Introducktion

Are you an American with your eye on Eindhoven University of Technology? We're few and far between. Let me share my experience as a Midwestern American and graduate of TU/e's Embedded Systems master's program. I'll contrast it with my expectations, and give a little advice.

First, a few qualifiers. I attended TU/e at an odd time which definitely had an impact on my experience. Specifically from 2020-2023, so I was there through the following:

• COVID kept school (partially) remote for at least a year
• The simultaneous tech boom
• The release of ChatGPT and the start of the AI hype train
• The subsequent tech market crash when I moved home

A bit of background, I'm from north-western Indiana (Da Region), and I got my BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology at Purdue in West Lafayette. By the end of my undergrad I realized, to some extent, that I wanted to be a software engineer. I figured that an Embedded Systems program would be a great way to forward my education toward Computer Science without throwing away my electrically focused background from Purdue. I picked TU/e because it has everything going for it.

The Material

Computer Science Slant

TU/e describes the Embedded Systems program as a program that sits at the intersection of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. In fact, the Embedded Systems student board used to be cohosted by the EE and CS programs. It was recently absorbed by the Computer Science board. You should be armed with the basics of CS before you go to TU/e for Embedded Systems. I wasn't, but you should be. This includes Set Theory, Discrete Mathematics, Big O notation, the basic data structures, a general purpose scripting language, and how pointers work in C.

I expected the Embedded Systems program to be more focused on designing, creating, and programming circuitry, but TU/e's program focuses on programming theory and Chip architecture. I found this content very interesting, but the difficulty of the material was a harsh awakening.

Try and be more prepared than me, but know that there are courses available throughout the program that can help you with the aforementioned topics. Of course nobody ever really teaches you how to program, but that's just something we all have to figure out on our own.

Bleeding Edge

As you get deeper into the Masters program, classes will start to revolve around bleeding edge research. In one class I took, nearly every lecture consisted of PhD students describing the current state of their AI research. In addition, you have ASML and various other companies surrounding TU/e, so the whole area is ripe with groundbreaking research.

The Difficulty

The Grading System

It's really normal for Dutch students to take 3 years or more to get the Embedded Systems program. Not that it's not possible to finish in two years, but don't expect it to be easy. Unlike in the US, grades are inflated to the point of meaninglessness. So you are not expected to get nearly perfect grades. See this table and subtract a point from the grade per description because Embedded Systems is especially hard. I'm not saying this to boost my ego or scare anybody. You may be smarter and more prepared than me, and you might graduate in 2 years with all 9s and 10s. I just want to set expectations, so that my fellow Americans realize that struggling is okay, and your grades may be better than you think.

Fast-paced

You have got to go fast, like runner duck.

The Juggle

Why is TU/e so hard? Well, partly because of their quarter system. Juggle the work of these three classes, take finals, and do this four times a year. Finals and never that far, so it's easy to slip up and neglect to study for an exam until the last minute. You have other work to be doing after all. My advice, don't get too caught up in open-ended assignments. Either prioritize passing your hardest class, or prioritize passing the greatest number of classes per quarter. Which of those strategies you choose should depend on how your next quarter looks.

Retakes are a thing

To further complicate things, retakes are a super normal part of university in the Netherlands. If you do not pass an exam, you will have the opportunity to take the exam again at the end of the next quarter. Keep this in mind when doing the juggle.

For example, say you have two project heavy but possible classes, one difficult conceptual class which will have a tough exam, and you expect next quarter to be lighter. You should focus on passing your heavy workload classes and get your tough exam in the next go. However, you should always show up to exams. There is valuable insight there, and you might even get lucky and pass on the first try.

Don't Forget your Thesis

On top of this, you want to excel somewhere, because you want a professor to sponsor your thesis project. Keep this in mind! If you like the topic and have the chance to impress a professor than you should be shooting for a possible thesis project with them. I'll loop back to this topic later in the post.

To reiterate. You'll probably struggle, get grades that feel low, and have to retake some exams. This is normal. If you're progressing then you're doing a good job. You will get a better hang of it as time goes on.

Getting Accepted

Shouldn't this section be first? No. Americans put a lot of focus on getting accepted, but it doesn't work like that in the Netherlands. To get accepted into the program you need to meet the requirements that they have posted on their website. They're not low, but they're also not a mystery. Unless the program starts filling up (which would be a new development for the Embedded Systems program) you will be accepted if you meet requirements.

If you're still worried, just remember how much higher your tuition is than the Dutch. Also, you'll be contributing to the diversity of the program. They want you there. Save your worry for getting housing.

Housing

Housing in the Netherlands is a nightmare. The university may try to help you, but you cannot depend on them. There are most certainly people out there who were accepted into TU/e, but did not attend due to housing issues. Start looking months in advance and start looking wherever you can. Watch out for scams. COSMOS, the international association at TU/e, has a nice guide. There's other good stuff on the COSMOS wiki about getting a bank account and registering with the government, but that won't be such a nightmare.

HR

In the US a highly rated University is a luxury good, in the Netherlands it's a luxury. They will not hold your hand or really organize anything for you. Keep an eye on your class registrations, your grades, and your residence status. Appreciate people when they do look out for you.

I don't want to give the impression that the HR at TU/e is bad, but it was very clear to me that they take a different approach. At Purdue your counselor goes out of their way to schedule a meeting with you and talks to you about your classes, how you're doing and what you want to do next. This is simply not the case at TU/e. You will need to reach out to get questions answered and issues resolved.

People and the City

There are people to meet, activities to do, and a city to explore. I'm not going to turn this into a travel blog. How you'll view Eindhoven depends on who you are personally. I was able to make friends via all the usual routes: home, work, class, the bar, and school clubs.

You'll find your place even if it takes a little time and effort. I do, however, recommend taking the free Dutch classes at TU/e and befriend a local. These things helped me to feel like less of an outsider and reduced the stress that comes with that.

Conclusion

Going to TU/e gave me many existential crises, cringe moments, ego trips, and some of the best friends I could ever hope for. If you want to study Embedded Systems you should go to TU/e. It's good for it. And when you inevitably do get home sick, make sure that COSMOS is throwing a proper thanksgiving dinner, and help them out if they need it. Also, there is an Americans in Eindhoven WhatsApp chat out there.

There's so much more that I could say, but I'll save it. However, if you're an American considering or struggling with TU/e please do not be afraid to reach out to me.

God bless Hertogdom W.I.F.U.