Amazing and beautiful city with so much to do! Past Review
By Amanda Hotvedt (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/24/2016 to 05/28/2016 with
CIEE: Amsterdam - Business + Culture
I learned that it's okay to go somewhere new without knowing anyone, and learn to make new friends and have conversations with people you don't know very well.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
|
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The CIEE Amsterdam staff are amazing! So caring, and willing to help their students with anything. And they are so organized that by the time you arrive in Amsterdam, they basically have everything arranged for you. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
|
| * Food: |
|
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
|
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
|
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
CIEE Amsterdam is such a great program - great staff, great city, great school! and the city of Amsterdam is so great. It's beautiful, the food is awesome, and everyone bikes everywhere and just seems so happy. |
Finances
|
* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
How much money you spend is entirely dependent on what you choose to buy! If you go out for food and drinks every night, the cost will add up. Same with if you take lots of trips to other countries. But if you are just buying groceries, cooking your own meals, and grabbing the occasional cup of coffee or croissant at a local bakery, you will be just fine. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | maybe ~$100 (more or less depending on the week) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't be afraid to spend money, because you're studying abroad and this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity! But also make conscious decisions on what you want to put your money towards. This could be for vacations, food, partying, etc. but its best to really think about where your money is going. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
|
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Dutch is a tough language, but we learned what we needed to get around Amsterdam |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | High level spanish |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I had known that the friends you make at the beginning are not permanent, and its okay to shift around and meet new people |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Labor Economics |
| Course Department: | Faculty of Economics and Business |
| Instructor: | Erik Plug |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The material was challenging, but the lectures were clearly delivered and all the information was online and available to students. We had 3 weeks of lecture then a midterm exam, then another 3 weeks then a final exam. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Behavioral Economics |
| Course Department: | Faculty of Economics and Business |
| Instructor: | Theo Offerman |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The course was not terribly difficult, but it did involve mainly group work! Group presentations, group experiments, group papers. Lectures were not mandatory, but lab experiments were. The professor was incredibly knowledgeable and also very nice! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Transition Economics |
| Course Department: | Faculty of Economics and Business |
| Instructor: | Sweder van Wijnbergen |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | I found this class pretty boring! It was history about banking reform in Eastern Europe in the past 50 years...so if that is your thing then by all means take this class! It just wasn't really up my alley |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Beginning Dutch |
| Course Department: | CIEE |
| Instructor: | Bonny |
| Instruction Language: | English/Dutch |
| Comments: | Bonny is awesome! He used a great combination of teaching us the Dutch language and teaching us about Dutch culture. We had quizzes, tests, and projects. But mostly during class time we just practiced speaking to each other in Dutch. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Dutch Public Health |
| Course Department: | CIEE |
| Instructor: | Nicole |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Really cool and fun to learn about the Dutch public health system. We took field trips to a retirement home, a General Practitioner's office, to a museum. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
