EXPERIENCE REPORT
E-mail:
Study Program:
Exchange semester:
Academic year:
Host University:
Country:
l.g.p.verjans@uvt.nl – lindake_verjans@hotmail.com
Bachelor Organization Studies
Fall 2013
2013-2014
Universidad de Deusto, San Sebastián campus
Spain
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
I had the privilege to spend my exchange period in San Sebastián, or Donostia as the
local people call it. San Sebastián is truly a beautiful city in the Basque country, located in the
north of Spain. The city has two beaches, one of them is perfect for surfers (Playa Zurriola)
and the other attracts people who want to enjoy an easy day at the beach (Playa de la
Concha). Our teachers told us that this year we were very lucky with the weather, because it
usually rains a lot in the Basque Country, but we’ve had only a couple of days with rain. So I
cannot assure future exchange students anything, but after my lectures I have spent quite
some afternoons on the beach in September and even in October. The city is located in a bay
and surrounded by hills in which you can make some lovely hiking trips. There are also two
hills which give you a beautiful view over the city. Besides this, San Sebastián has a beautiful
centre and old part (Centro y Parte Vieja) with many old buildings and small streets which
give you a very cosy feeling. My apartment was in Gros, this is the part on the other side of
the river. A bit less old, but still very beautiful and located near the surf beach. For the
Spanish people it is very important and normal to spend most part of the days outside, this
causes that you find bars and restaurants in every street and you will never be alone on the
street, even in bad weather conditions. San Sebastían is famour for its ‘Pintxos.’ This is
simply another word for tapas, which you can find in every bar during the whole day. They are
delicious and not expensive at all, you probably pay €1-4 for one pintxo. And on every
Thursday night you have the possibility to go to ‘Pintxo Pote’ in Gros. During this night every
bar offers you a drink and a pintxo for only €2. It’s always a wonderful night, with a lot of
people on the street and a cheap dinner with drinks, so perfect for students. I would
recommend every student to try as many Pintxo bars as possible, I cannot say which one is
the best place to go, however the bar ‘Salt’ will never disappoint you. For nights out I would
definitely recommend the bar Ezpala, as an Erasmus student you can get a VIP-card there
which allows you one free sangria or beer every night. But there are many lovely bars in town.
And after the bars close, I would recommend students to go to Bataplan. This is a club,
located on playa de la concha, where you can dance all night long. Next to this club, there is
also a gym, where I used to go for a work-out. You can do your exercises there with a view
over the sea and afterwards you can take a swim there. As an exchange student you can go
there for only €3 and for €7 you can make use of the spa.
Now I will talk a bit about the university, because that’s the reason I went there after all.
The Universidad de Deusto is located along the river. On the map you can find it under Gros.
Most students had to walk 10-25 minutes to get there from their apartments. I didn’t mind
walking every day, but you will also have the possibility to rent a bike or take the bus. The
university is a small, private school. It is a very cosy campus, you get a bit of a high school
feeling. And because it is a private university the school closes during the night and weekend.
In total Deusto hosts about 10.500 students, this however is both Bilbao and San Sebastián
campus. I guess that about 30% of this number studies in San Sebastián, but I am not sure
about this. The total of Deusto receives 2.197 international students. Last semester we were
with about 150 exchange students at the San Sebastián campus. The campus consists of
more or less 7 buildings which surround a square and a church.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
I cannot exactly remember when I got information from the university, but I do know
that this was in time, at least a month before arrival, so I didn’t experience any difficulties with
this.
I would recommend every future exchange student to take part in the Spanish
intermediate course. This is organized by the University and during this course, which lasts 10
days you will stay in a big flat with all other exchange students. This is a great time and a very
easy way to get to know the others. So this actually is an orientation activity which last for
more than a week and after this time you will be picked up to go to your new apartment.
During the course you follow Spanish from 9:00 till 13:30 each day and it ends with a final
test.
After this course the University organized an introduction day. During this day we got a
campus tour, a speech by some of the people of Deusto and afterwards a city tour. In the
introduction program we didn’t get to meet any local students. However after the first day of
lectures we got to meet our buddy. Students of more or less three countries got one buddy,
who you could contact for any question, I experienced that I didn’t have too much contact with
her.
You can book your accommodation via the Flatrenting Service, this is linked to the
school and provides perfect service. You can find apartments in the price range from €300 to
€450. In the beginning it is kind of scary, because you have to apply in advance, in this
application you can state your preferences about roommates and costs. Along with this
application you also have to pay the first month’s rent, deposit and service costs. When you
do this, you still have no idea where you will live. However, I have experienced this as a great
help. One week before the renting period you will receive an e-mail with the address and
other information and at the end of the intensive course, the flat renting agency comes to pick
you up by car and takes you to your apartment. I lived with two other girls in a beautiful
apartment, 3 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 kitchen, 1 bathroom and a washing machine. I have
also seen the apartments of others and they were all very nice, so I would definitely
recommend to make use of this service, even though you will not know where you will end up
in advance
I financed my time abroad with the Dutch state grant, the Erasmus grant, my own
money and a bit of support from my parents. My rent was €415 a month, besides this I spent
about €300-€500 a month. This is more than I spend at home, but this comes because I did
quite some daytrips, two weekend trips, other activities and I went out for food and drinks
more often.
