Exchange Experience Report
Name: Alyssa van Heel
E-mail: alyssavanheel@hotmail.com
Exchange semester: Fall semester
Academic year: 2014-2015
Host University: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Country: Belgium
Admission, arrival and housing
The moment I received the admission letter from Tilburg University that I was accepted at the Vrije
Unversiteit Brussels (VUB) for the fall semester of the academic year 2014-2015 I was incredibly
happy. To go on exchange was a last minute decision for me, so some universities weren’t available
anymore. I really wanted to stay in Europe and Belgium was not the first country I thought about, but
after exploring the options, it was the best option left for me. Since Brussels is like a 2hour drive from
home (believe me, you don’t feel that close to home when you’re here), my parents were so kind to
help me moving. I arrived in Brussels at the 18th of September.
Looking for housing was terrible. I have been on an exchange before (Sweden, Lund
University) so I was a little experienced in moving to another country and looking for housing etc.,
but find housing in Brussels was really hard. The University does have accommodation, but does not
accommodate foreign students. The exchange website of the VUB gives some help with agencies and
websites, but you have to arrange it all yourself. The VUB has a corporation with Brik, this is a
student housing agency and offers rooms from itself and from different landlords. The rooms are
brilliant and the prices are great, but Brik only hires for min. 12 months. So as an Erasmus exchange
student this is quite useless. Although, Brik has one student residence for exchange students which is
called Van Orley! Immediately when registration was open I registered for a room at Van Orley, but
unfortunately it was already full. You have to be really quick, since the single rooms were gone in like
5 minutes. Then I started to email maybe 30 landlords who offered rooms on the website of Brik and
they all replied with the same answer, saying that they only offer rooms for a minimum period of one
year. So either I had to wait until the very last end in the hope some rooms would still be empty and
they would take me for 6 months, or search further. All my hope was gone and during the summer
holiday I started to email the VUB for some serious help. After 4 emails they replied that they
reserved a couple of rooms at Van Orley and that there were two left. I went to Brussels to have a
look at those rooms and decided to take one. I was really happy, because Van Orley was my first
choice when I started my search.
So it is really important to start on time with the search and if you cannot find anything just
try to find a solution with the university. Prices in Brussels are average I think for a capital city in
Western Europe. I had a 5 month contract and paid 532€ per month.
The first week was the so-called Kick-off the Campus week. During this week the university
campus was full with students, parties, activities and there was a lot of beer! We had a general
introduction talk, a faculty meeting and ESN (Erasmus Student Network) activities. A great
opportunity to meet new (Erasmus) students. So you should definitely participate in this week
activities. I met most of my Erasmus friends during this week.
Location of University/City
Brussels is a wonderful, busy and messy city. It’s not the most beautiful city I’ve been, but it certainly
has some beautiful parts. Next to the capital of Belgium it’s also the capital of Europe. It’s very cool
to see all the ‘Eurocrats’ having beers at Place du Luxembourg on Thursdays. You can definitely feel
the international sphere in this city. Almost everyone speaks, next to French, English. Communication
is very easy in Brussels. The most beautiful part of Brussels is the centre and the south. Grand Place is
amazing, especially in wintertime when all the lights are on and the big Christmas tree stands in the
middle. Then we got of course Manneken Pis, fries, waffles, beers and chocolate! Belgium chocolate
and beers are the best! If you want to go out for beers, there are hundreds of bars you can find, but I
liked Delirium, Scott’s Bar, Moeder Lambic and La Porte Noir the most. Also the in area Saint-Gery
close to Bourse you can find really nice bars with a great atmosphere. For Belgian chocolate Godiva,
Leonidas and Marcolini are really good and more or less affordable.
The VUB is situated in the south east of the city, in the area Etterbeek. From where I lived, it
was 20 minutes by metro (lines 2/6 and 1/5). Public transport is pretty good to university. The VUB
offers a wide range of sports and it’s really cheap. There is also a basic fit on campus where you can
sport. During my exchanges I went swimming at the university swimming pool. You get a sports card
for 7,50€ and you can top it up with 10 or 20 turns for a low price. For 35€ you get a sports activities
card and you can join sports like athletics, volleyball, hockey, yoga, spinning etc.
Academics
The courses that I took at the VUB were:
- International and Comparative Financial Law
- Selected Topics of Company and Association Law
- European Labour and Employment Law
- International Law II
These courses seemed the most challenging and interesting to me. At Tilburg University I’m doing the
master Ondernemingsrecht and these VUB courses would complement my degree the best I thought.
Since I already passed the master courses I had to do for my Ondernemingsrecht-degree, these VUB
courses are extra/on top off courses.
