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On the website of the Dutch consulate it does say that you need to bring a photo with you as well. My digital photo wasn't accepted, the dimensions of my head weren't good. Or something. I don't have any other dimensions for my head! I'll just have some new pictures made I suppose...

Everybody can understand 'Miffy went to the zoo'. There have to be things that are difficult to understand (i.e. which require good reading comprehension), because otherwise everybody will get the same score.

I'd be careful with that. Here's why: I get funding from my US university, but I also applied to some Dutch funding organisations. What I get from the US university in the first year is enough to receive a visum - and because the Dutch organisations were late with deciding whether they would give me money, I asked my international student office in the US whether I could apply for the visum with just the US money as income. They said that I could, but that if I were fortunate enough to receive more money (which I am, thank you Dutch organisation!!!) I should not mention it in my interview nor at the airport. The consulate might insist that I would need an updated I-20 and that could delay everything significantly (instead, we'll just update my I-20 when I get to the US). The international student office emphasised that the information you present in the interview should be identical to what is on your I-20. I know that this is a different situation though... So here's my advice: email your international student office, they are familiar with such issues and will be able to give you solid advice!

From what I understand you need to show proof of your finances at your interview (and again, at the airport). So they would be able to see where your money is coming from (at least, where you say your money is coming from - i.e. the relative). I don't know how this will impact your interview, sorry!

I have no non-psych science courses, but I'm from a country where you choose your major before even starting college and you pretty much only take courses within that major, so I hadn't really had the opportunity anyway. What kind of Psych program are you interested in? For Neuropsychology I would definitely recommend more science courses, for I/O, not necessarily (for example). I suspect you're not going for the biological side of psychology anyway, if you're not interested in science courses

Yeah, the department is a good place to look as well. I've found a place through craigslist, so that can work as well (though you should make sure you're not dealing with scammers). You should ask yourself what's important for you. Things you might want: - living close to campus, or alternatively, living close to bus lines (remember, you can only safely cycle about 8 months of the year from what I've heard, the other 4 months there's too much snow) - a safe neighbourhood (for example, I've heard negative things about Whittier) - airconditioning (it can get pretty hot in summer) - a cheap place to live - and that will mean sharing with others. How many people is okay for you? What are you used to? And what type of person are you, do you want to party at home or do you want a quite place to study? Living with undergraduates could mean having partying housemates... Anyway, it's good to think about these questions and then you can find something that's good for you. It's difficult that as international students some of us can't go and check out the places ourselves - but maybe somebody else could do that for you. Good luck with your hunt!

It depends on a lot, but from what I understand, adcoms like to see improvement. So average grades in your first year(s) aren't that bad, as long as you start getting really good grades from now on. So I would definitely focus part of my time on that if I were you. Additionally, I think option 4 is a good idea - if it is possible, get research experience. It will look good on your application but more importantly, it will help you to better understand what research entails and what direction (if any) you would want to do it in. In my opinion option number 1 is important regardless - a position at one of the top universities is not only difficult to get even with a very, very strong application, but it is quite possibly not even the best place for you to be. Fit (i.e. sharing research interests with your prof) seems to be much more important, for both graduate succes and happiness. And getting a position at a mid range universities is, these years, an impressive feat anyway - there are more qualified applicants than places for any program, from what I gather. Good luck!

I can imagine your frustration! It's kind of false advertising... I can't give you any advice on how to deal with this, but I do feel for you and hope you can find a great apartment and job!

Great idea! DANKJEWEL ALLEMAAL!!! Reading this forum has definitely helped me with preparing for my grad school life!

I've taken the GRE in the Netherlands (in Amsterdam) myself, because I grew up here. I think I got the instructions from the receptionist like 'you can put your coat here' in Dutch, but someone else who was there got them in English when they said they didn't speak Dutch. The instructions from the GRE testing people were in English, as was the GRE itself of course. I'd send an email beforehand to make sure, but I don't think you would encounter any problems. Just bring your (US?) passport and other things they tell you to bring. There were about 10 computers in a small room when I was there, but there were only 4 people taking the test, so the testing environment was fine. If you have any questions (or need something translated) just let me know!

Thank you all so much for your responses, it has really helped!

Subject test: Psychology Score: 820 (99th percentile) Accepted from: University of Minnesota - Psychology dept. Rejected from: n/a

The Dutch tax system is complicated to say the least... So far I've only had to fill out my tax forms as a student, which equals paying no tax. Or something, I'm not sure. They usually gave me money back, anyway. You can tell how well-versed I am... (before you get your hopes up: a PhD 'student' is not considered a student here). You could ask the program what your 'netto' pay would be, your net pay (as opposed to your bruto pay). This website (http://www.berekenhet.nl/werk-en-inkomen/nettoloon.html) gives your nettoloon as 1400 euros, that's probably approximately accurate. I'm sorry I can't give you more information even though I live here myself - it's just very complicated! Luckily they make filling out your tax forms easy

I got high scores on both tests. For the general GRE I used a 10-year old book from Barron's - the word list was still useful (I ran into several of their words on the test) although I prefered to use online flashcards for practising (http://quizlet.com/47571/barrons-gre-wordlist-4759-words-flash-cards/). The math part was still very relevant and useful. If you take the test before this summer I don't think much will have changed compared with two years ago. For the GRE psychology subject test I went through my first psychology textbook, which I bought in 2005. On the test were some things that were in the book, and some things that weren't (but which had been covered in other courses). I don't think this one will have changed much in two years either, but since I didn't use the prep book I can't be sure because I don't know what's in there! Good luck!

