IES Netherlands: A Safe City for Research and Student Life Past Review
By Isaiah I (Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies, Grinnell College) for
IES Abroad: Amsterdam - Social Sciences & Humanities
This experience was amazing. Especially through the classes I was able to take with Dutch students, I was able to learn the ways in which my studies of race, ethnicity, class, and gender relate to larger contemporary issues throughout Europe. I now plan to study Dutch constructions of the "failure of multiculturalism" for my graduate studies. So, it completely shifted my future plans and heightened my awareness to realize the broad reach of issues that I generally was only aware of in a U.S. context.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The grading system was completely different. The grade scale was different, the expectations were not made known by the program before I enrolled in courses. This should definitely be better covered by IES. Not just reviewing the grading scale, but explaining what is expected in short-answer responses. I was shocked to find that much more information than I thought possible was expected for a high grade from short answer responses and this should not have been the case. But overall, I loved the courses that I was able to take with Dutch students. I learned a great deal, not only about the topic of Media and Cultural Studies, but also about Dutch culture and society. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
This program did not prepare me to know what academic expectations were. Also, the director was either awkward or outright unfriendly. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing was all prepared by the program. I had everything I needed. But, it would have been nice to have transportation to an Ikea or a similar store on the first night to buy sheets. Because this was not an option, I had to either sleep directly on a mattress or buy the meager sheets that were offered by IES, which were rather thin and not very warm. |
| * Food: |
Albert Heijn is an excellent place to shop for food. C1000, although cheap, is known by some to have food on the verge of rotting. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I didn't go to many, other than field trips with the Dutch class. They were interesting, but nothing stands out in particular that was arranged by the program. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city is very safe, very accessible, and very easy to navigate via public transportation. i would advise students, if they do not wish to bike everywhere, to apply for a transportation monthly card during the first month of their stay, for the first zone as this is the main zone that travels through the city of Amsterdam, because it takes a while for the card to be sent in the mail. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I met many friends in my classes and at a local church that were more than happy to talk with me in Dutch. But this was by no means necessary, and I was able to get along perfectly fine with Dutch students and individuals within the city of Amsterdam, speaking English. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Media, Cultuur, en Identiteit |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Carolyn Birdsall |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course was amazing! I recommend it for any students interested in studying cultural students theories of representation. I would, however, urge students to stray away from sessions of this course offered solely to IES students, as some students in my program were forced into the same course because of high demand. Professor Birdsall is also very helpful with integrating international topics with perspectives and theories taught in this course. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
