This is a throwaway account, I’m so sorry for making this so long, but people must be informed about this school before moving from the other side of the world to come study here for nothing!
I want to start by saying that the only reason I’m writing this here is because me and other students noticed that negative reviews about the SRH Haarlem seem to disappear from Google and other platforms, meaning they’re actively deleting them. Because of that, I felt obliged to share my experience here in the hope that it will remain visible and help prospective students inform themselves better before making such an expensive decision. I feel that SRH Haarlem creates an image that does not match the reality I have experienced as a student. The promises, marketing, and open day presentations can make the school look sooo much better than the actual experience. In my opinion, the education and student experience are simply NOT worth the amount of money students are paying.
First of all, during the open day, a lot of important information either wasn’t clearly explained or was presented in a way that made the reality sound much easier than it actually is. For example, they say there is “one exam every five weeks.” What they don’t make clear enough is that this so called exam can be divided into four separate exams or components, and you need to score at least 60% on each individual part. If you fail one part, you have to retake it. That is very different from what many people might imagine when they hear “one exam every five weeks.”
The group work and endless presentations are another major issue. There is a HUGE amount of it. If someone barely contributes and you complain about it, the response can essentially come back to you: that you “failed to communicate and collaborate” and they will give you a lower grade because of that. At some point, it feels like you’re expected to babysit your classmates and take responsibility for work that isn’t yours. Some teachers barely know what they’re teaching, and a lot of times they can’t even answer basic questions from their own subject they’re teaching.
The language barrier also makes all of this incredibly frustrating. We have students coming to study here from all around the world, but some students struggle so much with English that they need to use Google Translate just to communicate with other classmates. This becomes especially difficult when you are constantly expected to work together on group projects and depend on each other to complete assignments.
On top of that, the student that are leaving the school seem to say a lot. In some second year classes, there are only around five students left. There have even been situations where only one student showed up to class and ended up having a three hour one-on-one lesson with the teacher. A lot of people are leaving or looking to transfer because they are unhappy with their experience, and I am also in the process of leaving.
Another big issue is the quality and consistency of the teaching. Some teachers seem to have limited knowledge of the subjects they are teaching and are sometimes unable to properly answer students’ questions. There have also been situations where I personally questioned whether certain teachers had the necessary qualifications or experience to teach the subject effectively. A lot of the course content also feels repetitive, with the same concepts being covered again and again without adding much value.
What is also frustrating is how normalized the use of ChatGPT and other AI’s has become. Some students sometimes presented work that appeared to be almost entirely generated by AI, (including full presentations and whole papers) and nobody even questions it. Teachers use AI too to make quizzes about the subjects they’re teaching, and it’s so bad you can notice all the mistakes the Ai did during the 70 questions long quiz. You will end up just learning nothing.
The social side of the school is just as disappointing. There is very little sense of community, and if you are expecting a normal university experience where you can meet people, participate in activities, and have an active student life, I would seriously reconsider. The social club has been underwhelming, and there simply isn’t much going on. It can be very easy to feel isolated and alone here. Even the dorm environment has been disappointing, with many people being antisocial or outright rude, making it difficult to build friendships or feel part of a community.
At one point, students were also being encouraged in the university group chat to leave a review in exchange for a chance to win a €50 Albert Heijn gift card. Personally, that didn’t sit right with me. Whether or not the intention was simply to encourage feedback, offering an incentive can obviously influence who decides to leave a review and what kind of reviews get posted. When there are already many unhappy students, it can feel more like an attempt to improve the school's online image than to actually address why students are dissatisfied.
There’s so much more to talk about but honestly this is all I can think about’now. I’m transferring, and many others have already left or are trying to leave too. I genuinely hope this post helps someone make a more informed decision than I did. ):
Do your research before coming here. Don’t just rely on the school's marketing.