Congratulations! This thread is probably useful: As well as this:

The response from people I don't know very well: Them: "Wow, the US!" Me: "Yep, the US!" Them: "And for how long is that? One year? Two?" Me: "Five. Theoretically." Them: "Five... (indefinite shocked silence, while they carefully back away)"

Hello mudita, Congratulations on your acceptance! I'm not in your cohort, but it's nice to get to know you. Do you already have an apartment in mind? I am probably spoken for, but if you give more information you might be able to find a roommate here!

I think the major question you should be asking yourself is whether you want to get a PhD or a MA!

I definitely recognize this! My dreams have had one theme: disastrous travel. It's probably because I'm moving to the other side of the world... I keep dreaming about losing my luggage. Last night I dreamt I landed in a state adjacent to the one I am going to, and hitchhiked to my university. When I was almost there I realized I had left my bag at the airport! Earlier I dreamt I got lost at the airport and arrived at some underground rat-infested apartment area where I was forced to become a resident. They're not really nightmares, but I've definitely noticed this theme in my dreams. So you're not the only one, and I'm sure it'll pass!

Hi, I'm from the Netherlands myself and though I'm not sure if there's anything helpful on there for your situation, I recommend this website: http://www.grantfinder.nl/content/index.asp It's a list of grants that you could apply to. I know that there are several funds that offer interest free student loans, but I think they are only available to Dutch citizens. Good luck!

It's a good idea to practice for this together, I think! When I was preparing I found it difficult to find information and feedback on my attempts. I did well in the end (5.5). What worked for me was starting with writing down, on a piece of paper, bulletpoints for the different paragraphs I wanted to make. So the first paragraph would be like what you have written now, a short summary of what the text is about. Then I would have a couple of paragraphs, each one naming a different problem with the text. I finished with a summary of the different problems of the text and that, therefore, the speed limit should not be changed based on this information (or whatever). What I didn't know beforehand, but what I luckily did anyway, is this: it is very important to clearly indicate the 'point' of your paragraph using words like: Firstly, secondly, on the other hand, therefore, to summarise... This helps to organise your response for your own benefit and for the benefit of the computer scoring it. Sorry, I'm not sure if you were looking for tips, but if you were: I hope it helps!

Hi hi, Bhikaari, I'm currently looking for appartment closer to Minneapolis campus or in uptown, so the St Paul area isn't really where I'm looking. If I don't find anything I'll let you know and we can see where you are then in the appartment hunting stage

Wow, I could have created this topic, it is exactly what I was wondering. Does anybody know about this situation for foreign students? What percentage should I deduct from the fellowship/stipend amount? It is roughly the same amount as the OP, and tuition. In my home country taxes range from 30 to 50 percent, but from what I understand in the US the percentage is (much?) lower...

Hello Zouzax, I see you're from Turkey. I'm from the Netherlands and I've been looking at grants for doing a PhD in the USA for myself, but I've also seen some grants from students coming to the Netherlands. Most of them are for students from either Europe or developing countries, though. You could try the Huygens scholarship, but the application for fall 2011 was this February: http://www.nuffic.nl/international-students/scholarships/scholarships-administered-by-nuffic/huygens-scholarship-programme I'm not sure about this one, but you could take a look: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus_mundus/results_compendia/selected_projects_action_1_master_courses_en.php The most useful resource is this website: http://www.grantfinder.nl/content/index.asp It lets you search pretty much all grants that exist in the Netherlands, filtering based on some basic information (country of origin, etc.). I hope this helps! In the Netherlands, getting a PhD is more like a job than like being a student. So there is less focus on the learning aspect than in the USA - but you do usually take a few classes. A major upside is that you're paid a salary. I'm not sure how that works for international students though (although I know that many of the people getting a PhD in the Netherlands are international). As far as I can tell, you get more responsibility as a Dutch PhD student and you are kind of treated as an American post-doc. In my field, as far as I can tell, getting a foreign PhD is not academic suicide if you want to work in the Netherlands - however, that's not because an American PhD is seen as particularly prestigious, but because getting international experience and broadening your horizons is seen as a positive thing. Good luck to both of you on your decisions!

I have heard from them (acceptance, hurray!). But I'm in the Quant program, which is much smaller so it makes sense that they'd be quicker. Good luck, let me know if you go in and decide to go there!