Experience report
Name:
E-mail:
Exchange semester:
Academic year:
Host University:
Country:
Dennis van der Steen
d.vdrsteen@tilburguniversity.edu
Fall
2014-2015
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Belgium
Admission, arrival, housing
The arrival was not very organized, I received an e-mail with the dates and time at which we were
expected to show up for an introduction weekend. So if it is your first time in Brussels you have to
find your own way to the campus of VUB. The introduction weekend itself was quite a
disappointment for me. Besides some practical info and a tour around the campus there were few
activities. But fortunately there is a café/bar at the campus where you can have a drink with other
international students to get to know each other. This first day I have met a lot of people who
became my friends later.
Since Brussels is so close to Tilburg, my parents drove me to my accommodation by car. The main
advantage of this is that you can bring anything you want as long as it fits in the car. The university
provides some accommodation on the campus, for which you will receive an e-mail in advance. This
is provided on a first-come-first-served basis so you have to be quick. This residence has a private
owner who is not known for his kindness, so be aware, he puts the key-card in your letter-box which
has a narrow slit where you have to squeeze your hand through to get the key-card. I have tried to
find a “kot” on my own but this was very hard, so luckily there were some rooms provided by the
university. The rooms are quite expensive, they don’t have a kitchen (bring your own electric cooking
plate!) and they look a bit boring. But since I lived there with plenty of other exchange students it
was a really good place to hang out with each other and its right on the campus.
Location of university/city
The VUB is located in the southeast of Brussels, approximately 25 minutes from the city centre by
public transport. Brussels is a vibrant cosmopolitan city, with lots of international citizens. Brussels
consists of 19 municipalities, all with their own bars, shops and atmosphere. One of these is the area
where you can find the major political institutions of the EU. Really nice places that I can recommend
for a drink are: Delirium; where they have more than 3000 different kind of beers, Corbeau; where
you can dance on the tables all night long, and Fuse; this is one of the biggest clubs in Brussels but
they only have techno music. Restaurants are really expensive so what we did was to cook an
international dinner with a few friends and split the costs. If you like fitness, there is a Health City on
the campus but unfortunately this is also expensive.
Academics
When I first saw the campus of VUB I was surprised by the ancient buildings. Compared to the Tilburg
University it is really old-fashioned. Also the way of teaching was a bit old-school, some professors
didn’t use PowerPoint slides nor a textbook. For the exam you just had to study the class notes and
some cases. The courses I did were: Selected Topics of Association and Company Law, which I can
recommend, International Financial Law, European Labour and Employment Law and International
Law II. The level of the courses are comparable to the level in Tilburg, maybe slightly more difficult
because you are not used to the way of teaching and examining. But most of the professors are really
nice and helpful. The library on the campus was not comfortable at all, they have French keyboards
which is very annoying because all the letters are in different places than we are used to. And there
are very few computers!
Social life
Many social activities were organized by ESN, for example trips to other cities in Belgium and parties
in Brussels. The main activity was the supertrip to Prague, which was awesome! The exchange
coordinator of the VUB organized informative trips to some of the EU institutions. These activities
are perfect to get to know other exchange students. There are also parties on the campus which are
organized by Belgian students, I can assure you that they are crazy.
You can also arrange your own party off course with other exchange students. Almost every night
there is something to do in Brussels.
Living costs
Living in Brussels is not cheap at all. Due to the rent prices and the fact that you will probably go out
a lot it is convenient to save some money before departure. Food prices in supermarkets are high so I
can recommend the Colruyt supermarket near the campus if you want cheaper grocery. You can get
a card for public transport for €120 with which you can travel by metro, bus and tram for the whole
year. Also train tickets are cheaper than in the Netherlands. Student materials were not very
expensive since you don’t need a textbook. I think I spend approximately €1100 per month all
together.
Culture
The overall culture in Belgium is not very different from the culture in the Netherlands. Belgian
students, however, are very different from Dutch students. They are very serious and always
prepared for class. Students of the student associations look really funny but also disgusting, they
wear a weird cap and a long coat which they are not allowed to wash. In the weekend all the Belgian
students go back to their parents’ house. I think Belgians are really enjoying life, they are always out
for a drink or they go to the markets that you can find all over the city. Most of the people speak
French there but sometimes also Dutch or English.
Personal development
During my exchange period I met people from all over the world. Especially it is funny to speak with
Asian people, they are totally different from Europeans. It was also good for me personally to live
alone in a foreign country, it also improved my English language skills. You have to be very openminded when you go on exchange and therefore I learned a lot about other cultures. The people I
met I now call friends and I hope I will see them again in the near future.
I don’t think I would do anything differently if I had the chance. I had a great time during my
exchange!
Tips for future students
I would recommend an exchange period in Brussels because it is close to home and therefore a lot of
friends came over to visit me and we had some crazy nights in Brussels. Although it is so close it is
also very different from my hometown, the language, the people, the culture. The most important tip
is to make sure you have an apartment before departure. It is really hard to find a place to live in
Brussels. If you don’t want to live on the campus I can recommend www.brik.be to help you find a
nice “kot”.