{"id":76827,"date":"2017-05-12T09:33:23","date_gmt":"2017-05-12T07:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/2017\/05\/12\/de-eur-vindt-haar-eigen-imago-belangrijker-dan-de-doorstroming-van-hbo-naar-wo\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T17:03:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T16:03:57","slug":"de-eur-vindt-haar-eigen-imago-belangrijker-dan-de-doorstroming-van-hbo-naar-wo-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2017\/05\/12\/de-eur-vindt-haar-eigen-imago-belangrijker-dan-de-doorstroming-van-hbo-naar-wo-2\/","title":{"rendered":"‘EUR feels its image is more important than opportunities for Hogeschool students’"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re studying Business Administration at Hogeschool Rotterdam and you want to continue your studies at university after graduating, Erasmus University is the obvious choice. But a lot of students find the GMAT admission test to be a real stumbling-block: \u201cEUR has put up a formidable barrier and it thinks its own image is more important than moving up from Hogeschool Rotterdam to university.\u201d.<\/p>\n

HR offers a transfer minor in Business Administration in collaboration with some Dutch universities. This means that students can skip the pre-master and immediately start a Business Administration master programme at university level at Rotterdam School of Management or the University of Amsterdam.<\/p>\n

Preparation takes a lot of time<\/h3>\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t
\n\t\tIf I\u2019d known about the requirements at the end of my second year, I would probably have chosen EUR\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKhatera (student at Hogeschool Rotterdam)\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

But only one out of the 10 students who are doing the minor this year has decided to go to EUR; the rest chose the University of Amsterdam. \u201cAt EUR, you have to score 600 points in the GMAT admission test and you have to spend a lot of time preparing for this test as well,\u201d says HR student Wouter, who did the transfer minor during the past 6 months and decided to go to Amsterdam. \u201cMy girlfriend did the GMAT last year and it took her three whole months to prepare for it.\u201d And as far as the students are concerned, preparing for the GMAT means that less time can be spent on the other courses at Hogeschool Rotterdam which they have to complete with a mark of at least 7 before they can be admitted.<\/p>\n

Wouter\u2019s fellow student Khatera feels the same, although she would rather have heard about the admission requirements a bit earlier on in her study programme. \u201cIf I\u2019d known about the requirements at the end of my second year, I would probably have chosen to go to EUR,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

\u2018RSM thinks its image is more important\u2019<\/h3>
\"\"<\/figure>

Education manager Lucas Peters, who is responsible for the HR minor, claims that students definitely receive this information in plenty of time. \u201cWe do give information on the minors, and this one\u2019s been going for quite some time,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd we offer two electives in preparation for the GMAT which students can do during their first and second years if they want. If any of our students tell us at some stage during their course that they want to move up to university after graduating from Hogeschool Rotterdam, we always tell them about the minor and the preparatory electives.\u201d<\/p>\n

But isn\u2019t it a bit strange that there\u2019s all this \u2018student migration\u2019 to Amsterdam? Not to mention the big differences in admission requirements? John Dispa, lecturer for the transfer minor, ponders this for a few moments. \u201cWell, RSM has a reputation as the best management programme in the Netherlands, so they have to be pretty strict,\u201d he explains. Mr Dispa doesn\u2019t see anything wrong with this attitude in itself. \u201cEUR has put up a formidable barrier and it thinks its own image is more important than moving up from Hogeschool Rotterdam to university.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Arnoud Monster, Recruitment & Admissions Director at RSM, disagrees with this and claims that image has nothing to do with it. \u201cWe certainly aren\u2019t trying to make life difficult for Hogeschool Rotterdam students. On the contrary, we welcome them with open arms,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve set up these admission requirements \u2013 including the GMAT test \u2013 for a number of reasons. First of all, we wanted to create a level playing field. It doesn\u2019t matter whether candidates come from Hogeschool Rotterdam or China, everyone has to take the GMAT. This means we can guarantee a certain level for the master programme, and the students know they\u2019ve all got the same basis. At the same time, we feel that this measure is ultimately the best for Hogeschool Rotterdam students as well. Students wanting to move up used to be able to take the GMAT during the pre-master itself, but we found that this resulted in stress and delays for pre-master students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fewer Hogeschool students enrolling<\/h3>\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t
\n\t\tWe certainly aren\u2019t trying to make life difficult for HR students. On the contrary, we welcome them with open arms.\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tArnoud Monster, Recruitment & Admissions Director at RSM\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

RSM\u2019s popularity has also had an impact on admissions, but Mr Monster emphasises that the new requirements aren\u2019t intended as a defence mechanism. \u201cOur admission requirements mainly have to do with our aim for quality,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe didn\u2019t think them up to help us control the numbers of incoming students. We aren\u2019t the only ones in the Netherlands who are doing this, and we certainly aren\u2019t the only ones in the Netherlands with a GMAT requirement. Taking this test is perfectly normal in international management education.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the new admission requirements (amended in the 2015-2016 academic year) have resulted in a drop in the number of enrolments from Hogeschool Rotterdam students. Mr Monster comments: \u201cThis is a pity, but luckily the number of applicants from Hogeschool Rotterdam is now on the increase again. Right at the start, some of the Hogeschool Rotterdam students were absolutely determined to study at RSM no matter what, and in spite of the requirements, so they enrolled with us anyway. That was a good thing, but it\u2019s nice to see that the intake is getting under way again now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Series EUR vs. Hogeschool Rotterdam<\/h2>