I arrived in San Sebastián five days before the intensive course started, because I
th
wanted to discover the city already. The Spanish course started the 26 of August. The
th
introduction day for all the exchange students was on the 6 of September and the lectures
th
started on Monday the 9 . The last days of classes were in week 51. It differs per course
when you have the exams. Some are before Christmas others are in the second week of
January. We didn’t have a mid-term break, but we had several holidays.
There is an international office on campus, here you can go for all your questions and
forms that have to be signed. They are very helpful and well organized. Besides this there is
also an Sport/Culture office on campus. This office organizes all kinds of activities for all
students, but I have experienced that most students who participate are on exchange. I took
part in a surf class, some dinners and parties. But they have organized activities more or less
every week, you can go horseback riding, karting, paintball, skiing and way more. Through
these activities you had a lot of contact with the other exchange students and of course you
saw them in class every day. With the local students we had less contact. During my stay I
went on daytrips to Bilbao, Pamplona, Vitoria-Gasteiz and other smaller towns. I also went to
Barcelona for a couple of days. I haven’t visited any places outside Spain.
During my exchange I didn’t experience a culture shock, of course Spanish people
have a different culture and rhythm. But I got used to this really quick and I loved the way of
living, I didn’t have any problems, besides that some shops are closed during the siesta, but I
also got used to that really easily. I think the Spanish culture is way more relaxed than the
Dutch culture, I think in Spain people make more of their days, they love spending time
outside, drinking or eating with their family and friends. This made me feel very welcome in
the city. Sometimes it can be annoying that they take everything so easy, but overall I love
their way of living. I have to say that I spent my period abroad in a richer part of Spain, so I
cannot talk about the whole country, but in the Basque country people really enjoyed life and
you didn’t notice too much of the recession. I didn’t have any language problems, at the
university most people speak English and during the Spanish course I took in the beginning
and during the rest of the semester I made a lot of progress in my Spanish skills and also just
by living around Spaniard 24/7 you pick up a lot of the language.
I think the exchange experience was very useful for me, I think I grew up during my
stay. I know how to handle stuff alone. And I loved living in Spain, I met many new and
interesting people. I think the most important lesson that I learned is how to behave in a group
with people with different nationalities, cultures and interests. I will never forget these couple
of months and would love to go back, in the future I think I might end up abroad. I really miss
the city, my friends I met there and the friendly local people. For myself I experienced how
scary and amazing it is to step out of your comfort zone. I do not regret anything.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The courses at Deusto are offered in English, Spanish and Euskera (the language of
the Basque country). For exchange students there are enough courses to complete their
minor in English. Besides this I also took a Spanish course, which is completely in Spanish,
the teachers don’t have much English knowledge.
I took the courses People Management, Entrepreneurship, Competitive Territories in
the Global Economy and Spanish level B1.2. I took these courses because they seemed very
interesting and diverse to me. I think the academic level of my host university is a bit lower
than the level at Tilburg University. But Deusto University also offers very different and more
practical teaching methods. For every course we had two compulsory courses a week, with
about 30-40 students, which gives you more of a high school feeling. Very interactive, many
assignments, presentations and a lot of group work. Sometimes it was a bit too much, but I
really liked this way of teaching. In People Management for example we prepared a
application interview and in Entrepreneurship we set up a project to solve an issue at the
campus. This is way more practical than the way of teaching at TiU and I enjoyed it. The
teachers are very easy to approach and they are willing to have a little chat or help you.
Overall I am satisfied with the academic accomplishments I made.
For the courses Spanish, People Management and Competitive territories I had a
final written exam and Entrepreneurship was finished with a final presentation about the
project.
The university offers enough computers and a library with working rooms, the library
can only be entered with a university card.
Courses
Course
Prerequisites
Exam
ECTS
Comments
Spanish B1 Intensive
Spanish B1.2
Semester
People Management
Entrepreneurship
Spanish A2
Spanish B1
Written
Written
5
6
None
Some business
knowledge
Some economic
knowledge
Written
Final
Presentation
Written
6
6
Escritos, presentation
Escritos, presentation,
Mid-term
Presentations, Essays
Project, Essay
6
Presentations
Competitive
Territories in the
Global Economy
To end this report I would like to say that I would definitely recommend San
Sebastián and Deusto University to future students. Especially if you have a certain love for
the Spanish language and culture. But I would also recommend any other exchange
destination, it’s an experience you will never forget and you will learn a lot about yourself.
Even if the period doesn’t completely fit in your study program, JUST DO IT.