of Applied Sciences (or: Higher professional education. HBO in Dutch) and Research Universities (WO in Dutch). As the name implies, a WO focuses on research, thinking analytically and critically. It has higher entry requirements than HBO. It has a relatively high teaching speed and requires a lot of self-study; in general, it is considered a lot harder than HBO. Study programs at an HBO are more practical, and your future profession is a lot clearer from the start (the programs are more specific), and there is more supervision (and, in my experience, group work, though this may vary).

Without getting too much into the Dutch educational system: I followed the 6-year program that would allow me to go to a WO immediately after high school (at the age of 18). I chose to study history and then do a masters to become a high school history teacher. I also started a part-time job in September. I had to travel for a little over an hour to get to class. And... I had no idea I have autism.

year 1

I loved it. I loved the academic environment, learning all the new things, and going to classes. At first, things seemed great! Until exams came around. Even though I had been making my homework passionately, I didn't pass any of the three exams. (Do note that I had to pass 9 out of 12 courses to be allowed to stay in the program, so missing the first 3 already was a big deal). The student councillor wasn't too worried. He told me to follow a course on study skills (which helped a lot! I do recommend looking into the resources your school offers, I paid maybe 5 euros for 6 sessions of coaching). And he told me that if I was worried about the 9 out of 12 rule (BSA for those familiar with the system), I could unenroll before February and try again next year. Even though my study skills improved, I didn't have enough time to apply them in the second block, so I also failed those 3 exams (and the resits). I also felt like I needed a break, I was so tired and decided to do as the student councillor had advised: I unenrolled before the start of the 2nd semester.

year 2

I spent the next semester putting in a few more hours at that part-time job I mentioned earlier and even got more responsibilities over the summer. I also decided I wanted to move out and live in the city where I was also studying; it'd save me about 3-4 hours of travelling every day. I moved into a little studio that summer. I kept my job in the town I came from. The first semester went by pretty smoothly! I failed 2 classes but was probably able to pass them during resits. I was tired a lot and spent more time on the part-time job than I wanted, so I quit (maybe the semester didn't go by as smoothly as I remember, lol). The second semester started in February 2020, and a few weeks in, we went into lockdown. Tbh, the combination of having quit my job and having no obligations besides doing my homework and showing up for online classes was great. It allowed me to rest and focus on my studies (which I was still quite passionate about). (I know a lot of people had a terrible time during lockdowns and had very negative experiences due to covid. I count myself lucky that I didn't). I passed all my classes that year and moved on to the second year (out of three).

year 3

I was doing a lot better at this point. I felt capable and even became a student mentor for the upcoming first years (I had to show them around the campus once and just be available to answer basic questions. Because of covid, we had a weekly check-in online).

I also moved to a bigger studio during the first term, it was hectic, but I managed to write the two essays that needed to get done and passed both with a good grade. HOWEVER. My mother had gotten slightly concerned and started wondering if maybe I had autism (like my 2 brothers and both my parents...)(for context: my mother is a kind of social worker who specialised in autism, so she was making a VERY educated guess) because little things seemed to stress me out much more than is considered 'normal'. The second term was terrible. I had no idea how I was supposed to write my essay, and the teaching style did not at all match my study style. I spoke to the student councillor again and cut down on the workload. At the end of the first semester, I was put on a waitlist to get a diagnosis, and I also applied for additional financial help because I was not able to have a job while studying (because of the suspected autism). During the second semester, things went downhill quite quickly. I was tired and had lost motivation. In April, I decided I would switch study programs and go to an HBO after the summer and follow the English teacher program there.

Year 4

Things were very different at HBO. I actually felt like I was back in high school. My co-students seemed to have much less discipline than me, and most were a few years younger. I am fairly certain that people thought of me as a teacher's pet (which I am, tbh) and possibly a bit arrogant because I was not shy in letting people know I knew the answer. I quickly noticed I had a big advantage in multiple facets: study skills, self-discovery, English proficiency (my history courses were all in English) and history (specifically British and USA). This allowed me to focus my energy on other things: such as adjusting to the new social situation, my new relationship (I met him at the teaching program, lol) and getting a diagnosis. I passed all my courses in one try, except my speaking exam (pronunciation is my weak spot, I passed the resit). I didn't have time for a job or a lot of extracurriculars, but I managed to get through the year pretty well with good grades. I also was officially diagnosed at the start of the second semester. year 5

This was the past year. It was tough, but again, I managed to get through the year with good grades. Do I think I could keep up a full-time job as a teacher? Maybe not the best idea if I also want to have a social life. But I feel like I am getting the hang of things and am getting more aware of my needs (especially in relation to my autism). I did experience a lot of stress the past few weeks as I had to finish a few reports and am looking for ways to get help with reports I have difficulty with. Making the decision to go from WO to HBO was quite scary. It was not what I had in mind, and it'd mean adding a whole lot of years to my student debt (we actually have an okay system here). During this year, I was actually able to have part of my student debt erased, so that was a big relief. Idk how many of you will make it to this point of the post. And I don't know if any of you got any wiser from reading about my experiences. I hope it gave you some hope that not everything has to be perfect from the start. It took me some time to find out what was best for me; it's okay if you need more time. Anyway, I might make a post about what it is like to study with autism. If you have any questions about: - studying in the Netherlands (with or without autism) - picking between WO or HBO - what regulations I applied for to get additional funding and have part of my student debt erased (these are regulations for Dutch students with disabilities, not just autism) - or anything else you think I might be able to say something useful about feel free to leave a comment! (I am fluent in Dutch, so if that's easier for you, that's fine!)

