Department
Netherlands
School of European Languages, Culture
Type of Placement
& Society (SELCS)
University Placement
Degree Programme (e.g. BA French and
Where did you spend your second
Russian)
semester abroad?
Dutch and German
Different place than the first semester
Year in which abroad
Country:
2012/13
Germany
Where did you spend your first semester
Type of Placement
abroad?
University Placement
Before Departure
How would you rate your preparation by your department(s)?
Satisfactory
Please give details/feedback and suggest any improvements:
Dutch department could have provided better preparation for writing essays. I had
never had to write an academic essay before my year abroad then as a requirement for
my course in the Netherlands it was initially quite difficult .
How would you rate your preparation by the Study Abroad Team?
Satisfactory
Please give details/feedback and suggest any improvements:
More advise or help on finding housing would have been nice.
Did you attend the Pre-Departure briefing organised by the Study Abroad Team in March?
Yes
If yes, did you find it useful?
Yes
Please give feedback/suggest any improvements:
How would you rate your own preparation ahead of studying abroad?
Satisfactory
Could you have done more to prepare yourself before leaving UCL? If so, please give
details:
No
Could you have been better prepared by UCL? If so, please give details:
No
As part of your preparation, did you do any of the following (tick all that apply):
- Consult your host institution's website
If you contacted the Study Abroad Team, what did you seek advice about? Did you find the
advice useful?
Prior to departure, were you given clear instructions by your department on what was
expected of you academically during your year abroad?
No
How did you prepare yourself for the academic aspect of your year abroad programme?
Preparation was difficult as there was no clear brief for the year abroad project and
modules couldn't be chosen until arrival in the country
What advice would you offer to students prior to making a decision about where to study
abroad?
Visit the place first and ask students who have previously studied at the university what
their experience was like.
What advice would you give to students preparing to go abroad? What things should they
make sure to do ahead of beginning their year abroad?
Find housing
Your Placement - University
Name of your host university:
Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Location (city and country):
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Was your university placement part of an ERASMUS or other exchange programme?
Yes
When did you receive confirmation of acceptance from the host university?
April
When did your placement start?
August 25th
How did you get to your placement? Please give rough details of the journey and costs:
Plane, around 100euros
Enrolment and Course Registration
Please describe the enrolment process at your host university. What formalities did you have
to complete, and, in particular, what documents did you need to have in order to enrol? (e.g.
carte de séjour, passport, nomination letter). As an international student, were you given any
special help with enrolment?
Lots of help provided by international officer. Passport and nomination letter required
Were any special orientation events/meetings provided for study abroad students? If so,
please give details.
A week full of introduction and events for international students.
Is there any advice you would give to future students ahead of enrolling at this university?
Contact the international officer as she can help with any problems
Registering for Courses
How easy was it to finalise and register your course choices?
Quite easy
Please give details of the procedures and how to choose or change courses:
International Officer arranged it all once selecting courses from website.
Was obtaining information about courses and timetables difficult or simple?
Average
If difficult, what advice would you offer on how to obtain the information?
Academic Life
At your host university, who helped you with the academic or administrative aspects of your
year abroad? Please tick all that apply:
- International Office / Erasmus Office
Please give names of helpful individuals if possible:
Sabai Doodkorte
Please indicate what kind of help you received (e.g. with course registration; general
academic advice; specific assistance with coursework; specific assistance with dissertation
preparation; instructions concerning coursework; instructions concerning assessment):
Extremely helpful with course registration and any problems personal or academic.
Any problem she was happy to help with.
Please comment on the number of classes you took and how many hours a week that
constituted in the classroom. Please also mention the amount of work you had to do outside
class on average:
3 different courses over 2 terms, around 12-15 hours a week. 6 hours work outside of
class (more when exams and coursework)
Please describe the nature of the classes (i.e. large lectures, smaller seminar groups etc.) What
was the average lecture/class size?
A mixture of large lectures and small seminars. Lectures around 100, seminars no more
than 20
Please describe the mode of assessment for the courses you took (e.g. written/oral exam,
essay/project etc.) and its timing (e.g. mid or end of year). Were there coursework
requirements (presentations, essays etc.)?
