I didn't prepare in any coaching institute for my admission here. I was looking into all groups in my research field when I was JRF at IIT Bombay. I found an open position in my research interest group here. Then I applied the application to my professor. I got selected after having an interview. I would recommend having GRE & TOFEL scorecard if someone is interested in doing PhD in abroad.
Course Curriculum
I did my master's in biotechnology. So I had all the biology and chemistry-related course in my masters. There is no mandatory course/credit to take for PhD students. But if any PhD student is interested to take any course related to their research field then there is an option to take it. I had taken one course related to my research field in my first year.
Placement
There are many options in the scope of employment after finishing the degree. After finishing the degree, you can get a job in the company/ biotechnology industry in my field. And otherwise, if someone is interested in academia then they can do a postdoc after PhD to get the academic job.
Fees
Here, in the Netherlands PhD students are considered employees. So we don't pay the course fee. All PhD students' funding is taken care of by their professor & university after they got selected for the program.
Scholarship
As I mentioned earlier, the stipend or salary is taken care of by the university. So I didn't apply for any scholarship. But if anyone has any scholarship then they can use it during their PhD. That's up to them. There are no such criteria for getting a scholarship. After selecting into PhD, you can get a stipend from the university & professor.
Faculty
I did my master's in biotechnology. So I had all the biology and chemistry-related course in my masters. There is no mandatory course/credit to take for PhD students. But if any PhD student is interested to take any course related to their research field then there is an option to take it. I had taken one course related to my research field in my first year.
Campus Life
The Utrecht university campus is so pretty. The campus has small clubs, sports facilities & medical facilities in the campus itself. I found some Indian students doing PhD at the same university. Even in my group. There is always a campus fest going on at the university. University organises an opening day for masters & bachelors students on their first day of university.
Hostel
The University arranges temporary accommodation for a maximum of 1 year for international students. After that, you have to manage yourself to find a house. Here in Utrecht, it's difficult to get a house. You need more time to search for a house. Both the house rent & food is expensive here.
