Student Report – University of Amsterdam
Name of the university: University of Amsterdam
Field of study: Master of Science in Business and Economics, Major in Finance and Financial
Economics
Exchange semester: Fall 2013
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is one of the largest general research universities in
Europe. Today, more than 32 000 students, 5000 staff members and 250 study programs are
affiliated to the university. Due to its good international reputation, the university is
attractive among foreign students.
UvA is split up in seven different faculties, and covers the fields: Humanities, Social and
Behavioral Sciences, Economics and Business, Dentistry, Law, Science and Medicine.
Exchange students from BI are situated at the Faculty of Economic and Business (FEB). The
faculty has both national and international great reputation and is in the top-10 research
departments of all universities in Europe. The faculty has satisfying facilities, including
computer and library services, a bar and a canteen.
The academic year is divided in two semesters, and each semester is divided into three.
Most courses are worth 5 or 10 ECTS, in which 5-point and 10-point courses are finished
during one and two blocks, respectively.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
Necessary information about registration and other practical matters are received during the
spring and summer. The student coordinator at the International Office will keep in touch
with you via e-mail and provide the information you need before you leave.
Visa procedures and travel experiences
As a member of the EU/EEA you will not need a visa nor residence permit to study in the
Netherlands. Flight tickets to Amsterdam are easily booked through finn.no. Train tickets can
be bought for €4 and takes you 15 minutes from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal.
Academic calendar and reception
We arrived on the 19th of August. As an international master student you have the chance
to join both the introduction arranged by the International Student Network (ISN) and the
UVA Master’s Introduction. We strongly recommend joining the introduction weeks as this is
a great way to meet other exchange students and is a lot of fun.
Academic plan: Lectures starts early September, and during the first lecture week an
orientation meeting for exchange students is held at FEB. The meeting starts off with a
formal welcome speech, but quickly ends up in the faculty bar. This is a great opportunity to
socialize and meet up with other students in the same situation as you.
The academic calendar follow a block system, the two first blocks is of eight weeks, and
composed of six lecture weeks, a one-week study period and one week of exams. The last
block is in the month of January, but this is usually not feasible for BI students. The blockone exams are typically in the end of October. The second block starts as the first ends and is
finalized with exams just before Christmas. The third block of the fall is in January, but is not
relevant to BI students on one semester exchange. It is smart to try to organize the courses
so you divide the course load between the two blocks.
Housing
To assist international students in finding appropriate accommodation, the university has
signed agreements with the housing corporations DeKey and DUWO. These corporations
offer furnished accommodation to students for one or two semesters. After you have been
admitted to a program at the UvA you will receive an e-mail with a link for the online
application for student accommodation. You can expect this e-mail in May. You can apply for
either a shared room, private room with shared facilities or a private room with private
facilities. You also specify your price range. Based on your specification you are offered a
room within a few weeks. The rooms are located all over Amsterdam and prices vary from
approximately € 350 to € 600 per month according to type, size and location. We got
accommodations from DeKey. The down side is that you have to rent a room throughout
January, and will have to pay around €400 in administration fee. You can also find your own
room, however, the high demand for student housing in Amsterdam makes this task
challenging.
Costs
Relative to Norway, housing and living expenses are a bit lower. Personally, we paid €500 for
a private room with shared facilities. The rent also included plug and play internet
connection, heating, and the use of the building’s laundry room. Books and study material
costs are similar to Norwegian prices, but not all courses require a book. Articles are
uploaded to blackboard and in combination with the lecture may be sufficient in some
courses.
The International Office
The International Office is located at the FEB faculty and has a staff with scheduled office
hours.
Exchange promotion
There was a no organized activity to promote BI.
Social activities
There are a lot of nice social activities to join arranged by the ISN. There are a lot of
exchange students facing the same situation, and everyone wants to make friends. Dutch
students are also easy-going and welcoming to internationals. As mentioned, ISN arranges
an introduction for exchange students in the end of August and continues to host parties
and other social activities throughout the semester. Every Wednesday ISN also organizes a
get-together with drinks, in a centrally located bar.
