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[runwithscissors]

Hi, I've just received an interview for an assistant prof. job at the University of Maastricht. Though I hear good things about the department (some very big names in their respective fields), and I like the look of their teaching style (problem-based learning) - i wondered if anyone has experience living or working there. What about Holland more generally?

Thanks in advance.

[qrypt]

It would appear they don't like immigrants all that much there.

[donstefano]

Never tell anyone in Maastricht they are part of Holland!
Maastricht is at the edges of the Netherland, which makes it culturally and geographically much closer to Belgium. Brussels and Cologne airports are eg much much closer than Schiphol Amsterdam airport.
Maastricht is an absolutely lovely city to live in. While the city is not cheap, you can also live quite affordably in the country side around the city (in Belgium or Germany). The city is considered the Foodie capital of the Netherlands, with a ridiculously high concentration of good restaurant, and there is a very active arts and antiques scene.

The university wasn't very active internationally up to a decadee ago, but is now becoming one of the most international universities in the Netherlands, with a very high ratio of foreign students.
Dutch academic wages are quite good, and they come with many extras.

[sandgrounder]

I agree with donstefano - Maastricht really is rather lovely and I've often thought I wouldn't mind living there myself. There's train links to nearby Liege in Belgium and a bus to Aachen just on the German border (another gorgeous city) and from both of those good connections to Germany and Belgium. It's not far from the Eifel ntional park, which I think is great for walking, communing with nature etc. There's a really good bookshop in an old church too. Nice shops and restaurants.

As for the university: lots of students commute from Germany as it's seen as being more student-centred than German universities. It's gaining a good reputation in certain areas, although one of my former students was disappointed with the standard of MA programme, she took. I have heard that teaching loads are higher in other Dutch universities (but that was from an incurably negative person).

[pyromania]

Maastricht is a great city.  Interesting mix of French speaking Belgian, German, and Dutch cultures.  Good university.  The only downside are far too many drug tourists.

[normative_]

Don Stefano's said it best. It has a good quality of life, and the uni has a good reputation now (at least in some fields). In addition to the foodie scene and the fairly decent shopping in town, you'll also find an outlet centre in nearby Roermond to stock up on things at a discount.

[testingthewaters]

Yes, it is definitely a very pretty city and central enough that one can get to a lot of places in Europe easily. As an added plus, it tends to have slightly better weather than the rest of Holland, which can be rainy and gray for months on end.

They are indeed big on problem based learning there, which makes me personally want to run and hide, but if that is your thing then you are certainly in the right place- though from what I understand most of the faculties have given up the 100% PBL they started with and are working with a mix of traditional classes and PBL.

[runwithscissors]

Thanks for all the responses.

Never tell anyone in Maastricht they are part of Holland!

It never occurred to me that this might be an issue, so that's good information.

As for the drugs issue, is this likely to affect student performance?

Also with regard to PBL, I understand that this is an imported idea (from McMaster possibly?); i've been reading up about it, and it generally seems like a great idea if all the students are bright and eager to learn, but less so for the terminally lazy. Do you mind if I ask testingthewaters, why it makes you want to run and hide?

[testingthewaters]

Also with regard to PBL, I understand that this is an imported idea (from McMaster possibly?); i've been reading up about it, and it generally seems like a great idea if all the students are bright and eager to learn, but less so for the terminally lazy. Do you mind if I ask testingthewaters, why it makes you want to run and hide?

This (the bolded part) is a biggie. PBL involves almost exclusively group work, and is a really good way for the lazy to coast.

But maybe more importantly:
PBL in its purest form (as they started out using it in Maastricht) meant students were presented with a problem (usually a case) and supposed to form self-governing groups and solve the problem on their own with little to no guidance, or even correction when the group veered off in a wrong direction. The person supervising these groups was not required to actually know much about the material- the students should be able to "discover" it on their own. That last bit is where I have a problem. PBL is used at levels all the way down to first year students in their first class. If the knowledge to solve the problem is not in the group, there is the potential to use excellent group work and investigative skills to come up with a completely wrong result. This can't be what we want university education to lead to.

As I understand it, UofM has backed down from this purist standpoint and is using a less hard-line form where instructors are actually allowed to instruct again while group work is encouraged. This, I think, has potential.

[euro_ir_nerd]

I've met a few people who graduated from UofM with social science degrees and they did seem quite well-educated. But then again, all of them were highly motivated self-starters for whom PBL might be particularly suited so this might only represent a small chunk of the overall student population.

[renji]

Maastricht is a great city.  Interesting mix of French speaking Belgian, German, and Dutch cultures.  Good university.  The only downside are far too many drug tourists.

Funny that you mention this. When I have visited Holland, the only bad interactions I have ever had are with American drug tourists.