European School of Physiotherapy

ESP current student I have done several training before going in this school and I can evaluate that the overall program is pretty good in term of quality. Even if the program is intense, concentrate and demand a lot of work, my current experience is positive and I enjoy going in class. The teachers are current physiotherapist or researchers, and we have the opportunity to see real patients during clinical sessions, even from the 1st year. As every university there is room to improve but I do think this program allow to train very good physiotherapist.

I graduated from ESP in 2017. I was lucky I graduated on time. But it was not thanks to the school, it was thanks to the fact that I refused to let them delay me. When I signed up for ESP I was elated! It seemed to be everything I always wished for in a university: International environment, all age groups, and high standard education. They showcased themselves as a very "student-focused" program, a "community away from home", etc. It was not long until I realized it was literally as far from the truth as it could be. This is an INCREDIBLY unorganized education program. They care very little about their students, only showing interest in you if you have a high-education background (if this is not your first degree). They are 100% unaware of what it means to be an international student, and provide zero insight into Dutch education OR anything related to living in The Netherlands. There is a HUGE favouritism and bullying problem. And unfortunately, those at the highest level within the program are the instigators of this mentality and behaviour. Therefore there is no accountability when it comes to any of these issues. There are a few teachers and lecturers that I hold dear and near, that I respect, and am grateful for as they are WONDERFUL. However, MOST teachers are terrible, without any teaching background, or interest in ACTUALLY teaching. Most staff are arrogant, and expect students to already know what they are "teaching". Please also keep in mind that although they call themselves "European School of Physiotherapy", this is only a school of physio that asks students to do a few of their internships abroad. They provide little to no support in the process. They also fail to inform students that your degree might not even be worth anything if 1. you do not graduate speaking Dutch, and 2. if you decide to move to a different country (even within Europe) to practice, you have to go through a tough accreditation process (they also fail to inform students of that). It is incredibly unfortunate that this University is allowed to misinform students to this extent, and get away with it. They even misinform parents of prospective students about the dropout rates! 

Before I graduated, many students and I got together to talk about what disappointed us the most about the program. We wanted things to change for the better, hoping new students wouldn’t have to go through the same issues we did. Unfortunately, with the stress that comes with graduation, and having to figure out what to do with our degrees after that, we never finished what we hoped to start. My hope for this school is that it gets shut down, completely redesigned (with the interest of the students -not those who run the program- at heart), and reopened. Be very very careful when choosing this program. Read the other reviews as I also fully vouch for all that has been said.

I am currently a second year ESP student and enjoying it, despite being far from any teacher's favorite. PROS: ESP teaches you up-to-date material, with a very well weighted approach to physiotherapy. Although the pace of studies gets sometimes quite intense, it teaches you to be more organized and being able to study fast. The course's focus to implement internships between the semesters pays off with having more confidence and being able to critically judge studied material from a more practical perspective. Being a second year student, I feel much more confident in my practical skills than the students from Dutch physiotherapy programs two years ahead of me. CONS: ESP is probably not a great choice for people, who are not sure of their choice of profession, since it puts large amounts of stress due to study load. Students who are not very stress-resistant will most likely experience trouble with going through the study process. Bear in mind, that if you are not Amsterdam based, there will be an additional pressure from finding accommodation and getting used to living in a new city. You will definitely find that some material is covered in a rushed manner and you would prefer more time to absorb it.

I am currently a second year student at ESP. I am finishing my third semester and will leave to my second internship next week! At this exact moment of my ESP career, I am totally worn out and exhausted, but I am at a higher level than 3rd of 4th year students of other programs. And that's ESP in a nutshell. Undoubtedly hard work, and unbelievably rewarding. If you are considering ESP, be very honest with yourself about your learning style and your motivation. The program is at such a fast pace that you need to be proactive and organized in order to survive it. They warn you about the intensity at demands at the beginning of the application process, and you have been warned again! BUT it is doable if you have the energy, intrinsic motivation, passion, AND ORGANIZATION. Here is a Pro's and con's list from an insider: Pros: +small program = personalized program with a lot of flexibility +Lecturers and coordinators are open and eager for suggestions and feedback to improve the program +Lecturers are high quality!! +The courses each come with a detailed course manual that has ALL the information that you need to be organized and to know what is expected of you. +practical classes with max of 22 students, VERY personal and effective +Lecturers bend over backwards to accommodate each individual's path. +HUGE opportunities with networking and resources through their internship database +Quality of education unmatched! Cons -small program = not perfect -Very demanding, exhausting, and fast paced (which they are very transparent about) -If you are not proactive, you will get behind. There is no baby-ing -Internships are expensive! and all costs are on you. -Easy to get delayed! -If English is not your first language, theory exams can be difficult! -Not always clear what is happening because as soon as you understand the flow of something, the demands change (but this is attributed to the fast pace, not the organization of the program.) I would 100% recommend ESP if you think it is a good match to your learning style!

There many fantastic physiotherapy schools in Europe but this is not one of them. I could write a long review , but I will not , because pretty much everything has already been described by the other bad review. please read the long bad review on here and know that pretty much everything the student says is true. I am current student also making an anonymous review so that I do not fail my exams. The course is hopelessly disorganised , the 4 years of content is just crammed into 3 years. There are some great teachers but also some really really bad ones who kinda outweigh the good ones. The 'favouritism' described by the other review is true - if you are one of the favourites you will do well otherwise the teachers have no time for you. The classes do not prepare you for the exams - the people passing have lots of previous experience in similar subjects and if that is not you then you will struggle a lot to keep up. I have nothing more to add because everything the other long bad review says is true. More people in my class want to add a bad review but they are too scared to not pass. The handful of people I know who are happy on the course are the class favourites. If you have a similar education in the field then maybe this is the course for you to learn the skills. If this is your first degree - choose another university for your degree - this one is not worth your time. The huge drop out rate is proof of this. Many people left our class after the first term then again at the end of the year. Very few people graduate on time at the end. Think twice before coming here!