I could’ve easily gone back to AUB to do my masters. The program I plan on enrolling in is offered there and I have the grades to get me in. I would not have had to pay anything other than tuition and transportation and would have still gotten a high-quality education.I could’ve oh-so-easily applied to colleges in the USA, the UK, and Canada like many of my friends did.
But what did I do instead?
I applied to Maastricht University oh-so-confidently, with another Dutch university, University of Twente, as my safety school. As for the fate of the AUB application:
You, like about 70 people I know, are going to ask me why I really had my heart set on this particular university.
Here are my reasons:
- I’m crazy and unconventional, as this post might explain.
- Though the university is only 35 years old, it has already established itself in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe by teaching its programs through the problem-based-learning (PBL) method. So this means you’re the one in charge of how your education goes, instead of someone deciding it for you. You also get to study real cases and methods which you eventually use in the workplace, instead of being overloaded with plain theory.
An example of a PBL session. They look so happy! Didn't anyone tell them they're learning? - Talent and hard-work are encouraged. I am happy to share with you that I was awarded a UM High Potential scholarship, which covers part of my tuition. Had I not gotten such a scholarship, my whole plan would have had to be put on hold. As you know, graduate school is expensive, especially abroad!
- There is a unique opportunity to learn from people, not just from books. In all of the promotional adverts, the university stresses on the international feel it has. I didn’t believe it at first, because advertisements have a tendency not to be true. Then I joined a group on Facebook for incoming Master’s students, and guess what? They’re absolutely right. And I could not be any happier because I absolutely love listening to all the stories others have to tell and hearing an array of different languages.
- How could you see a beautiful place like this and pass up the chance to study there? Also, it’s right on the border with Germany and Belgium, which means that should it ever get boring, I can easily venture out and explore as opposed to going to the same old places if I stayed in Beirut.
Convinced?
Beyond Beirut 
We definitely have to climb up the St. Janskerk !!
Add it to the long list of things we are going to do in Maastricht! (and blog about later :p)
Choosing a university in Europe has nothing to do with being unconventional in my opinion..
You choose your grad-school based on what field you want to pursue and the “methods” of learning that work for you best..regardless of its location. In your case Maastricht and the Netherlands.
Don’t get me wrong, the Netherlands is an amazing place and I’m 100% you’re going to do great in uni and you’re going to have fun too, but don’t be all “I’m soo awesome and different” … It’s a little annoying 🙂
Looking forward to reading your later posts!
You’re definitely right about the decision having nothing to do with being unconventional. This was merely a remark for some people I know who roll their eyes at me every time the subject. But I agree, it does get annoying, which is why I brought this up now not later 🙂 But yeah, I chose it mainly because of the PBL and the program
Thank you for your comment and I look forward to seeing more of them!