GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE EXPERIENCE REPORT
Please write this report in English
The student report will be published on the:
 Study Abroad website (under “Experiences” from partner universities)
Please let us know if you do not want your report to be published. If you please, certain parts
can also be taken out of the report before publication.
Name: Maarten Lamberts
E-mail: m.lamberts@uvt.nl
Study Program: Psychology
Exchange semester: Fall
Academic year: 4
Host University: Bocconi
Country: Italy
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please, describe:
 The school and its surroundings:
 please describe the city you lived in;
Milan is quite a large city . It has great public transport with busses, trams and metro's as well
as trains. The city centre is surprisingly small however, but it has a nice atmosphere and the
square at the famous church is really amazing.
 where is the university located in the city?
Towards the south of the city.
 please describe the campus of your host university
The university exists of 2 main buildings close to eachother. The campus has nothing special
going for it, but it is just fine and the classrooms are very good with big screens and tables.
There is also a library with study places and group meeting rooms.
 what is the best place to go to eat/drink/dance/do sports/etc.?
There's a famous street next to a river called Navigli, there are many places to eat and drink
here and spend time with friends. There is also a big park in the northern side of the city, where
many clubs are situated to go out.
 what are interesting things to see and do in your host city?
The Cathedral of Milan, The castello sforzesco
 what was different than in Tilburg?
The city is a lot larger and it's a very functional city. It's not really a city to visit as a tourist. It's
more focussed on work, business and studying.
 Current faculty divisions and special areas
Accounting, Finance, Management and technology, Marketing, Decision sciences, Department
of Economics, Department of legal studies, policy analysis and public management.
 Number of students: graduate and undergraduate; number of exchange students
14 406 / 1259
 Study structure
Attend classes and do assignments when at home.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
 When did you receive the pre-arrival information from the host university?
28-04-2015 I received an email with links to the academic calendar, courses and housing
 Any difficulties?
I had trouble logging in to the site when the course selection opened, resulting in 2 of the
courses I wanted to do being full. However in the second week of class they opened up more
spots and people who didn't take the class could unregister so I could still sign up.
Visa procedure and arrival
 How long did it take you to arrange your (student) visa (if relevant)?
 How much did you pay for the visa (if relevant)?
 How was your arrival organized?
I arrived on the 27th of August at the end of the afternoon, the next morning I had to pick up my
keys from the estate agent so I booked a hotel close to their office for 1 night, I took a bus to
the hotel and the next day I picked up my key and took a bus to my appartment.
 Did someone pick you up from the airport/station?
no
 How was the reception at the school?
Upon entering there were students telling you where to go for the sign up. You received a
university card as well as some practical information and a usb drive with more information on
it.
 Was the administration and faculty well prepared for your arrival?
Yes
 What problems, if any did you encounter?
None
Orientation/Introduction activities
 Was an orientation or introduction activity organized?
Yes, they had city and university tours and events to get to know other people
 Did the school’s students participate in the reception of the exchange students?
The members of the exchange organisation, some of which were students did.
 Did you have a student mentor/buddy?
No
Housing
 How was accommodation organized?
The university has a number of dorms, however they were full very fast and words on the street
is they are not that good, also they are quite expensive, around 2400 euros for a semester.
 Did you have to book your accommodation in advance or did you have to search for a place
to live after you arrived?
In advance
 What kind of housing does the university provide?
Dorms
 What support did you receive from the school in locating housing?
They had their own dorms, and for people who didn't have a spot there, gave them the sites of
a few estate agencies so you could look on your own.
 Were you satisfied with your accommodation?
Yes.
 Any special issues or good ideas/useful websites for prospective students?
Reale gest is the estate agency that helped me. I heard a number of bad stories about them
trying to kick people out of their appartment so they could get more rent from other people. But
for me personally everything was good.
Living Costs
 How did you finance your exchange period, apart from the grant you received from Tilburg
University?
Personal savings
 What were your living expenses abroad like compared to Tilburg?