Culture and language
Amsterdam is a city with a unique atmosphere that gives you plenty of opportunities to
experience culture. Good public transport system, makes it is easy to get around the country
or to neighboring countries for that matter.
Dutch people are pretty similar to Norwegians, so the chance of experiencing a culture clash
is small. Most inhabitants of Amsterdam and Dutch students speak English very well, so the
language will not be a barrier. English is the city's unofficial second language, so often you
also find information in English. However, if you want to learn some Dutch while you are on
exchange, both UvA and ISN arrange language courses before and during the semester.
Other
A bike in Amsterdam is a must! Even though, the city has an extensive transport system,
including trams, buses, trains, metros and ferries, it is way more effective to travel using a
bicycle. Reasonable second-hand bikes can for instance be bought at the market at
Waterlooplein, or at different facebook pages (ISN Amsterdam, Marketplace Amsterdam
etc.).
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Teaching situation
In which language are the courses taught? Any problems?
All courses available for exchange students are taught in English.
How would you evaluate the level of study in relationship to the level at BI?
A bit lower.
Is the teaching primarily practical or theoretical?
Most courses have a setup with lectures and tutorials. In the lectures, most professors
preach the theory, while the tutorials are more applied.
Are the professors using cases, group work or lectures (or a mix)?
A mix, depending on the course you take.
How is the workload compared to that at BI?
A bit lower in general, maybe due to the block system the exams are spread between
October and December, lowering the pressure in December. Worth mentioning is that some
courses in block two builds on courses from the first block. Furthermore, you should also
watch out for time conflicts between lectures/tutorials in different courses.
How is the relationship between faculty and students?
Most professors encourage two-way communication in the lectures. They also respond well
to your questions, both via e-mail or in class, if you have any.
What is the relationship between the students in the classroom?
The relationship between students is very good. Since the number of students enrolled in
each course is pretty low, you get the chance to know your fellow students.
Required literature
Is the literature in English?
Yes.
How do you estimate the level of the literature?
Similar to the literature used at BI.
Is the literature used for detailed knowledge or a broad overview?
This depends on the course and lecturer.
Is exam based on the literature or on the lectures?
Again, this varies between the courses.
Exams
What types of exams were you given?
We had one course that went over two blocks where I was assessed on the basis of a
literature review(5%), cases(30%), homework(5%), midterm exam (30%) and a final exam
(30%). The other courses had one case or essay accounting for either 20 or 30% and the final
exams accounting for rest of the grade.
Exams were usually two or three hours.
What knowledge level was required to pass the exams?
Similar to the requirements at BI.
Other
Do students have easy access to the library and its resources?
There is a library located at the FEB faculty which is open Monday to Friday. The UvA also
has other centrally located libraries that are open during weekends.
How is the access to the computers?
There are several computers at the libraries. In addition, the FEB faculty has a separate
computer room with 150+ computers. During the enrollment process you receive your own
student login that gives you access to all UvA computers.
How is IT used in the teaching or as a distributor of information?
All courses use Blackboard as a distribution channel for information. Presentations are
normally held using PowerPoint and all assignments are handed in electronically.
First four courses were chosen by the student majoring in finance and the last four courses
were chosen by the student following the Financial Economics class(only finance courses)
Description of
courses
Courses
Regulation
Power and
Authority in
Organizations
Advanced
Industrial
Organization
Real Estate
Valuation and
Investments
Commercial
Banking
Behavioural
Finance
Financial
Mathematics
for Insurance
Credits
Exam/Assignm
ents
Block
Approved as
5
5
80/20
70/30
2
1
Free Elective
Free Elective
5
75/25
2
Free Elective
10
50/50
1&2
Free Elective
5
60/40
2
Free Elective
5
70/30
2
Free Elective
5
100/0
1
Free Elective
For more information I advise you to visit:
http://www.feb.uva.nl/english/home.cfm