Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: Semester in Amsterdam Program June 06, 2024
By A student (Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences, Wellesley College) - abroad from 02/05/2024 to 05/31/2024 with
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: Amsterdam - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
My experience was worthwhile, and it was an amazing experience to live in another country. I got to learn about the history and culture of the Netherlands. Additionally, the Netherlands has so many great museums, so if you buy a Museumkaart (museum pass), you have unlimited access to hundreds of museums across the country!
Review Photos
Personal Information
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Most of my classes required a little to a moderate amount of work outside of class lectures and tutorials. Sometimes it was difficult to know what was expected to me by the professor in regards to grading, expectations, assignment requirements, etc. It took some time to get used to the Dutch grading system -- a 7/10 is considered a good grade, and a 9/10 or 10/10 is extremely hard to get! |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The Semester in Amsterdam employees were friendly and tried to be as helpful as possible. They always responded to my emails in a timely manner (sometimes within the same day). All the program events that I attended (introduction day, adventure day, Hague and ICC visit, canal cruise) were fun and well organized. I just wish there were more organized opportunities to get to meet other VU students. |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I stayed in Hotel Jansen during my study abroad. It was in a very good location (5 minute bike ride to metro stop and tram stop, 15 minute bike ride to the VU, 10 minute walk to nearest grocery store) in a family-friendly neighborhood. There are many restaurants nearby. My room was nice and in pretty good condition when I arrived. The bed was comfortable and I think it was slightly smaller than a full-sized bed. The room came with some toilet paper, sheets, pillow, comforter, towels, clothes hangers, and trash bags. I had some leaky toilet problems in the beginning, but the staff were helpful and provided me with towels to mop up the water before maintenance could fix it. I had some friends stay in my room when I visited, and the housekeeping staff provided me with extra bedding (for free) when I asked. I had to borrow an air mattress from a friend because the hotel could not provide one. There is a shared kitchen with a lot of dishware and utensils left by previous inhabitants that anyone is free to use. You also get your own locker in the kitchen to store non-perishable items (I stored pasta, rice, oil, and potatoes in it). One thing that was occasionally hard to find was a knife, so consider purchasing or bringing your own. One thing I was no happy about was that the housing contract I had was an agreement between the VU and Hotel Jansen. This meant that I was not able to change my start and end dates to the contract. The VU's housing agreement with the Hotel Jansen lasted until the end of June, which is at the end of the optional 6th period at the VU (the spring semester is split into 4th, 5th, and 6th periods). This was frustrating because I did not end up taking classes in the 6th period because it was optional and the course offerings were very limited for exchange students. Essentially, I was forced to pay an extra month of rent even though I only stayed at the hotel until the end of May (when the 5th period ended). |
* Food: |
I cooked my own food most of the time, but sometimes I would have lunch at the university. There are multiple restaurants/cafeterias on campus, and the options are pretty tasty and affordable. I especially liked getting the fresh baguette sandwiches from the cafeteria in the main building. The made to order freshly baked pizza was also nice. There are also many coffee machines and cafes on campus that are convenient and visited by many students. |
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The customs are pretty similar to the United States, so it was easy to adjust to the culture. One thing to note is that if you do not speak Dutch, you will never truly feel like you are part of the community. Cycling culture is huge in the Netherlands, so getting/renting a bike is a must! There are so many bike paths that riding a bike is often faster than taking public transportation or driving somewhere. |
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not use the healthcare there, but it was easy to register myself at the hospital online. (You need to register yourself in the system before they can provide healthcare.) |
* Safety: |
I almost always felt safe (was catcalled once). Travelling alone using public transportation felt super safe even close to midnight. I was never really concerned with pickpockets, but always made sure to keep an eye on my belongings, especially in the city center where it can get very crowded. |
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I really enjoyed living in Amsterdam/the Netherlands for a semester. While the educational experience was not the most enjoyable at times, I think it was worthwhile to experience what it is like to attend a large university. |
Finances
* 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) |