Supermarkets and food are actually quite expensive, but there are a few cheap stores. I always
went to the Lidl. Other than that, it's about the same as in the Netherlands
 What did you spend most of your money on?
Housing and food.
 What would you advice future students to spend their money on?
Depending on the wishes of the student, there is a big difference in housing prices. If you find
a place a bit more outside of the city you can get a really luxurious apartment with a private
room for 400-500 euros. If you want to live in the centre, it's easily 700 euros for a room in a
small apartment. So it's important to decide for yourself what trade offs you want to make.
Besides that, I went on a number of trips to other places in Italy which in my opinion is well
worth the money.
 Please outline your approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange:





Housing 400
Food 300
Transport 40
Books 0
Miscellaneous 150
Academic Calendar
 Arrival date & introductory week
Arrival on 25-08-2015
 First day of the semester?
02-09-2015
 Last day of classes?
11-12-2015
 Mid-term break?
Yes, can't remember the date
 Examination period?
14-12-2015 until 23-12-2015
 Any special events?
The International Office
 Is there an international office?
Yes
 Who is responsible for incoming exchange students?
I don't know
 How does the international office function?
Like the student desk in Tilburg, you get a ticket and wait until they call your number.
 Are you satisfied with the information provided to you by the international office?
Yes
Exchange promotion
 What kind of activity did you take part in to promote exchange to Tilburg University at your
exchange university?
I don't think there were any activities.
Social Activities
 Which social activities are organized by the university/students for exchange students?
There were a number of trips, including a ski-trip, a trip to oktoberfest in Germany and a trip to
Florence and other places nearby. Also they had events where you could get free drinks or
entrance to clubs in Milan.
 Is there a student organization for international student?
Yes, ESN.
 Did you have contact with local students?
For a number of classes I worked in groups with Italian students, not that much contact
outside of school life.
 Did you have contact with other exchange students?
Yes, I lived with 3 other exchange students and met more during the trips.
 Did you travel to other places/countries during your exchange?
Yes, I went to Rome with 2 friends, to Verona with 4 friends and went on the trip with ESN to
Florence.
Culture and Language
 Did you experience culture shock while on exchange?
Not so much on arrival, but after 4 months I was happy to go back home to be honest.
 How would you compare your host culture to your own culture?
 What did you learn about your own culture while on exchange?
My sense of humor and directness wasn't always understood or appreciated
 What was different about your host culture than you expected?
It was less friendly and relaxed than I expected
 How would you describe your host country’s culture?
The Italian students I met were all very nice and helpful. They are good students in general and
work hard for their grades. However many other people were not very hard working and very
inefficient.
 What did you like and not like about your host culture?
I was pleasantly surprised by the hard working students. But I didn't like the inefficiency and not
hard-working attitude of people in stores and in day to day life.
 Do you feel you learned a lot about your host culture, and if not, what would you like to
learn more?
I think I learned a lot, but the south of Italy is a bit different from the north I think, so that's maybe
a place to go still.
 If you travelled to other cities/countries during your exchange, were they different than
your host city/country, and how?
The cities were comparable.
 Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
Not every student can speak great english, but usually well enough to work together just fine.
 Did you follow language courses during your exchange?
A beginners Italian class
 Did you follow the Erasmus Intensive Language Course?
No
Personal Development
 How do you think the exchange experience will affect you from a cultural and social point
of view?
I appreciate the Dutch culture more now, because I realised not everyone is as motivated as
we are.
 How do you think the exchange experience will influence your future career possibilities?
Not sure. I was considering maybe moving to Italy after my study if I really liked it, but I now
know I don't want to live there.
 What did you learn from the people you met during your exchange?
People really differ a lot based on their home country.
 Would you do things differently if you had the chance and what would you do differently?
I think I did most I wanted. Maybe work a bit harder for classes.
 What was your best experience, and what was your worst experience?
Best: The trips to the other places. Worst: I fell and my nose wouldn't stop bleeding so I had to
go to the hospital to get it stop.
 What will you never forget about your exchange period?
