Amsterdam: More Than You Expect Past Review
By Ciska U (Psychology, Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin) for
CIEE: Amsterdam - Social Sciences + Humanities
Definitely! Half of what I enjoyed was all the amazing friends I made and people I met, and the other half was the city itself, just magical! Makes me want to travel, look into living abroad for an extended amount of time in the future for sure.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was about the same, only in the Netherlands everything is at the end, so you really have to keep up with the readings, otherwise in the last 3 weeks you'll be swamped! The classes are a lot smaller and all discussion/ writing/ presentation based. A lot more interaction between students and teachers over the course material. Discussion with the teacher is also a lot less formal and you're expected to talk aloud- even argue- with them. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I really enjoyed my program advisors. They were helpful with literally EVERYTHING that I could have ever possibly had any trouble with. If I could do it over, I would look into doing a direct enrollment because in an American program you are still in somewhat of an "American Bubble" and I wish I could've gotten out of that more. I also wish I had more opportunities to practice my Dutch; there were so few Americans that spoke Dutch in my program that it was a bit difficult to explore on my own. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Amazing location in the center of Amsterdam, close to everything I ever needed to be close to! Didn't need to buy anything except a few house-hold items, but my room came with mostly everything. |
| * Food: |
Cooked meals with friends, we made many delicious dinners! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
They planned many outings and excursions for us. Those were always lots of fun! My favorite was our trip to Schimonikoog Island. We were there for 3 days, and it was a blast! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Safety was definitely addressed well. I never felt unsafe at all, and was always comfortable in Amsterdam. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I enjoyed it, so I don't know what I would eliminate. Just try to budget the whole time! I did, and definitely saved more money than a lot others! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Dutch 379, a Dutch conference course |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Definitely get away from the touristy stuff, if it traps you, you'll waste your money on things you can do in the US. Explore the city for what you want from it! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Ethnic Diversity and Popular Culture |
| Course Department: | Antropology, ANT 329S |
| Instructor: | Martha Montero |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | I enjoyed this course, but the title was a bit misleading. I felt as though the "ethnic diversity" aspect wasn't quite carried through as I expected. This final project was a lot of fun and interesting to research, but the class work was a bit boring and unorganized. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Music and Cognition |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | |
| Comments: | |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Dutch as a Second Language (INTT) |
| Course Department: | Dutch |
| Instructor: | Lissan |
| Instruction Language: | Dutch |
| Comments: | This class was quite difficult. If you are trying to learn a language, and you are passionate about that language, this class is for you. The whole grade is based on the final test at the end, so you really have to motivate yourself throughout the semester to learn the material. I found that quite difficult. It is a good way to learn a language, but if you're not interested in learning that language, it is best to avoid this class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Culture, Identity and Mass Media |
| Course Department: | Anthropology, ANT 325L |
| Instructor: | Lara Mazurski |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | I enjoyed this class! The instructor's critical eye was useful in helping me feel more critical about the world in which we are living. The projects were fun, and the class was organized. What I like least was many students' lack of enthusiasm, but I guess that's the territory of a 9am class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Music and Cognition |
| Course Department: | Music, Psychology, PSY 329S |
| Instructor: | Makiko |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This was my favorite course, very interesting material, and the mix of students was very interesting. They were mostly Dutch students but all with different backgrounds that ranged from Musicology to Sociology to Media. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
