THE STUDENT REPORT
Name of the University: Univeristeit Maastricht
Names of the students: Martine Mikaela Krogh Myhre
Exchange semester:
4th, Spring - 2010
1.
ACADEMIC INFORMATION
General Information about the School
 Describe the school and its surroundings – very short The school (FEBA faculty) is located 5
minutes from the main square (Vrijthof) down town, everybody buy a bike and from the
Guesthouse C building and P Building it is about 10 min, and for a walk 20 min. Recommend that
you buy a bike at Jules and you, next to the law faculty, every bike cost 50 Euro and when you
deliver it back at the end of the semester you will get 15 Euro back depending on the bikes
condition.

Current faculty divisions and special areas. The University Maastricht has a number of faculty’s
around the city but very close to each other, and two libraries; one by FEBA and the other in
Randwyk, which is about 20 minutes from FEBA with bike.

Number of students - graduate and undergraduate – number of exchange students Aprox. 10
000 students, where of 3000 are exchange inclusive Germans. On Erasmus, there are about 400
students from the whole world.

Study structure - The study structure consists of problem based learning – meaning that we have
to do presentations in every course, hold facilitations, encourage discussions, read the material to
every tutorial and being able to answer questions about this. Grades are given on presentations,
reports, exam and participation in class. Everything has to be over 5,5 to pass. One or two tutorials
can be missed, if more, than a block assignment after the exam will have to be handed in.
The classes were quite small, 10-15 people. You have to be active and participate in all the
meetings, since normaly the participation grade counts for 10-20 percent of the final grade. I found
the presentations quite hard in the beginning, but you get used to it after a while, and more
comfortable talking in class. Since the classes are so small and you have to do a lot group work, it
is easy to get to know people from the first meetings. In some of my classes there were mainly
Germans, but in others there were most exchange students. You need to be prepared for having a
lot of groups meeting with your groups, if you think group work is really not you, I will maybe
choose another school, but on the other hand this is very useful when you are coming out on the
work market since you need to be willing to solve intern problems and work with a lot of different
kind of persons, I found it challenging. But I feel I am prepared for 3rd year at BI during the
bachelor thesis since you need to work close with your team mates for a whole year. The tutors are
usually master students or PHD students, they are present for helping us if there is something we
do not understand but they are not teaching us, this is up to the class. The learning curve is about
discussions and interaction between the responsible team and your following students. Since the
number of students is only 10-15 students in each class, you will have the opportunity to ask
questions and be evaluated during the course. This can be useful when you are not used to this
kind of learning system and you are unsure of what they expect from you. There are no excuses for
you are an exchange student, you have a lot of workload compared to BI and you need to be
prepared for every single class also if you are not the responsible team for the meeting otherwise
you are not able to follow the discussions. It is very hard in the beginning but you feel that your
learning curve increases from every single class.
The Teaching situation
 In which language are the courses taught? Any problems? All the courses are tough in English,
and this doesn’t post any problems. The articles are more academic and were more difficult than
the textbooks themselves.

How would you evaluate the level of study in relationship to the level at BI? Maastricht
University is a more intense school with a completely different system of learning. There are
(hardly any) no lectures, and the students are responsible for delivering a good explanation of the
material through a presentation. You are really responsible for your own learning and there is
consequences for not being active since your grade depend on it.

Is the teaching primarily practical or theoretical The teaching is mainly theoretical, but some
case studying is included and in the discussions you are required to be up to date with the case or
the company or other related cases to show that you are able to research by yourself, this was
especially in one of my courses I attended Business Innovation.

Are the professors using cases, group work or lectures (or a mix)? Group work was the most
common way of teaching since the whole system is based on Problem based learning. There are
hardly any lectures, for most courses there are just opening lectures, to introduce the course. But in
other courses you can have more lectures, like SPSS lectures.

How is the workload compared to that at BI? The workload is for marketing students more than
at BI. It requires a good understanding of the material before entering class, and sometimes this
can be many chapter and academic articles. I will recommend you to structure your time careful,
and start to work from the first day because you do not have an exam period. The exam is normally
on a Monday and you had your last tutorial on Friday. If you are good on time management your
experience will be so much better because you are able to travel a lot around Europe and really
enjoy your time in Maastricht which is a beautiful and charming city.

How is the relationship between faculty and students? They are helpful and they have
expectations, but they are so used to exchange students, the faculty is very understanding and they
want to make your experience the best for you if you show that you are here to gain knowledge
and are open minded for Problem based learning system.

What is the relationship between the students in the classroom? The relationship is good –
everyone is serious about the courses, everyone participates. It can be hard in the beginning
because you can have native English speakers and Germans who are pretty good in English and
they have a good understanding of us being exchange students.
Required Literature
 Is the literature in English or local language? The literature is in English.

