Has anyone taken Dutch language classes at UvA? Would love to hear your thoughts. thanks

Yep, I've done the Dutch classes at the UvA from Beginners through to Advanced level. The teachers there have been without exception fantastic. The course goes at quite a fast pace and there's a lot of homework involved (reckon on about 6 hours per week).

My only reservations would be the class sizes are a bit on the large size, so you might not get as much personal attention as you would like. Also at the beginners levels there are always a few exchange students who join the course for free and sometimes don't take the work quite as seriously as those who are paying for the course (and the fees and books are far from cheap).

I guess with any course a lot depends on how much work you're prepared to put into it yourself. If you're prepared to make some time available for the homework, and try and speak as much Dutch as you can outside of the class, then I'd definately recommend the courses at UvA.

Thanks for your response Patrick. I am not surprised it has a good deal of homework, that is how you learn a language! So yes, I plan to take this very seriously. And since I work in a mostly Dutch speaking office, I will have plenty of opportunity to practice. In fact, I don't think I know one native English speaker in Amsterdam.

I am starting out with a fairly casual Dutch class in November, then start at UvA next year.

mkitchell,

Can I ask you what you've dug up about classes at UvA. I live in the center of Amsterdam and am looking to start taking classes in November. I have always learn best from structured classes and I would actually really like having some homework to do.

Email: negrojm1981@yahoo.com

Thanks for the help,

Jon

I just heard its the best program, geared towards intelligent and motivated students. Hope this helps.

I was interested myself, but structured courses like these tend to only have intake two or three times a year. So I don't think November is an option, but January might me.

Here's the link if you want more info...

Which books do they use for teaching Dutcht at UVA? is it Code1, 2 & 3? I have used them in the past and they jump from subject to another with tons of new words in between. Some people might like this method though

I also want to start the dutch course. but thinking about VoksUniversitet and UvA. VolksUniversitet are longer and a little bit cheaper. Pls write to me if you find out more good courses in amsterdam. My level is Intermediate.

good luck!

I've done Volksuniverseit and so did my son...It was alright! My only issue with my teacher was that he hadn't a clue how to dole out homework...I attended twice a week, Monday and Thursday evenings...We would give us practically nothing to do over the weekend, but assign a whole chapter (and/or handouts) on Mondays to be completed by Thursday! I bit hard to juggle with a full-time job.

My son wasn't working at the time and attended once a week during the day...he had nothing negative to say.

I suspect, however, that the teachers would have higher qualifications at UvA...

I did courses at the VU last fall and I'm now doing courses at the ROC in Utrecht (Inburgerings) to prepare for the Staatsexamen II. I did the intensive 4-day-per-week course at the VU. I'm a certified English teacher with several years of teaching under my belt (though I've changed careers) so I'm rather picky when it comes to language instruction, and I found the teaching at the VU to be poor. Both teachers basically just used the book, Code 2 in this case, and went through it exercise by exercise, not changing it or supplementing it in any way to make up for the book's weaknesses in vocabulary and grammar instruction. One teacher in particular was horrendously boring. I'm finding the teachers at the ROC much, much better.

I had a classmate at the VU who had done the intro course at UvA, and she found that course better than that at the VU. She also had experience teaching English though. I think our negative reaction was fed a lot by that since we had a better idea of what good teaching should look like than the average student.

That's interesting. I wish there was some consistency with schools across the country that share the same name! For every person that says such and such a school in Utrecht is crap, there's always someone who says the same school in Groningen is great...

MY VU course in Amsterdam had lots of supplementary course material...and my ROC inbuggering in Haarlem was a droning, pointless trudge through Nieuwe Buren. I have a teaching degree myself...I was never so frustrated in my life...and faced nothing but resistance when I tried to get help.

I guess the moral to that story is to treat each branch of a school as a totally different school...

Oh, sorry, I've just realized I screwed up - I blame it on having a teething kid and having been out waaay too late last night watching the US election in a pub. I got confused with the Volksuniversiteit and the Vrije Universiteit and didn't realize until you were talking about branches. I took my course at the Vrije Universiteit, I have never taken a course at the Volksuniversiteit. I do have a friend who is taking a course at the Volksuniversiteit here and has been positive about them though I haven't asked for specifics. Sorry!!

Lordy, under the circumstances, totally understandable!

Hello,
Are we talking about this school http://www.hum.uva.nl/intt/home.cfm, or this one ? www.uvatalen.nl ?

I think they are different, probably from different departments of the University van Amsterdam.

Thanks

Hello, is your link different from this school ? www.uvatalen.nl ?
THanks

OK, I've phoned www.uvatalen.nl and they say they are different from http://www.hum.uva.nl/intt/courses.cfm.

Now I would like to hear more comments on these two institutions.
Anyone?
Thanks