Coursework, oral presentations and exams. Exams throughout the term.
Please comment on the availability and approachability of teaching staff at your host
university:
All have office hours and are helpful and approachable
How would you rate the teaching at your host university:
Good
How would you rate the selection of courses offered:
Good
How would you rate the intellectual level of the material covered:
Good
How would you rate the difficulty of the courses at your host university compared to UCL:
Slightly easier than UCL
Please give details:
More learning required than analysis and deep thinking.
If you attended a university where the language of instruction was not English, did you
experience any language difficulties?
Yes
Did your tutors make allowances for your not being a native speaker?
No
If yes, please give details:
Facilities
Library provision:
Library is well stocked and accessible
Access to computers, internet etc.:
Computers available in library, eduroam throughout university
Clubs and societies (type, range, and cost):
Didn't join/most only really available for full time students. ESN arranges many events
for international students
Sporting facilities (type, range, and cost):
No idea.
Other:
Summary
Why did you choose to spend your year abroad at this university in particular?
Wanted a city university, somewhere that wasn't Amsterdam
Are you glad that you did so?
Yes
Would you recommend this university to future UCL students?
Yes
Please explain why:
International office was extremely helpful. Easy to make friends with international
students as well as native, and a lot better opportunity to improve language than
studying in Amsterdam where English is often used.
How would you rate the placement overall?
Good
How would you rate the placement within the context of your degree programme?
Good
Is there any specific advice you would offer to students considering a placement at this
university?
Allow time to find an apartment before arrival. A visit before the start of term might be
necessary in order to secure a flat. Renting privately is considerably cheaper and nicer
than university accommodation.
Accommodation
What type of accommodation did you obtain?
Private accommodation
If you stayed in private accommodation, please indicate whether this was a personal choice,
or whether you did so because accommodation was not provided by your host institution:
Personal choice
How easy was it to find accommodation?
Difficult
How long did it take you to find accommodation?
2 months
Did you stay in temporary/short stay accommodation while you looked for something
permanent? If so, please give details:
No
Please give details of how you found your accommodation. When did you start looking, and
where did you look? Please list any websites, agencies, newspapers or other resources which
future students might find helpful when looking for accommodation.
Started looking via websites several months in advice. It was necessary for me to make a
short trip before hand in order to secure a flat as most people want to meet you before
renting out their room. After sending many many emails eventually found an apartment
via kamernet.nl and after meeting the other housemate secured a place.
Please describe the type of accommodation you stayed in, its location and level of comfort.
Did you live in a shared flat/live with a local family/other? Did you have a single or double
room? What were the kitchen and other facilities like? What was or wasn't provided (e.g.
bedding, kitchen utensils)? Did you feel that the accommodation represented good value for
money?
Apartment shared with one other student (local). Double room, very comfortable, good
kitchen facilities. Good value for money. Brussestraat, central location.
What was the average monthly rent? What was included in this cost (e.g. bills, internet, food
etc.)? Please give as much detail as possible about the costs associated with your
accommodation:
420euros, all bills included, not food. Food is considerably cheaper than England,
especially with weekly markets available.
Did you live with locals, or with other foreign students? Were you able to practice your
language skills and interact with local students in your accommodation?
Local student, she was bilingual so could practice dutch or speak english if needed.
Would you recommend this accommodation to future students?
Yes
If yes, please give the address of the residence and, if possible, contact details for the owner:
No longer available to rent.
What type of accommodation would you advise future students to look for (private flat,
shared flat/house, stay with local family etc.)?
Shared flat
Which parts of your host town/city would you recommend living in. Are there any parts of
the town/city which should be avoided?
Avoid Rotterdam Zuid
Is there any other advice you would like to share with future students looking for
accommodation in your host town/city?
Be prepared to send many emails as it may take a long time.
Finance
How much money did you need on arrival (e.g. for housing deposits, rent and other start-up
costs)?