How do you estimate the level of the literature? The level of the literature is high – especially
the articles where at a high level of quality.

Is the literature used for detailed knowledge or a broad overview? The literature is used for
both detailed knowledge and a broad overview, but most of the first. Since many of the exams
consists of multiple choice and open essay questions (usually 50/50), it requires both. And in some
courses like Business Innovation your exam is a 5000 to 6000 word paper, the requirement is to
have a broad and detailed knowledge about the subject.

Is exam based on the literature or on the lectures? The exam is based on the literature most of
all, but also lectures in the courses where they have them. Many of the questions there are from the
Power Point slides directly, which is a part of the curriculum (at least this was the case in the
Marketing Research course we took).
Exams
 What types of exams were you given? All of the exams I took were multiple choice and essay
questions. It is usual to have 30 multiple choice (about 40-50% of the total score), and 8 essay
questions with three to four sub questions (50-60 % of the total score). As explained above a paper
can also be an exam.

What knowledge level was required to pass the exams? 55 % was required to pass – meaning of
100 point you have to have 55. The multiple choices were usually 30 points, 1 point if correct, and
-0, 25 if wrong. If not ticked anything, 0 points will be given. The essay questions were various
points depending on the size and importance of the question.
Other
 How is the library? About the same size at BI. It is not far from the FEBA building; about 3
minutes walk. The library is open from 8.30 to 22.00 and in weekends 11.00 to 18.00. In the exams
period there are very difficult to get access, but a lot of students also study at the Guesthouse at the
reception or in the common kitchens.

Do students have easy access to the library and it’s resources? Yes, it is very easy access and
there is a coffee bar with sandwiches and soup. There are also easy to get help for research
material.

How is the access to the computers? There are rooms (silent rooms) with plenty of computers.
Hard to get one in the week before the exam. Just to get a view on how it is during the exam, one
of the exchange students from this semester posted a video clip on you tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhyfp0MGwA4&feature=related

How is IT used in the teaching or as a distributor of information? Eleum (the same as
Blackboard) is used for all the distribution of information. The teachers are good at posting
documents and information on Eleum and all communication is through there and all the
documents you need is there and you need to be prepared to print out a lot of articles. The block
book is very important and is posted on Eleum, there you have the whole structure and
requirements for the course you are attending.
Description of Courses
Please list all the courses you are taking in the form below:
 Name and code of the course
 Prerequisites, if any
 Exam form
 Comments: Relevance, Difficult/easy, Practical/theoretical, Enrolment problems
Example:
Course name:
EBC2068
Business Innovation
EBC2043
Service marketing
EBC2024
Marketing
& Supply Chain management
Prereq.
Exam
Major at BI
Approved as
(Common/elective/extra)
None
Written
None
Written
Tjenestemkf
Common
None
Written
Logistikk
Common
extra
Comments for course EBC 2024 (Marketing & Supply Chain Managemet): Does hardly consist of any
supply chain, is mostly marketing as in the first year at BI and much of marketing research (metode).
Only 1/3 of the course consisted of supply chain.
2. PRACTICAL INFORMATION ON THE SCHOOL AND THE EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE
Information before you left
 When did you receive the information package from the University? The first day of school, 2.
February.
 Any difficulties? No we had a mentor to follow us through the day and give answers to questions
and you had a free lunch with all of the exchange students.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences



What problems, if any did you encounter? I did not have any problems
Does the visa cost anything? No, you do not need one in the Netherlands.
How did you order your ticket – any problems? Recommend to take a flight from Oslo
Gardemoen to Amsterdam and take a direct train from Amsterdam to Maastricht is the easiest and
cheapest, or take a flight from Rygge to Eidenhoven and there is a direct train from Eidenhoven to
Maastricht. I spent around 500NOK (norske kroner)
Academic Calendar
 Arrival date – introductory week – 26nd January
 First day of the semester? 2nd February
 Last day of classes? In the first block, it ended around middle of April, in second block it ended at
29th of May.
 Examination period? First block (block4) before easter break and second block (block 5) ended 4 th
June
 Any special events? Lots of events for exchange students, Maastricht Business Days, Innovation
etc.
Reception
 How was the reception at the school? Very helpful with everything from directions to maps to all
you could ask for.
 Was the administration and faculty well prepared for your arrival? Yes, they hosted a special
day for international students the first day of school.
 Did the school’s students participate in the reception of the exchange students? Yes, we got a
local student to show us the buildings, library and explained the school system.
Housing

Did you have housing at your disposal or did you have to find your own housing? The school
provided for the housing, I stayed at the Guesthouse C building. Almost all the exchange student
lives in the Guesthouse, so I will recommend the C building if you are coming alone, you will
meet so many people there and you have big common kitchen. And the price is almost the same
as most of the apartments. Outside the Guesthouse there are two tennis courts and basketball
court, it is perfect if you like activities. There is also a huge lawn to play ball on or sun bathing or
just be with your friends.

