This scholarship provides international top talent a bright future in Limburg

A strict selection

'We received 174 applications for 4 scholarships for the upcoming academic year,' Mariola explains. 'The selection is strict, so it's special if you're admitted. Per campus, the five best candidates are invited for an interview, that's the first moment I meet them.' The selection is done carefully by the faculties, who look at prior education, motivation, and academic results. The final selection lies with a broad selection committee with representatives from Brightlands, Province of Limburg, and Maastricht University including the Scholarship Office. During the interview, this committee tests, among other things, the motivation for and contribution to the study program, the student's financial capacity, and, as the most important criteria, research ambitions in relation to the Brightlands campuses.

The first introduction  

'In the first meeting, one already gets a good impression of what someone is like,' Mariola explains. With years of experience, she knows how to assess students well, but the real work begins when they arrive in the Netherlands. Every August, a new group of students arrives. From that moment on, Mariola is their permanent contact person: 'We prepare them for two weeks for life at the UM. They receive Pre-Academic training on problem-based learning (the UM's teaching method) and the use of Academic English.' There's also room to get to know each other: 'The students live in one building together. It's great to see how they support each other.'

Work experience

Through the program, students gain valuable work experience, which increases their chances in the job market. This contributes to the so-called stay rate: the percentage of students who remain in the Netherlands after their studies. However, that's not easy: 'After their studies, they can apply for a search year, but then they must find a job with an employer that meets specific requirements.'

That's why cooperation with Brightlands is so important. 'Companies like Envalior, for example, are on the list of The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). If our students can find a job here, it increases the chance they'll stay here.'

Letting go 

Sometimes top talent is retained for the region and that energizes Mariola. 'It's wonderful to see that students, scholarship students and others, move on to a job in Limburg, for example at Brightlands, and thus contribute to the region.'

But sometimes she has to let them go. 'At some point, it's no longer my task. That's sometimes difficult, but usually they manage fine. I regularly receive messages from students where they tell me how they're doing.'

Meer weten over het UM Brightlands Talent Scholarship?  Click here

Source: Brightlands news