1000euros
1. Cost of Living
Rent (per month):
420euros
Bills (electricity, gas, water, internet, phone etc.):
0euros
Books (overall amount spent on books during your stay):
250euros
Food (weekly):
30euros
A (simple) meal (in a cafe or restaurant):
9euros
A coffee (in a cafe or bar):
2euros
A beer (in a cafe or bar):
1euros
A cinema ticket:
7euros
Local travel (weekly):
Bike
Entertainment (weekly):
10euros
Any other regular costs:
In total, how much did you spend per month on average?
600euros
How would you rate the cost of living in your host town/city when compared to London?
Much Cheaper
Please give details. Were there certain things which were more expensive than in the UK, and
others which were cheaper?
Everything is cheaper
2. Working
Is supplementing your income through part-time work a viable option?
No
If yes, do you have any advice about what type of work to look for, or where to look? Please
give the names of any employers or agencies you worked for, and any newspapers, websites
or notice boards you would recommend:
Does your host institution help with finding part-time work?
3. Banking
Did you open a bank account in your host country?
No
No: If no, why not? How did you access money while abroad?
Cash machine. Have to pay for account and too complicated and time consuming to
warrant it for short term.
Would you recommend opening a local bank account? If so, which bank(s) or account(s)
would you recommend?
General
1. Social Factors (Opportunities and Ease of Meeting People)
How much interaction did you have with local students?
Reasonable amount.
How much interaction did you have with other international students?
Reasonable amount, although as only Erasmus student in entire university (other
international students study in English) this made it sometimes difficult.
In your experience, what were the best ways of meeting people?
Difficult to meet natives, but ESN events and introduction days were very helpful for
meeting international students
If you were studying in a country where the local language is not English, how often did you
speak the local language?
Sometimes
2. Mobile Phones
Would you recommend getting a mobile phone with a local tariff as well as/instead of your
English mobile?
Yes
Please give details. Are there any mobile providers you would recommend?
Lebara
Transport
Was local transport good or bad? Please give details of local transport you used:
Good, trams buses and trains available and reliable
What was the cost of local transport? Are there any special deals or discounts for students?
Depends on distance travelled, OV-chipkaart available tram generally under 2/3euros
Did you travel more widely within your host country or within the region? How easy was it
to travel, and was it expensive to do so?
Yes, can get travel to most places in Holland with train in under an hour. Around
15euro for trips to Amsterdam.
Life in your Host Country
Please comment on the social life and entertainment in your host city/country, or any other
aspects of life there which you would like to share:
Is there any advice you would give to someone preparing to live in your host city/country?
Did you experience any problems/difficulties while living in your host city which you would
like to share with the Study Abroad Team?
Sometimes was difficult not having fellow erasmus students and lecturers unaware of
your participation in erasmus exchange in order to learn language.
Study Abroad - Summary
Did you find your year abroad rewarding academically?
No
Please give reasons for your answer:
Often hard work feels pointless as achievements count for nothing at UCL, only a pass
is required.
Did you find your year abroad rewarding in non-academic respects?
Yes
Please give reasons for your answer:
Good cultural experience, meeting new people, living somewhere new, becoming more
independent.
How would you rate your year abroad experience overall?
Good
Please give reasons for your answer:
Many personal difficulties and often felt lack of support or contact from UCL but
generally was a good experience in cultural terms but less of an improvement in
language levels than hoped for.
Do you feel that you have developed skills which will be of use to you in future?
Yes
a) My cultural awareness:
Has increased greatly
b) My language proficiency:
Has improved slightly
c) My independence:
Has increased greatly
d) My self confidence:
Has increased slightly
e) My intellectual development:
Is the same
f) My personal development:
Has increased greatly
g) My ability to make decisions:
Has increased greatly
h) My ability to explore and create opportunities:
Has increased slightly
i) My ability to cope with difficult situations:
Has increased greatly
j) My ability to solve problems:
Has increased greatly
How would you rate the support you received from your department at UCL during your time
abroad?
Very poor
Please give details/feedback and suggest any improvements:
No contact at all.
How would you rate the support you received from the UCL Study Abroad Team during your
time abroad?
Satisfactory
Please give details/feedback and suggest any improvements:
I often did not think to contact them when experiencing a very difficult situation but
I'm sure if I had done so they would have helped out in whatever way possible.
Are there any other comments you would like to make?