What support did you receive from the school in locating housing? You visited the
Guesthouses webpage and indicate what type of room you want and who you want to stay with.

Any special issues or good ideas for prospective students? The Guesthouse is very social, but
the showers/bathrooms are shared, and are not so nice at all times and the kitchen can be dirty
because you share the kitchen with 16 other people in the C building, but is very social and we
have so much fun there. There is a cleaning lady every single day except weekends.
Costs
 Describe the most important expenses such as rent, books, food, etc. Food was quite similar to
Norway. Meat and wine was a lot cheaper, clothing and ordinary things were a little less
expensive, but not much. The rent is not cheap, it is around 400 Euro. You need to save some
money, but going out and drinking is much much cheaper in Netherlands compared to Norway.
Happy hour at Highlander the local students bar, one half liter beer 1,20 Euros after happy hour 2
Euro. Otherwise we used Aldi for grocery shopping and you can save a lot of money there.
The International Office
 Is there an international office? Yes
 Who is responsible for incoming exchange students? Renee Rijnders
 How does the international office function? It’s a desk by the reception, open from 10.30-12.00
 Do you receive all relevant information? Yes
Social Activities

How is your relationship with other students? Good. But some classes were almost all German
students, so you felt a little excluded. But the classes with many exchange students were really
nice and social.

How are the relationships between other exchange students? Good, everyone lives at the
Guesthouse and are really open minded and everybody are there for the studying, but also
travelling, and get to know different cultures and have an extraordinary experiences.

Is there a student organization, and if: are the exchange students connected with this? Yes,
there is the ESN, which host parties and other events like trips to Belgium and The Netherlands.
The most famous event is Cantus, a beer game where we need to sing as well, you just need to be
there
Are there any special activities and gatherings for exchange students? Yes, lots of parties and
social event and we also receive a calendar for Maastricht every week.


How do you enjoy yourself at the school? The school has a nice space outside, there are many
parks just around the school and the location was near down-town Maastricht.
Culture and Language
 Do you have any language problems with the faculty or other students? No. everyone speaks
great English.

How are the possibilities to experience the country and the local culture? Very easy, you can
cycle anywhere, as Germany and Belgium is not far away (for instance, Belgium was 20 minutes
away by bike from the Guesthouse). Personally I traveled to Barcelona, Portugal, Paris and
weekend trip to Belgium and The Nederland. Maastricht is in the heart of Europe
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
 How do you think the exchange experience will affect you from a cultural and social
viewpoint? I think that the exchange period has thought me much about what points of view other
cultures has on what the best way of learning is. The Netherlands has quite the same culture as we
have in Norway, so it was not a culture shock. It was great to be able to know that you can live in
another country and have experienced living abroad. This is the best opportunity to gain friends
from the whole world and be on your own.

How do you think the exchange experience influences your future career possibilities? I hope
it will affect my career possibilities in a positive way, and hopefully set me apart from other
applicants. The school has a good reputation in Europe, and hopefully this will make me stand out
among other students. I have also applied for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at US Berkeley and
I feel prepared for Berkeley because of this exchange experience.
Any other experiences:
The workload at the school was more than expected. BI told us they would be much casework, but
there were more presentations of the chapters and readings than working with cases. Since I had to lead
two-hour presentations, this was not something I was used to. If you want a challenge, like talking in
class and being active, than this is the school for you. If you like challenges and see it like an
opportunity is the perfect school.
In order to pass a course, you have to pass the participation (showing up and being active in class), pass
the presentations, reports and the final exam in order to pass the course.
If you skip more than two classes, you have to do a block assignment (part of the participation grade).
That means you have to do an extra task after the exam and pass it. In some classes, you cannot skip
more than one class. If you then skip more than one tutorial, you will failed the course this was the
requirements for Business Innovation
All in all it was a great experience, and you meet a lot of new and interesting people, and learn a
different way to study which is very good for the future.
The school is very different from BI, and you have to study hard from the first day because the students
are responsible for each tutorial. But we had a lot of fun as well, the ESN (student organization) holds
parties every week, and there are usually a lot of parties in the Guesthouse too. Maastricht is a very
beautiful city, especially when the weather is good. And it is easy to take the train to e.g. Amsterdam,
Brugge, Brussel and so on. In the spring semester they also have a lot of holidays, e.g. in February we
had a week off because of the famous carnival. The whole city dressed up, and there were a big party in
the city that lasted for 5 days.
If you are interested in sport, there are a lot of different activities to join. You can also join the UM
gym, but that is quite far away, approximately 40 min by bus. (They will tell you about this the first
days at school)
I you have further questions, do not hesitate to write or call us.
Email and number:
martinemikaela7@ hotmail.com
97584141