There is a difference between Dutch teaching and Belgian teaching. In the Netherlands I was
used to 45 minutes class, 15 minutes break, 45 minutes class. In Belgium they do it different! It’s very
normal to have 3 or 4 hour classes with just a 10-minute break. I even had two times a 5-hour lecture
for International Law II. You will get used to it and because most courses were very interesting it
wasn’t that bad. But for me 3 hours is the max. For some courses, especially Selected Topics of
Company and Association law (which I really recommend!), you have way more hours of class than
you would have in the Netherlands. The level of the courses was comparable to Tilburg University
courses I would say. Although International and Comparative Financial was a bit a mess sometimes.
You have to keep in mind that not everything is well organized at the VUB and in Belgium in general.
Overall I was very happy with the academic achievements during my exchange. I learned a lot and I
even found a thesis topic within one course.
The last weeks of my exchange we all had exams. I had one paper that I had to submit
(financial law), 2 written exams + little paper (international law II and labour law) and one oral exam
(company law). At the moment I can proudly say that I passed them all.
Social life
ESN had the first 1,5 months their ‘welcome weeks’ full of activities. It is important and really fun to
go there and meet new people. City walks, visits to Brugge/Gent/Antwerpen, chocolate tours, beer
tastings, pub crawls and karaoke nights are some examples. The organization was sometimes very
bad, but the people made it great. I met all my friends during these activities and quickly we became
one big close group doing a lot of things together. ESN Brussels has a ‘supertrip’ each semester and if
you’re here, you should go! We went to Prague for 3 nights and it was unforgettable. Next to Prague,
I went to Paris and other cities in Belgium.
Even though the VUB is a Dutch university I did not really hang out with Belgian people. In
Van Orley I lived with around 100 other foreign students and I was the only Dutch student. I really
liked it and this gave me the feeling I was far from home instead of a two-hour-drive. We as
exchange students had classes with some Belgians and they’re very friendly. They will always help
you if you need something at the campus or if you cannot find something.
Living costs
Since I’m studying for a while now and I don’t have the government allowance anymore and no ‘OV
vergoeding’, I was really happy to get at least an Erasmus Scholarship. I financed the rest with my
savings. Last summer I worked a lot and next to my studies I always worked around 20 hours a week,
so I could finance my stay. Compared to the Netherlands the groceries are really expensive. For
simple things like orange juice and ham or meat you pay up to 2 times more. For the rest I think the
prices are the same. I spend the most on my rent 2660€.
It depends which country go you, but in general I think it’s important to keep in mind that an
exchange is expensive. My period in Sweden was even more expensive than this exchange, but you
have to keep it mind that it will cost you at least some thousand euros. You have the opportunity to
study abroad and have a great new experience, so make sure you have enough savings to do
whatever you want and can do at that moment!
To outline my monthly costs:
- Rent 532€
- Food 200€
- Drinks 200€
- Visits 100€
- Books 85€ in total for the semester!
Regarding to the public transport, the university offers a great deal. For 125€ you can travel
unlimited with the public transport in Brussels (bus/tram/metro) for a whole year. This is only when
you’re a student at a Belgian Institution and under 26. I used my card almost every day.
Culture
There was no culture shock during my exchange. I think the culture is more or less the same here as
we have in the Netherlands. It’s just that the Belgians are more reserved and polite I would say. It
takes some time to really get to know a Belgian person. It made me realize again how loud and direct
we Dutch people are. It think it has its charm that the Belgians are less loud and more polite, but I
think I would prefer the Dutch expression. I love the French language though!
Personal development
I think personal development was one of the main reasons for me to go on exchange. It is a huge
step to go by yourself to a different country and try to build a life there for the rest of the semester.
This is really challenging. It starts with the preparations for your trip, house searching, selecting
courses, contact with the host university etc. And once you arrive, the adventure starts! Meeting
new people from all over the world is one of the best things ever I would say. You learn a lot about
their countries, their educational system and their culture. It made me even more open-minded than
I already was, it made me more independent and it certainly improved my English level. You make
friendships for life and that’s priceless.
I cannot mention one thing that I would do different if I had the chance. Even though my
exchange was full of great experiences, also I had to deal with difficult things. But this makes you
stronger and contributes to your personal development. I will remember all the nights out, all the
trips we made and all the fantastic people I have met for ever. I will definitely visit them soon.
The most important lesson that I have learned would be that as long as you be yourself, do
what you love and work hard, you will achieve.
Tips for future students
I would recommend an exchange period to all of you. And if you are in your bachelors, go again in
your masters! It’s worth it! And consider Brussels as an opportunity. I know it’s close, but the
international community is really big here. You make quickly friends from around the world and the
French speaking around you contributes to the fact you don’t feel so close to home anymore.
Belgian education is good and my courses were challenging. VUB is not a pretty university
and organization is not that good sometimes, but this will not become a significant problem and you
will get used to it. I would recommend the VUB, but it is a must that you start your search for housing
early. So apply for an exchange and let the adventure begin!