I spent about 35-40 euros each week on groceries, about 10 euros per week on public transportation, and about 20 euros per month to rent a bike. Too Good to Go is widely used, so that is another way to get groceries or pre-made meals cheaply. |
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | ~50-60 euros |
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Rent a bike from Swapfiets! Also, the NS intercity trains can be quite expensive, so if you are traveling with others to another city in the Netherlands, consider buying off-peak group tickets to save money. |
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
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
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? | I wish I knew more about my housing situation and food/dining situation. Specifically, it would be good to know that I would be cooking for myself most of the time and that the housing contract is for a fixed period of time that cannot be changed. |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
Individual Course Reviews
Course Name/Rating: |
Beyond Gender Inequalities |
Course Department: | Social Sciences |
Instructor: | |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | The lectures felt very detached from the tutorial and final project. The final project was a group project where I worked with a group of 4 other students to write a magazine focused on the media portrayal of female soccer players. We each wrote an article and conducted our own research for it. I did most of the readings for the class, but never felt the need to use them other than for a short in-class activity during one tutorial. The instructors tried to encourage discussion during the lectures and would sometimes cold call students. I would say the class was not very challenging. I am not a WGST major, so I did end up learning some things about gender studies and intersectionality. Even though the class is called Beyond Gender Inequalities, the focus is more on intersectionality. I turned in all my assignments on time and passed them all on the first try. (There is no final exam, just the final project.) |
Credit Transfer Issues: | I am in the process of trying to get the course approved for general 300-level transfer credit. My friend has already gotten it approved, but I have had some trouble because I am not a WGST major. |
Course Name/Rating: |
Big Data in Sustainability Science |
Course Department: | Science |
Instructor: | |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | While the course mentions that coding is used, most of the assignments were focused on data analysis and analyzing charts/maps. I was able to finish most of the weekly homework assignments with my partner during the tutorials. The tutorial instructors were very helpful and always did their best to answer our questions. The final exam was digital and multiple choice and focused on the material covered on the lecture slides (no coding). The lectures were clear and informative, and the professors tried their best to keep the class engaged and interested. I did not find the course very challenging, but I think it did a good job with introducing me to important machine learning and statistical analysis concepts like backpropagation, clustering, and validation methods. |
Credit Transfer Issues: | I received approval to transfer credit from this course to be applied towards general credit for my Environmental Studies minor. |
Course Name/Rating: |
World Heritage and Conflict |
Course Department: | Humanities |
Instructor: | |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | I barely learned anything in this class and I am still unsure on what it is supposed to be about. I did not find the lectures interesting and struggled to pay attention because I felt like there was barely anything worth taking notes on. The tutorials were unnecessarily long and did not promote much discussion in the class. One thing to note is that the professor seemed like a very easy grader compared to professors/TAs in my other classes. I would not recommend taking this class if you are genuinely interested in learning something. |
Credit Transfer Issues: | I am able to transfer credit from this course for my arts distribution requirement. |
Course Name/Rating: |
Computational Intelligence |
Course Department: | Science |
Instructor: | |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | This course was challenging for me because I had only used Python in one other class before this and the lectures were sometimes confusing and unclear. I would not recommend this course for anyone that is not familiar with coding in Python. All the assignments are individual assignments, and collaborating with others is prohibited. Although I was very confused most of the time, I still think I learned a lot in this class. I had to devote extra time to reviewing concepts outside of class time because almost all of the material was new to me. I found the assignments very challenging to do without getting TA help at the tutorials. A lot of the times the assignments were confusing because I was unsure of what was being asked of me. I think the course would be easier if I had previously taken a machine learning course (most of the VU students in the class were Artificial Intelligence majors). The final exam was a digital and multiple choice exam that covered concepts from the slides. |
Credit Transfer Issues: | I was approved to transfer credit of this course for 300-level major credit (I am a computer science concentration for the Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences major). |