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)
 TSH study abroad blackboard page
I am fine with my report being published online: YES
ANR: 144147
Name: Rutger van Poppel
E-mail: r.p.a.j.vanpoppel@uvt.nl
Exchange semester:
Fall, 2015
Academic year: 3rd
Host University: University of Technology Sydney
Country: Australia
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please, describe:
 The school and its surroundings:
 Please describe the city you lived in; Sydney is a very peaceful and beautiful city with
a great living environment. Within the city there are several different environments
from the busy touristic spots and CBD to the relaxing parks and nice neighborhoods.
This made the city, at least for me, the perfect place to spend my exchange.
 Where is the university located in the city? UTS is located in the heart of Sydney, it is
actually right across Sydney’s central train station. This makes the university very
accessible.
 Please describe the campus of your host university: Since the campus was located in
the center of the city there was no space for sports fields or large fields to chill. Even
to change classrooms or go to another building you had to cross some of the most
busy streets within Sydney. This was to me a great experience since I didn’t really
feel the need to chill in a park anyways. Obviously there where some spots you could
just hang out with (class)mates, but these are just not that big. The campus itself
however is huge, especially compared to Tilburg’s campus. The inside of the campus
is partly new and partly old. UTS is currently constructing a lot of new buildings and
some of them opened for the first time the semester I was there. However, the main
building is pretty old which is notable in classrooms and stuff.
 What is the best place to go to eat/drink/dance/do sports/etc.? There’s a great Thai
place across the Tower building (Building 1), which serves $5 sandwiches, including
a drink. Furthermore, the 7Eleven coffee is only $1 dollar (which is super cheap in
Australia). There are also some café’s and bars on campus which are good places to
go to meet other students and have a beer.
 What are interesting things to see and do in your host city? There’s so much to do
and see in Sydney. Obviously there is Sydney Harbour where you can see the
Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. One of my favorite thing about Sydney was
that there is always something to do. I used to just walk on one of the main streets
towards Sydney or Darling Harbour (Pitt Street and George Street) and just watch the
people and everything that’s happening around me.
 What was different than in Tilburg? Sydney is impressively different from Tilburg, it’s
bigger, more international and there is way more stuff to see and do. Furthermore,
the people are comparable. Both nationalities are really nice persons in general and
willing to help you everytime and everywhere. However, this is all a bit more in
Australia than in The Netherlands.
 Current faculty divisions and special areas: 8 faculties
 Number of students: 10,797 graduate and 28,037 undergraduate; number of exchange
students: 11,418
 Study structure
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
 When did you receive the pre-arrival information from the host university? April
 Any difficulties? No, just a lot of arranging which wouldn’t be different at another
Univeristy I recon.
Visa procedure and arrival
 How long did it take you to arrange your (student) visa (if relevant)? One day
 How much did you pay for the visa? 550 euro (I believe)
 How was your arrival organized? Great, the minute you checked in at the reception of
UTS you where guided to your room and everything was set. Events were organized from
day one, which was a great way to meet other students and eventual friends.
 Did someone pick you up from the airport/station? No, there was a UTS shuttle organized
from and to the Airport but I came in late so it was not going anymore.
 How was the reception at the school? Good, nothing to complain about.
 Was the administration and faculty well prepared for your arrival? Yeah it was, no trouble
with checking or anything. Nice welcome and good events organized.
 What problems, if any did you encounter? None
Orientation/Introduction activities
 Was an orientation or introduction activity organized? Yeah, the first week was one big
party week with events all day long, and some at night. This was perfect to meet other
students and room mates.
 Did the school’s students participate in the reception of the exchange students? Yeah,
some did. Only the ones who lived on campus as well.
 Did you have a student mentor/buddy? Yeah, within the UTS residents there were
Resident Advisors who guided you and helped you whenever needed.
Housing
 How was accommodation organized? Good, looked nice, nice people, clean and in the
center of the city. So, nothing to complain.
 Did you have to book your accommodation in advance or did you have to search for a
place to live after you arrived? Booking of housing was in advance.
 What kind of housing does the university provide? Several University Housing buildings
which were separate from each other, but all close to the university. Like, 10 minute walk.
 What support did you receive from the school in locating housing? This all went through
mail, so you knew before arriving where you would end up and you where brought to the
resident with a shuttle bus. The shuttle bus drove everyday, all day long until 2am.
