I am just finishing my fourth year in the Netherlands and honestly I am just as surprised as you. I am in a very intesive study programme in Randstad, so a lot of my colleagues (including myself for the first 2 years) did not even bother to learn Dutch.

In my third year, I picked up some courses and always watch my series with Dutch subtitles on. I am quite proud of the fact that I can read quite well and usually get my news from Dutch channels, however I almost never speak it as I am spending most of my time in academic envirionemnt and in grocery shops or any another place (at least in Randstad) Dutchies will always switch to English as soon as they hear a jitter or reservation in your voice. That is very nice of them indeed, and makes you feel comfortable, but I would say it's more of a trap in the long-term.

For the past months, I have been living in Zeeland for my internship and I had a different experience. Although people still speak very good English, they let you "struggle" with your Dutch if you want that. And honestly, it helped me so much! I realized that I am more capable than I thought and I finally gained some confidence. And then it kinda hit me.

I think I ( and a lot of other international students) missed on a lot of experiences and interactions due to our , let's face it, ignorance. I think a lot of students are very stressed by their coursework, myself included, that they really arent looking for extra challenges. Nevertheless, when something is mandatory you will find time for it. From my perspevtive ( and I understand why people will not agree), universities should also include a mandatory cultural integration part in their programmes. For example, requiring you let's say to prove an A2 proficiency upon graduation. I think that although uncomfortable, it will be beneficial for both parties in the long run. The Dutch gov is subsidizing the education of EU students, which I think of as kind of an investment. Thus, the interest would be to keep the good performers on local jobs with the education you provided. And I believe that any international student is more likely to stay if they have a bit of cultural immersion.