Jon Said:

How can I open a bank account for my studies in Holland?

We Answered:

The regular banks that accept normal transactions will not normally allow online applications and especially from abroad. To open and account you need to be legally resident in the Netherlands and prove this with a BSN (also known as the old name of Sofi) number (which you get after registering at the local town hall of the municipality where you will live) or at least proof of registration there.

You can read confirmation of this on another one of the banks' pages which is in English here http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;…

Is it really true that there is only a Rabobank in the town where you are studying? If it is of sufficient size for a university/hogeschool then it will almost certainly have more than just one bank. For ease of use then ABN Amro tends to be a natural choice for non-Dutch speakers as it is used to dealing with expat customers and has e.g. the internet banking option and other documents in English which will make your life easier - Do a check on this site to see if there is an ABN Amro account in the place where you live http://extra.abnamro.nl/kantorenboek/ Just type in the name of the town in the field "Zoek een vestiging" then press the "Zoek" button

Just ask for an appointment with them and they can explain about all the options which come with a student bank account (usually better rates than a normal one) and things like the internet banking optioon which you will need to pay bills such as rent. You will also get a pinpas (a bank card with a chip on it) which you can use to pay for things on a day-to-day basis such as in the supermarket by swiping it in a machine, punching in your (private personal) pin code and then you have paid. - Much easier than carrying cash around all the time. Don't be afraid to ask them questions you might think are stupid - remember they have so many customers that you can bet it's not the first time they have been asked before :0)

Stephen Said:

would you recommend studying art in berlin or holland?

We Answered:

thats a city vs a country

Tony Said:

American Student looking for Residence in Holland for a while?

We Answered:

First of all I would seriously advise you to think of your future in terms of an occupation that would fuffil you, rather than a location (which can always chance). Being in a crappy job (or worse not being able to find a job) in a great location is no consolation

That being said, there is the possibility of a one-year "search" period for recent graduates (verblijf gedurende zoekjaar afgestudeerde) on the basis of being a highly skilled migrant
http://www.student.uva.nl/newstudents/pr…
http://www.nuffic.nl/international-stude…

Carole Said:

would you recommend studying in berlin or holland?q?

We Answered:

well, i guess it depends on what are you studying to choose then the best option from the 2 countries... but well, you mention Berlin, but then you also mention the Netherlands but not a city...

It is important that whatever option you choose that the education you want to follow is at least in English, unless you already speak either Dutch or German...