 Were you satisfied with your accommodation? Yes
 Any special issues or good ideas/useful websites for prospective students? No, you get
everything mailed through once you need it. So just keep an eye on your mailbox.
Living Costs
 How did you finance your exchange period, apart from the grant you received from
Tilburg University? I saved a lot of money on before hand, from which I knew I was going
to spend all on my exchange. Eventually I nearly spend all of it on my housing rent and
the rest I spend on fun stuff, like travelling. Furthermore I started a student loan at the
Dutch government one month before I left to Sydney, which covered my monthly costs.
Sadly, I had to loan some more money from my parents for travelling and fun stuff.
 What were your living expenses abroad like compared to Tilburg? I spend way more
money abroad, not just because you do a lot of touristic stuff, but also because living in
Sydney is way more expensive then here. Like, a beer costs at least $8, which is insane
compared to the Dutch prises.
 What did you spend most of your money on? Travelling and fun stuff, like partying,
visiting cool places and daytrips.
 What would you advice future students to spend their money on? Travelling and fun stuff.
 Please outline your approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange:
 Housing: 625 euro a month
 Food: 200 euro
 Transport: 50 euro


Books: none
Miscellaneous: 200 euro
Academic Calendar
 Arrival date & introductory week: 15 July. 17 July – 24 July
 First day of the semester? 27 July
 Last day of classes? 27 July
 Mid-term break? 25 September – 2 Octobre
 Examination period? November
 Any special events? Australian Day, 26th of January
The International Office
 Is there an international office? Yeah, on campus in the main building.
 Who is responsible for incoming exchange students? UTS Housing Services.
 How does the international office function? The security visits every housing resident
every few hours, and the big residents even have a reception which is open 24/7. The
main reception at Yura is available 24/7 as well for questions and help.
 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?
Social Activities
 Which social activities are organized by the university/students for exchange students?
Multiple organized UTS housing events like barbeques and parties.
 Is there a student organization for international student? Yes
 Did you have contact with local students? Yeah, some housemates of my were Australian
 Did you have contact with other exchange students? Yeah, a lot actually. Most of my
housemates were exchange students.
 Did you travel to other places/countries during your exchange? Yeah, I travelled a lot in
Australia and even went to New Zealand
Culture and Language
 Did you experience culture shock while on exchange?
 How would you compare your host culture to your own culture?
 What did you learn about your own culture while on exchange?
 What was different about your host culture than you expected?
 How would you describe your host country’s culture?
 What did you like and not like about your host culture?
 Do you feel you learned a lot about your host culture, and if not, what would you like to
learn more?
 If you travelled to other cities/countries during your exchange, were they different than
your host city/country, and how?
 Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
 Did you follow language courses during your exchange?
 Did you follow the Erasmus Intensive Language Course?
Personal Development
 How do you think the exchange experience will affect you from a cultural and social point
of view?
 How do you think the exchange experience will influence your future career possibilities?
 What did you learn from the people you met during your exchange?
 Would you do things differently if you had the chance, and what would you do differently?
 What was your best experience, and what was your worst experience?
 What will you never forget about your exchange period?
 What was the most important lesson you learned about yourself during your exchange
period?
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Academic level at a host university
 In what language(s) are the courses offered at a partner university?
 Did you follow any courses taught in the language of the host country?
 Which courses did you take and why?
 Which courses would you recommend?
 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.)?
 Is the teaching style primarily practical or theoretical?
 What teaching method is practiced by the host university: case studies, group work,
seminars or lectures (or a mix)?
 How would you describe the relationship between the students and the teaching staff?
 In general, were you happy with your academic achievements during your exchange?
Exams
 What types of exams did you have to sit?
Other
 Can students easily access the library and its resources?
 Were there public computers available on campus/in university buildings?
Description of Courses
Please list all courses you have taken at a 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 Name
Prerequisites
Exam
Major at TiU
Ex: 1234 finance
none
Written
Finance
Please fill in all the courses you have taken
Approved
as
(minor/ elective
/ extra)
Elective
Tips for the future students:
 Would you recommend an exchange period?
 Would you recommend your host university?
 What should prospective students absolutely not forget before going on exchange?
 How can they better prepare before going on exchange to this destination?
 Was there anything you should have arranged before departure that you haven’t?
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 could contact you for more information? YES