#autistic #asd #autism #studying #studying with autism #neurodivergent #studying in the Netherlands #student

[neversetyoufree]

She can't keep getting away with this

#I just finally got my hands on a physical copy of volume 5. so I was looking at this omake again #and one google search later. here we are #a god damn famous painting about eating oysters in a way that evokes both horniness and the transience of pleasure #done by a dutch painter during the era when vanitas paintings were a big thing in the netherlands #god damn you mochijun #it doesn't say it in the screenshot. but vanitas paintings as a genre did start specifically as a dutch thing #I can't believe this #I hope I never stop finding little details like this #this woman is insane #I love it so much #also to be clear I did read about this in places other than wikipedia. I know how good sources work. #but this was the easiest way to get matchy screenshots #vnc #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #comparison #ID in alt text

[eli-zab3th]

Artis Library, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (19th century library)

#book studies #dark academia #library #artis library #artis bibliotheek #artis zoo #amsterdam #19th century library #the netherlands #academic library #special collections #darwin #medieval manuscript #maria sybilla merian #john gould #art history #light academia #dark academia aesthetic #mine

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Hi everyone,

I found a somewhat disturbing study that was done by Kingson University about euthanizing autistic people in the Netherlands. I’ll the link to the article here if anyone wants to read the entire thing.

I’ll leave some excerpts below. View discretion is advised.

Several people with autism and intellectual disabilities have been legally euthanized in the Netherlands in recent years because they said they could not lead normal lives, researchers have found.

The cases included five people younger than 30 who cited autism as either the only reason or a major contributing factor for euthanasia, setting an uneasy precedent that some experts say stretches the limits of what the law originally intended.

In 2002, the Netherlands became the first country to allow doctors to kill patients at their request if they met strict requirements, including having an incurable illness causing “unbearable” physical or mental suffering.

Between 2012 and 2021, nearly 60,000 people were killed at their own request, according to the Dutch government’s euthanasia review committee. To show how the rules are being applied and interpreted, the committee has released documents related to more than 900 of those people, most of whom were older and had conditions including cancer, Parkinson’s and ALS.

#autism #actually autistic #tw euthanasia #cw euthanization #viewer discretion is advised #autism spectrum #kingson university study #netherlands #reblog if you wish

[outsassing-nero]

it was so hard to get back to my daily work/research routine after the christmas break but i think i got it now :D finished drafting a decent chunk of my phd project yesterday and went through some archive materials too!

listening to: rina sawayama cherry

#traveling #travel #wanderlust #amsterdam #the netherlands #city aesthetics #aesthetics #light academia #studyblr #studying #studyspo #study inspo #study set up #study motivation #100 days of productivity #100 days of studying #phdblr #langblr #gradblr #light academia aesthetics

[miffyarchive]

my past week pt. 2! i had tasty food this week and bought new bl manga! i haven't read it yet, since i have this bad habit of buying a lot of books and manga but never reading it. maybe I'll read some next week!

#bl manga #manga #minimalist #food log #food #studyblr #student life #homework #city life #city #desk inspo #study desk #netherlands

[europeanlanguages]

Resource List for Learning Dutch

Hi Language Enthusiasts,

Do you want to learn Dutch but don't know where to start? Then I've got the perfect resource list for you and you can find its links below. Let me know if you have any suggestions to improve it. I hope everyone can enjoy it and if anyone notices any mistakes or has any questions you are free to PM me.

Here is what the resource list contains;

Handmade resources on certain grammar concepts for easy understanding.

Resources on learning pronunciation.

Websites to practice reading.

Documents to enhance your vocabulary.

Notes on Colloquial Language.

Music playlists

List of podcasts/audiobooks And a compiled + organized list of websites you can use to get hold of grammar!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jbhBehQ-_llP1l2ZicCwRaLsFWMZy1mELcSgbZ9VZS8/edit?usp=sharing

#learn dutch #dutch #nederlands #netherlands #studyblr #language #languages #language learning #dutch language #dutch langblr #dutch lang #amsterdam #linguistics #learn #learning dutch #dutch learn #study #study blog #linguistique #linguist #language resources #grammar #pronunciation #etymology

[kayandthegoldendays]

glimmers of Amsterdam. • I was able to visit the Anne Frank Huis but didn’t anticipate the emotions that live within the walls of that house. I was startled and I could sense those within my group being equally overwhelmed with emotion.

one thing that has deeply resonated is, the gift that I have in this incarnation to live as freely as I do. sometimes it’s easy to become fixated, and I then overlook the opportunities I’m afforded year after year. my gratitude practice may be present but I’ve seen how it’s shifted over the last ten years.

