Independence in a beautiful and fun city Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/31/2019 to 06/04/2019 with
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: Amsterdam - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Learning how to "adult"
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Very independent, not very hard |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very welcoming and receptive to helping out |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in The Student Hotel in Amsterdam West and it was a pain in terms of washing clothes, renting bikes, my housing also switched up last minute but it was in a good location and overall good living situation |
| * Food: |
Cooked all my meals, groceries were not too expensive but definitely had to budget |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Dutch people made very little effort to reach out to exchange students, you have to make a personal effort to feel integrated with the local culture whether through meeting new people or getting to know Amsterdam |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had a bike accident occur and my program did nothing to help out with that, it was all me. Thankfully the healthcare was super accessible and nowhere near the pain and expense of health care in the US. |
| * Safety: |
Amsterdam West is pretty safe but there were instances of crime in the area where one had to still watch out for themselves |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
For those looking for independence, this program is perfect. |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
super easy to have a budget! shop at Dirk, Aldi, Lidl and you will spend $40 a week on groceries and have money to go out (going out is pricey though) and I went out a lot |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $150-200 a week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Shop at Dirk, Aldi, Lidl! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | biking in Amsterdam is a whole other beast!!! |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
