No wonder Dutch people are getting more narrow-minded each and every day. The younger generation simply don't care about how the rest of the world looks like. Although surprisingly good at English, Dutch employees always tend to group together even in an international workplace. Their self-claimed tolerance and openness sound more like smoke and mirror in all my personal experiences here.

By Bi Sheng | June 12, 2009 11:34 AM

What a pity! Our children have so many opportunities compared to the ones in developing countries and they don't want to take it up.
However, it would be interesting to know what are the main reasons why they don't want to go aborad for international experience. It might open our own eyes before judging them.

By Vanerwin | June 12, 2009 12:57 PM

I'm a 22 year old american with dual US/UK citizenship that just moved to Holland in Febuary and I have mixed thoughts if it would be going to study in America's colleges I wouldnt blame the Dutch for not wanting to go the life there is very crazy and fast paced and compared to here very dangerous when your young it's nothing like you see in our tv shows and movies unless your rich of cource. but I dont see why not study in a diffrent country like France or The UK or South Africa or Australia for a few years

By Richie | June 12, 2009 2:56 PM

It seems to me that the Dutch are now every bit as insular as the Americans. It's not enough that they have so readily adopted American culture, but now they even share the same narrow values.

It doesn't take much to realise that the Dutch seem to think that there is little going on outside of Holland and that what happens on these shores is the most important thing. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE!

By Deep Throat | June 12, 2009 3:00 PM

It is just comfortable for them to stay, people study in another country because they have to, just a few because they think it is fun. This is not narrow mindedness although lack of knowledge may lead there.

By Nicco | June 12, 2009 3:35 PM

There is one great organization, which provides amazing opportunities for students, including international exchange opportunities :

www.aiesec.org

By Konrad | June 12, 2009 3:57 PM

Interesting... more and more potential future voters of Wilder every day...

By Themis | June 12, 2009 3:57 PM

While some might argue Dutch tolerance and openness is decreasing in recent times, I offer you to compare Dutch tolerance to the general level of tolerance in the United States, the "land of the free." I am a retired American military officer, with no Dutch ancestory, and I have recently started to comparatively study the Netherlands and the U.S. While I think both nations can learn from each other, I personally believe Americans can learn a lot more about tolerance from the Dutch. Thus, in addition to just traveling to Netherlands, "ik heb nu de Nederlandse taal beginnen te leren". Sorry hoor, maar is mijn Nederlands nog niet so goed.

By Rick B. | June 12, 2009 4:35 PM

The article says that one of the main reasons is, essentially, that Dutch students are comfortable. This is precisely the thinking that needs to be attacked. Of course they are comfortable seeing the same friends and places. We all are. The point of international experience is to shake us up from being too comfortable and only interested in the same things over and over. The interest in remaining comfortable is a way of saying, simply, that Dutch students are not open to new experiences. Unfortunately this thinking breeds complacency. It results in people who believe that they have it all, without questioning anything. One joke against George Bush was always that he had never been outside the US before becoming President! The Netherlands risks becoming mediocre if it slips into this frame of mind. Universities should require one year abroad in order to graduate - and not just in Belgium! (unfortunately the subsidy system discourages them from doing this)

By matt | June 12, 2009 5:03 PM

Matt, if it was compulsary to do one year of Uni in another country, then by that very fact the Universites must pay for it. Great, in that case be sure the stats will change after one year.

ps. I did one year of my original degree out of the country - in Belgium.....

By Solkhar | June 12, 2009 8:16 PM

Some readers did not bother to read the article very carefully. Apparently, they missed the stuff about “universities don't like it,” “it is complicated to arrange,” and “it require a lot of red tape”.

Many young people don’t know what they want in life, but are also quite open to new experiences, especially when given proper encouragement. Perhaps the situation would be quite different if Dutch universities (with governmental assistance) undertook an aggressive campaign to promote the advantages of studying abroad. Dutch universities also may need to make some administrative policy changes to facilitate the application process for studying abroad. Many U.S. universities do this, and the results speak for themselves.

As for perceptions of increased narrow-mindedness and intolerance, I suspect that many readers are relying on anecdotal information to support such a belief. Aside from some extremist tendencies that appear likely to remain at the margins of Dutch society, where is the empirical evidence to support this viewpoint? Frankly, given some of the challenges the Dutch have faced in recent years, I have the impression that they are doing quite well on the matter of tolerance and open-mindedness.

By dp | June 12, 2009 8:52 PM

I do agree with Matt. I am not Ducth or American. Living in comfort is dangerous and constrain improvement. I see many Dutch people collapse when they have to see what is happening in the outside world that out of their expectation. They think that "thing should be this (what they learned it should be in their country)" but they see it "not like that" and they just simply collapse with disappointment then complaint. They try to learn what is call "Change management" but I don't think they can manage the change, cruel change out there.