The trips I went on.
 What was the most important lesson you learned about yourself during your exchange
period?
I have to consider being less direct and blunt towards others.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Academic level at a host university
 In what language(s) are the courses offered at a partner university?
English and Italian
 Did you follow any courses taught in the language of the host country?
No
 Which courses did you take and why?
- Organizing entrepreneurship, I took this because the course I wanted to take was full, and this
course looked interesting.
- Economics (inequality, poverty and income distribution), because I wanted to learn more about
these topics.
- Leadership skills, because I would like to work as a executive in a company
- Psychology of marketing, because it teaches you how people thing and make decisions,
focused on consumers and products.
 Which courses would you recommend?
I found all courses to be worthwhile.

How would compare the academic level at your host university to the academic level at
Tilburg University (e.g.: level of the courses, use of extra material, level of English,
workload, etc.)?
In general the courses are good. Clear material, teachers speak english well and workload is
just fine. However, in my opinion classes were a bit easier than in Tilburg.
 Is the teaching style primarily practical or theoretical?
Mostly theoretical, however organizing entrepreneurship was more practical with case studies
and projects.
 What teaching method is practiced by the host university: case studies, group work,
seminars or lectures (or a mix)?
Mostly lectures compared with group projects
 How would you describe the relationship between the students and the teaching staff?
Teachers all showed great willingness to answer and help students
 In general, were you happy with your academic achievements during your exchange?
Yes
Exams
 What types of exams did you have to sit?
Midterms, Finals
Other
 Can students easily access the library and its resources?
Yes
 Were there public computers available on campus/in university buildings?
Yes
Description of Courses
Please list all courses you have taken at the partner university in the form below:
 Course title and code
 Course level (BA/MA)
 Prerequisites, if any
 Form of exam
 ECTS credits you have obtained in total:
 Comments: Relevance, Difficult/easy, Practical/theoretical, Enrolment problems
Course
Organizing
entrepreneurship ba
Prerequisites
None
Leadership skills ba
None
Psychology of
Marketing ba
None
Exam
Weekly
cases,
Final
assignm
ent,
Group
assignm
ent
Three
tests
and
group
assignm
ent
Midterm
or final,
group
assignm
ent
ECTS
6
Comments
No finals or midterms,
just the assignments
during the semester.
Nice spread out
workload
6
No final, but three short
tests during the
semester
6
You only have to take
either the midterm or the
final. You also have to
review 5 papers and a
group assignment.
Requires you to keep up
with it in order to do well
Economics (poverty,
inequality and income
distribution) ba
None
Midterm
and final
6
Straightforward class.
You read papers and
the teacher covers
these in class and
explains other subjects
as well. You then take a
midterm and final
Please fill in all the courses you have taken
Tips for the future students:
 Would you recommend an exchange period?
Yes, it's a great way to spend your time and learn more about the world instead of jusr staying
in the same place for 3-4 years.
 Would you recommend your host university?
Yes, I thought it was a nice university and it has a great reputation.
 What should prospective students absolutely not forget before going on exchange?
Plan your courses and requirements well before leaving to prevent getting in trouble on arrival.
Maybe take a few courses from your next year to make sure you won't lose any time.
 How can they better prepare before going on exchange to this destination?
Learning a bit of Italian is useful, because even though most students and teachers can speak
english, many other people can't.
 Was there anything you should have arranged before departure that you haven’t?
No
A picture is worth a thousand words
If you took any pictures or made any videos that you would like to share with future exchange
students, please include them (or e-mail them separately). Pictures that show your daily life or
symbolize your exchange period are especially interesting for future exchange students.
Blog
If you kept a (photo) blog during your exchange that you would like to share (e.g.:
www.waarbenjijnu.nl, www.blipfoto.com) with future exchange students, please let us know
the URL.
Contact details:
Can the International Relations Office share your e-mail address with prospective exchange
students, so that other students can contact you for more information? If yes, make sure to
write down you e-mail address on the first page of this report.
Sure