So my hope for the next coming months is to fall deeply into the simplicity of living with gratitude. to celebrate even the opportunity to try over and over and over again….I’ll head to a formalized program again next year and I can already feel this being a lesson in the coming semester. Along with my work picking up momentum, an eternal practice of patience.

Anywho, I’ve since departed from Amsterdam and am making my way through Germany.

#personal #studyblr #light academia #study inspo #thoughts #amsterdam #winter travel #netherlands

[feytouched]

one thing is being born in a country where part or all of your ancestry is from then your family emigrating when you're young. but where are all my people who were born somewhere else entirely from where each of your parents came from, and then also left that place, subsequently leading you to forget for most of the time you were born in a random place that you've never really experienced as a conscious human, and then when you finally visit it years later there's this weird dissonance of familiarity and distance and all your heritages are from different places and you feel like a foreigner everywhere you go

#i was born in the netherlands in case you were wondering #my parents met while studying there in exchange programs #i've only been to the city where i was born once after leaving when i was months old.. i'd like to go back tbh #not necessarily to live there just to say hi to the place #ką sako lapė

[kustavglimt]

Joachim Patinir: Landscape with the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (circa 1520)

#paint #art history #painting #flemish art #dutch art #Netherlands #landscape #medieval art #religious art #joachim patinir #16th century #gallery #aesthetic #museum #arts #sodom and gomorrah #fine arts #studying about flemish arts rn so this helps to remember some of it haha #i love the composition here and the colours

[jovianwishes]

anatomy study and tattoos with Neth. There is a naked version but I dont want Tumblr to strike me down

#art #digital art #hetalia #aph netherlands #hws netherlands #hetalia netherlands #anatomy #Anatomy study

[girl-bateman]

Exchange semester in the Netherlands???? Hello ???? Fall of 2024 ???? I got accepted ???

#yippie ✨️✨️✨️✨️ #this end of 2023 is making me so hopeful for 2024 and thats crazy bc i dont think ive ever been happy for the new year before #i know these little things like my novell and studying in Netherlands might seem small #but to me its proof that i can do anything i set my mind to :) ! and i dont mean that unironically either ! #like genuinely- as long as i try i have a chance of success !!!!! #i used to just think abt or do things without taking that first step #u know. just write novells or books witouth sending them anywhere despite the fact that i dream of being published #or look at uni websites in foreign countries without applying to them #BUT YOU SEE WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN I ACTUALLY TRY !!! 🥲💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗 #life is beautiful :) and good things happen to those who stick around to find out #yay <33333 #personal

[just-saskia]

October 26th. Woke up to a misty morning. Biked to the library and put five lessons of grammar into my Notion database today. I'm slowely getting into a routine and I'm very proud of myself. Goals for next week are to finish up to lesson 40 of grammar, find ways to study vocabulary daily and find music and a tv show to watch in Spanish to practice listening.

#autumn #fall #aesthetic #studyblr #academia #books #october #misty #morning #mist #netherlands #den bosch #dutch #bike #studying #study #learning #language learning #spanish #vocab #vocabulary #grammar #study session #saskialearns

[chiara-klara-claire]

Books I got in May 2023 🇮🇸 🇿🇦 🇳🇱 🇩🇪

#polyglot #language blog #got the Dutch cities one from flea market on king’s day!! #language lover #foreign language #dutch #Netherlands #Afrikaans #Icelandic #mine #language books #langblr #bookblr #how long has it been since the last study-ish photo post #too many social media oh boy

[helianskies]

hetaberia • day 1 • historical 🍷

Red was a bold choice, but bold was how he was feeling ahead of a night out. Bold was what he needed. Bold was attention-grabbing, bold was exciting. Bold was 'look at me', 'look at my confidence', 'look at nothing else', and that was all he wanted: to be bold.

[ read on ao3! ]

event: @hetaberia-week

rating: mature ⠀wordcount: 2.2k

#hetaberia week 2023 #hws spain #hws portugal #hws netherlands #character study #a little exploration into a specific period i picture of antonio's life #probably not the historical period you'd expect but... i've been meaning to write it for a while! #the rating is to cover myself - please check the fic tags as it is suggestive in areas #cw alcohol #cw drugs #helia writes

[aroacehanzawa]

wait apparently i've confused some mutuals so i feel like i should establish the Lore

#the lore that i'm from finland but i'm half finno-swedish and half viet but i study in the uk but i'm currently in the netherlands 👍 #this is so specific i'm like one degree away from doxxing myself if you figure out which space agency i'm interning at fjsjfjsjjsjd #which is not even a secret #hope this helps 😜