Last year, a third of all non-European bachelor’s students cited ‘special circumstances’ to avoid a binding study recommendation. Among first-year students from the Netherlands and other European countries this was 8 percent, according to U-Today. Ton Mouthaan of the University of Twente finds the number of students from “foreign countries” who experience problems “unacceptable.”

Mouthaan is chairman of the Committee Personal Circumstance for students and has seen 31 requests from non-European bachelor’s students. “Each individual case is different, but what is common among these students is that their problems escalate because they are studying in a country that is foreign to them, and they have no social support,” he says on the telephone.

Younger population

In the past, students from outside Europe would usually come to the University of Twente for a master’s program, but in the last few years the number of international bachelor’s students has increased. Mouthaan: “This younger student population has its own specific problems. Many of them haven’t studied at a university before, are not sure of their choice of study, and are living on their own for the first time. Master’s students are older and usually much surer of themselves.”

International students more often experience homesickness and loneliness, and find it difficult to adjust and get used to Dutch teaching methods. Students from Asia have more trouble analyzing problems, and they find it difficult to ask critical questions, which is less common in their home countries. In addition, they experience extra pressure to succeed because their parents often pay a lot of money for their studies.

Barrier

TU/e recognizes these problems. “They seem to be more complex and difficult among international bachelor’s and master’s students than among Dutch students,” says spokesman Barend Pelgrim. “For many students, the origin of their problems seem to lie in their homelands, where the barrier to visit a psychologist often is much higher.”

Jeanette van Rees, chairwoman of the organization for student psychologists, also suspects that in many cases, international students have been struggling with their problems for a longer period. “Students get on a plane and think they can leave their problems behind. These are the students that end up in our office with serious problems, such as long-term depression, severe anxiety problems or personality disorders.”

Buddy system

Van Rees cannot say whether the increase of the number of international students with problems keeps pace with the growing number of internationals. “Shortly, we will start with research to gain greater insight into the size and nature of this group’s psychological problems.”

The universities in Eindhoven and Twente are happy with their international students and organize all kinds of activities to make their stay in the Netherlands successful. For example, a buddy system, activities that make it easier to interact with Dutch students, and trainings on how to cope with stress. Mouthaan: “At the University of Twente, we already have an extensive study guidance program, but perhaps we need to help our non-European students even more.”