A total of 14 Year 12 pupils spent five days earlier this month visiting five universities throughout the Netherlands, and were able to review the facilities and wide range of course options available as an alternative to the usual route of pursuing tertiary education in the UK.
Nicola Papworth, Assistant Director of Sixth Form at the Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre, accompanied the students and confirmed that there are advantages and opportunities through studying in Holland and was grateful for ABN AMRO for providing the financial support that made the trip possible.
“The visits proved to be an excellent fact finding opportunity for our Year 12s as the universities we saw all have excellent reputations and the courses our students are interested in taking are conducted in English. They are also very good value – less than half the tuition fees of an equivalent degree in the UK.”
“We visited Maastricht, Tilburg, Utrecht, Leiden and Groningen and without the help of ABN AMRO, such a comprehensive review of these top establishments would not have been possible,” Mrs Papworth added.
ABN AMRO have agreed to sponsor the trip for three years, and 2018 was the second of those three.
Graham Thoume, Managing Director of ABN AMRO Channel Islands and Dutch Consul in the Channel Islands, said: “After 25 years working for ABN AMRO, I have become very familiar with the high educational standards offered in Holland. Studying at a Dutch university is a fantastic opportunity to learn about a new culture and experience life in a continental European country, alongside studying towards a degree or diploma.
“We were really happy to contribute towards the trip for the students to learn more about their educational options abroad.”
The 14 students on the trip had a focused interest in a variety of subjects including law, liberal arts and science, international relations, history and psychology and many found the visits “inspiring and positive”.