EXPERIENCE REPORT
E-mail: laurameijboom@gmail.com
Study Program: Psychology
Exchange semester: fall semester 2015
Academic year: 2015-2016
Host University: National Chengchi University
Country: Taiwan
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
National Chengchi University is located around 25 minutes from the city center. This isn’t really
a problem if you are living in the city center (like I did), since the public transport system is very
good. You can go by MRT (metro) or by bus and it’s pretty cheap.
The university is surrounded by mountains, so the location is very beautiful. Besides, there are
a lot of facilities at/ near the campus. The campus is not that big, I think it’s comparable to the
campus of Tilburg University. Examples of facilities on the campus are: small grocery stores,
sports facilities and a restaurant. When you leave the campus you are entering a street where
you’ll find a lot of delicious restaurants.
The number of students is also comparable to Tilburg.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Around March 2015 I received the first pre-arrival information of the host university and for me
there weren’t any difficulties coming up while arranging everything.
Every time I had a question I could contact Deborah (one of the exchange coordinators) and
she responded very quickly.
Besides, I had to arrange my visa. In the beginning of August, I applied for a visitor visa for 90
days at the Taiwanese embassy in the Hague. I paid around 80 euros for it, but if you’re
planning on travelling outside of Taiwan in the first 90 days, applying for a visa isn’t necessary.
When I arrived in Taipei I took a taxi to the city, but there are also cheap busses you can take
to go to the city center.
The beginning of the semester at NCCU was very welcoming. The university planned all kinds
of activities to welcome the exchange students. Besides, there were a lot of clubs (sports clubs,
music clubs etc.) you could join at NCCU and at the beginning they were present at a kind of
fair especially organized for exchange students. I didn’t join a club, but I heard stories of people
who did and they were enthusiastic about it. Everything else concerning registration etc. was
okay, but sometimes a bit chaotic too.
At this university you are linked to a buddy from the beginning. This is a student who is living in
Taiwan for a longer time and will help you with all your questions. For me this was very nice.
Accommodation in Taiwan is organized in different ways. At first, you can choose to apply for
a room in the International House (I-house). It’s a sort of dorm, but for exchange students only.
The I-house is located near the NCCU and the people I knew who lived there had a blast. The
only problem is that a lot of people apply for it, so you have to be lucky.
The other option is arranging an apartment yourself, that’s what I did. There are a lot of
Taiwanese websites available to choose from and my buddy was willing to help me.
The living costs in Taiwan are comparable to Tilburg. It’s not expensive to get some food
(around €2.5 for a good meal) or to travel for example. I spend most of my money on traveling,
but compared to the Netherlands it was a lot cheaper. My room was a bit expensive compared
to other exchange students, because it’s doable to find a room around 200/300 euro. Transport
was more cheap, since you could travel to the south of Taiwan (around 5 hours) for 20 euro
one-way. Also the MRT and bus system in Taipei is cheap. For example, from the city center
to NCCU I paid 0.50 ct. one-way. Most exchange students have their own easy card. An easy
card is comparable to the OV chipkaart. Students get discount while traveling with this card. I
didn’t bought any books because the professors provided my class with literature themselves.
Academic Calendar
I arrived at the 1st of September and my semester started at the 14th of September. My last day
of class was on the 16th of December.
The International Office
Yes, there is an international office. Deborah is working from there and you can visit her any
time. Besides Deborah, there is Cherry, but she was working from another building.
Exchange promotion
I didn’t take part in any promotion fair for the home universities. But this was because I had a
test on the day on which the fair took place. But I talked a lot with other exchange students and
told them what it’s like to study at Tilburg University.
Social Activities
The university organized a few activities throughout the semester. For example, they organized
a weekend trip to Tainan (a city in the south-west of Taiwan). This was fun to join. This trip was
organized by the ‘international team’. It consisted out of Taiwanese students who were
organizing all kinds of events for the exchange students. It was a nice way of making contact
with the Taiwanese students. Besides, you could meet other exchange students through the
activities too.
Like I said before, most of my money I spent on travelling. I travelled to several Asian countries
and of course I did some sightseeing in Taiwan itself. I would really encourage every exchange
student to do the same, since the location of the island is very convenient.
Culture and Language
I didn’t really experience a culture shock, but of course, the culture is very different. Taiwanese
people are more introvert compared to Western people, but of course this doesn’t go for every
single Taiwanese. Second, Taiwanese people tend to act more friendly instead of
straightforward. But the thing that really amazed me was the way people treat each other.
Taiwanese people are showing respect towards each other. When an older man enters the
bus, every child/adolescent will give their seat away. I had already heard stories about the
kindness of Taiwanese people, but it’s really amazing. When I have to name one thing I thought
was annoying sometimes, it was the fact that they tend to dodge to be straightforward, like I
explained above. Besides, sometimes there is a language barrier. Most of the Taiwanese
people don’t speak English that well, or not at all. So it takes more effort to arrange small things.
But surprisingly often there is an English speaking Taiwanese around and they will help you
out immediately. Because of this, I would really encourage you to attend the Mandarin class. I
didn’t, but when I look back at it, it would have been helpful in some situations. In the end I
learned a lot of the culture in Taiwan and I thought it was very interesting.
Personal Development
The most important thing I learned from my exchange semester was how easy you can adjust
in a total new environment. I met a lot of exchange students from all over the world and learned
things about their culture too. I think I’m a bit more flexible compared to before exchange. If I
have to name my worst experience, I can’t name one. Because I really had a blast. If I had to
change one thing I would travel more in Taiwan, because there is really a lot to see.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Academic level at a host university
The courses are offered in English and the academic level is easy to apprehend. They teaching
style is more theoretical, but some courses have field trips too. The relation between teaching
staff and students is very nice. They are really interested in your home country and they are
easy to approach. I attended five courses:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
International Relations of the Asia Pacific
Democracy and Democratization in East and South-east Asia
Cross cultural Business innovation and Marketing Strategy
Digital Media and E-marketing
New Media Technology Civilization – Eastern / Western Perspective
I chose to do these courses on top of my bachelor courses, so therefore they are not linked to
Psychology.
Most of my courses were based on presentations and writing papers. Some of the presentations
I had to present on my own, other presentations with exchange students. That was a nice
experience.
Exams
I didn’t have an examination period, since I only had final essays and presentations.
Other
They are a lot of libraries on campus, but there is one big one. You can enter the library with
your student card and they are enough computers available.
Description of Courses
Course
Prerequisites
Exam
ECTS Comments
New Media Technology
None
Essay
6
theoretical
Civilization,
Eastern and Western
Perspectives (306760001)
Digital Media and E-marketing
(306526001)
None
Essay
6
theoretical
Cross Cultural Business
Innovation and Marketing
Strategy (A300004)
None
Essay
4
practical
Democracy and
democratization in
East and South-East Asia
(A200007)
None
Essay
4
theoretical
International Relations
in East and South-East Asia
(A800009)
None
Essay
4
theoretical
All of these courses were bachelor courses and I didn’t encounter any enrolment problems.
Although, you have to read the instructions very carefully, because the enrolment system is
pretty confusing.
Tips for the future students:
I think Taiwan is the perfect choice to go to for a semester abroad.
In the end I would really recommend an exchange period, since it’s a real adventure! NCCU
was also a great university, despite it’s not located in the city center.
If you choose to go to Taiwan, you will have a great time for sure.
Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
A picture is worth a thousand words