Experience report Valerie Vervoort
ANR: 418424
Name: Valerie Vervoort
E-mail: x.valeriiee@hotmail.com
Exchange semester: fall semester 3th year.
Academic year: 3th.
Host University: University of Western Australia
Country: Australia
TOPIC: Admission, arrival, housing
How was your arrival organized? Did someone pick you up from the airport/station?
My arrival was organized perfectly well. I had to arrange with the University of Western
Australia that someone would pick me up as soon as I arrived in Perth. This pick up service
was free. You have to arrange this early though, otherwise they can not pick you up
anymore.
Was an orientation or introduction activity organized?
There was an introduction week at UWA. During this week, you were thaught how everything
worked at UWA and where all the lecture theatres were etc. The last two days of this week
were filled with activities for which you could sign up. We went to the zoo, we went shopping
and we got a tour through Fremantle.
How was accommodation organized? Does the university provide you with accommodation?
What kind of accommodation does the university provide? Did you have to book your
accommodation in advance or did you have to search for a place to live after you arrived?
The university provides accommodations. You have to be quick and apply for these as soon
as you can. I was too late due to some circumstances, but I got really lucky and could get a
last-minute spot in one of the colleges. The university has 5 different colleges where you can
stay in. I stayed at St. Thomas More. I am so lucky I got to stay here, because it turned out
that St. Thomas More is one of the best colleges to stay if you’re an exchange student. This
is because St. Thomas More doesn’t have as many students as the other colleges so
everyone knows eachother which makes the whole experience even greater than it already
is.
TOPIC: Location of university/city
Please describe the city you lived in. Where is the university located in the city? What is the
best place to go to eat/drink/dance/do sports/etc.? What are interesting things to see and do
in your host city? What was different than in Tilburg?
I lived in Perth, Western Australia. This city is one of the biggest cities of Australia, but not at
all as big as Sydney or Melbourne. The atmosphere is great and the University of Western
Australia is located perfectly. The colleges are right across the campus and the city center is
only 10 minutes away. The campus is located right next to the beautiful Swan River and the
actual beaches are only 20 minutes away. The people are so nice and relaxt compared to
the people in the big, Dutch cities. I played sports at the gym on campus. We went out every
wednesday night at Cap S (the Captain Stirling Hotel). This was the place where all the
students who lived on campus came. It was very different from the nightlife I knew in the
Netherlands, but that’s what made the experience so exciting. Facing different things,
people, habits, buildings, food etc. There are a lot of cute restaurants in Perth, but it was
really expensive to go there because the prices in Perth are really really high.
TOPIC: Academics
Which courses did you take?
I took the following courses at UWA:
-
Management & Organisations
-
Banking: theory & practice
-
Financial planning
-
Applied Finanical Management
Which courses would you recommend?
I would recommend ‘Management & organisations’, because the book you have to read is
very broad an interesting.
What did the courses add to your program at Tilburg University?
These courses were just courses that fitted exactly in my study program, they didn’t really
add anything. Except for ‘Management & organisations’, because this course is mandatory in
my program at home.
How does the university compare to Tilburg University concerning the level of the courses,
use of extra material, level of English, workload, etc.?
At UWA, I had to take 4 courses instead of 5 (which is the case here at Tilburg University).
And off course, the level of English was higher, since Australia is an English speaking
country. The level of education is as high as in the Netherlands if you take level 2 of 3
courses.
Overall, were you happy with your academic achievements during your exchange?
I passed all my courses and I was happy that I got to learn how the Australian financial
system works.
Please describe the campus of your host university.
The campus of UWA was absolutely beautiful. There were a lot of old buildings with beautiful
characteristics, but the fact that these were mixed with some modern buildings made this
campus so special. One of the most beautiful things was that it was located next to the Swan
River, so before or after my lectures, I was able to study near the water. One time, I even
saw a group of dolphins 7 meters away from me.
TOPIC: Social life
Which social activities organized by the university or students?
Not many social activities were organized by the university itself, but that didn’t matter,
because the college where I lived, organised a lot of social activities so there was always
something fun to do with my friends.
Did you have contact with local students? Did you have contact with other exchange
students? How did you get along with the local students and other exchange students?
I had a lot of Australian students as my friends but exchange students as well. This was
probably because not all the exchange students slept in the same part of the building, but we
were mixed with the Australian students to make this experience as optimal as I wished it
would be.
Did you travel to other places/countries during your exchange?
I travelled with a group of American exchange students to Bali during ‘springbreak’
(studyweek in October). As soon as the semester ended, I travelled to the eastcoast with
some of my friends (Australian and exchange).
TOPIC: Living costs
How did you finance your exchange period, apart from the grant you received from Tilburg
University?
I didn’t receive a grant from Tilburg University, which I think is ridiculous since this exchange
is so much more expensive compared to exchanges to European countries.
My father and my mother financed almost my whole exchange period.
What were your living expenses abroad like compared to Tilburg? What did you spend most
of your money on? What would you advice future students to spend their money on? Please
outline your approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange: housing, food, textbooks, etc.
My living expenses were extremely higher compared to Tilburg. For instance, I pay a rent of
250 euros per month here and I paid 8,5 thousand dollars there to sleep (and eat) in total.
This is approximately 6000 euros. I spent most of my money on alcohol and snacks, because
there were 3 meals per day included in my stay at St. Thomas More College.
TOPIC: Culture
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? 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? How would you describe your host countries culture?
Yes I did. Australian people are so nice and kind hearted compared to the direct and
sometimes to hones Dutch people. Also the values of the Americans were different. I learned
a lot from these cultures and they definitely enriched my life. I think Dutch people have a lot
of great qualities and during my stay in Australia, I got told that other countries think of Dutch
people as very tolerant and understanding people. But we can definitely learn something
from the Australian’s openness and sincerety and sometimes even there lack of arrogance.
If you travelled to other cities/countries during your exchange, were they different than your
host city/country, and how?
The culture is the same in every part of Australia, but I noticed a slight difference in kindness
between the West coast and the East coast. People in the East coast are a bit more in a
hurry and not as relaxt as the people on the West coast.
TOPIC: Personal development
What did you learn from the people you met during your exchange?
I’ve learned a lot from every single person I met during my exchange. I’ve become friends
with some people that I thought would never be the type of people I would be friends with. I
learned about their cultures (especially the Australian and American cultures) and how their
perspectives on life are.
Would you do things differently if you had the chance, and what would you do differently?
I wouldn’t change I minute of my exchange.
What was your best experience, and what was your worst experience? What will you
remember for ever about your exchange period?
I don’t think I can pick exactly one experience which would be the best of my whole
exchange. There were a lot of parties and trips that I will never forget for the rest of my life.
The worst experience would probably be the first day, because my suitcase got lost during
my flight and everything was scary and new.
What was the most important lesson you learned about yourself during your exchange
period?
Be kind to people and then you’ll get way more positive things back in your life. Have
patience.
TOPIC: Tips for future students
Would you recommend an exchange period? Would you recommend your host university?
I would definitely recommend an exchange period, because you learn to deal with certain
situations and with yourself. You learn to be on your own and to be with a lot of different
people at the same time. You learn to look at your life from a distance and you’ll develop
different perspectives.
What should prospective students bring with them/leave behind? What preparation is
required for going on exchange to this destination? Was there anything you should have
done in preparation that you didn’t do?
There is a lot of preparation required to go on exchange. I even think ‘a lot’ is an
understatement. Be prepared.
TOPIC: 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.