By Kate | June 12, 2009 11:06 PM

It seems that the present generation of students doesn't have much sense of adventure anymore. They prefer their comfortable little lives. (I wonder if it's the same in other European countries?) However, I do wonder why some people automatically think of the United States when mentioning studying abroad. The world is a big place, and even studying in a European country with a different culture (e.g Spain, France or Greece) would be a big change!
And yes, it's a great experience.

By Keith Beker | June 13, 2009 8:38 AM

From My Experience Dutch don't fall in to any stereotypes and Dutch tolerance is not self-proclaimed. And they also get along with all the foreigners coming to their land.

By Vanniarajan | June 13, 2009 4:58 PM

of course they will not go. Netherlands has the most wonderful life laws in the world... with openminded people... why should they go to other countries that kill people based on their sexual orientation...

By Jack | June 14, 2009 11:07 AM

Isn't this a bit silly?
Dutch travel a LOT anyway and experience other cultures on regular basis. What is wrong with preferring to study close to home???
In my several visits to Netherlands I met only ONE person that didn't speak English, scores spoke also German, French, Italian and Spanish! How much more "international" can you get???
And what for?!?

By Roemer | June 14, 2009 11:15 AM

I think the main reason for students not to spend part of their time abroad is that it's a real pain in the lower back to organize, especially if there is no support from the universities at all. Heck, although it's been a while, when I was studying even following a class at another department within the university was difficult to arrange! The option to finish your thesis outside of the university (in, you know, the real world) was flat out discouraged...

As for the tolerance-stereotype: I think a lot of dutch people mistake indifference for tolerance. But more important, stereotypes tend to disappear when you really get to know people.

By Eric | June 14, 2009 11:38 AM

As an international student (from Canada) studying in the Netherlands, I know all about red tape. It is very expensive and inconvenient to study abroad, and I know many of my own friends who've been defeated by the money issue alone. However, I think Dutch students have it easy what with the EU and all. You can move to a different country without the hassle of residence permits etc. I don't know why more people don't do it!!!

By Katya | June 14, 2009 1:40 PM

So how does one become labeled a "right winger" for wishing to go to university in ones home country? As one with Dutch and American citizenship I don't see the "stereotype" that other foreigners see. How about learning the language and see the difference. Don't be mad for you can not speak the native tongue.

By Paul Martin | June 14, 2009 1:45 PM

As a student’s career counselor of pre-university students in the Netherlands I’d like to add some of my experience / knowledge to this discussion.
To my opinion it is very strange to compare the amount of incoming and outgoing students in this way. The Netherlands has only 16 million inhabitants, that’s nothing compared to the world population. No wonder we attract more foreign students! More interesting would be to compare the percentages of abroad-studying students of other countries to the 2.4 % of the Netherlands.
Although Dutch students are very ambitious and interested in studying abroad, they have several good reasons to choose for national education.
First of all: Dutch universities are well known for their high quality education. As a result of this, Dutch students are only interested in studying at top universities abroad.
Second: Dutch universities are very accessible in comparison to foreign universities. Entrance to foreign universities - especially top-universities - is often highly competitive or expensive!
Third: The fees of Dutch universities are very low in comparison to foreign universities, as are the costs of living in the Netherlands. To my opinion this is a very valid reason to study in the Netherlands, especially in combination with the other two reasons.
Of course those reasons will attract many students from abroad as well.
So, Dutch students are generally not intolerant and they do not lack international ambition, but instead of studying in another country, many students choose to travel or work abroad during their studies. And after graduation many pursue an international career.

By Rianne Garretsen | June 14, 2009 11:02 PM

As a former international student, I would encourage everyone to study abroad. I did both of my degrees in the Netherlands (I'm not Dutch myself), and spent two years of my studies studying and doing internships away from the Netherlands. My uni had top partner universities and the exchange was very easy to organize. I paid my tuition fees in the Netherlands, so the entire exchange period wasn't even expensive. I wonder why anyone, with equal opportunities, wouldn't wanna improve their language skills, travel and learn about the world.

By Sandra | June 15, 2009 8:31 AM

Let's face it. Dutch unversity students now have to compete with many foreign students with a much different work attitude. They have been 'tolerated' to let spend more time partying than studying and staying up late till their local bar shuts its doors. I know this from first hand teaching experience in the NL uni system. They may have gotten the impression that for most their international learning gap may finally catch up with them, if they were to try studying outside the Netherlands.
The students are not to blame for this situation, but rather the lack of study discipline created in their pre-university school environment here. Our daughters 8th groep teacher once told us that the most important thing for pupils to be was "always happy". What happened to learning something?
When I visited her classroom a few times, I was totally amazed to see him explaining lesson at the blackboard while the classroom was at the same time in continous chaos with pupils chatting in little groups and only a few straining to hear what their teacher was attempting to teach.
So Dutch students may know by and large that they were duped by the system and have little chance of competing in foreign universities. These kids chance of being globally competitive was stolen from them long before they ever were asked whether they wanted to study abroad.

By HistoryTechDoc | June 15, 2009 8:45 AM