Unforgettable Semester Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

IES abroad classes had the perfect amount of work for each course. The IES staff realize that immersing yourself in the culture of your city is very important while abroad, and so they reflect this ideal in the amount of coursework they assign and how lenient they are if you miss a class or homework assignment. They program staff are always willing to help and always had the student's best choices in mind.

On-site administration of your program

IES Abroad staff were incredibly friendly and helpful! They published newsletters every 2 weeks that gave us a detailed list of cultural events going on during that time! These newsletters were extremely useful! They gave me a lot of great ideas for restaurants, study spots, bars, and any other quirky place Amsterdam had to offer! The staff were also exceedingly helpful in translating documents or University website pages for each of us. They were very prepared and always kept us on track for mandatory forms and government documents.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My housing in Amsterdam was a large studio apartment that I shared with one roommate. My roommate was also American and also from my home state! Every person on my program, including myself, was matched extremely well with their roommate and most ended up becoming very good friends. Our housing was very centrally located and only a short bike or tram ride into the center. Our housing was also only 10 minutes away from the IES abroad center and the University of Amsterdam. Our housing was very safe and in a very quiet, residential neighborhood where I never once felt threatened or uneasy.

The food in Amsterdam is unreal! They have so many different options - every different country, many vegetarian or vegan places, and even a place that serves everything made out of avocados! There are also about 3 different major supermarket chains located all over the city where you can get pretty much anything to cook your own meals at a cheap price.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt very integrated with the local culture while abroad. Although I think I would have felt more integrated if I had known more Dutch or if I had made more Dutch friends. I took part in the biking culture, I visited many museums, and I tried to visit lesser known areas of the city like a local would.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Although I personally did not have any experiences with the healthcare in Amsterdam, the few people I know who DID, said the process was very easy and quick. I was fortunate enough to not get sick at all while abroad, and I did not need any vaccines for this program.

Amsterdam is an extremely safe city overall. There were no safety-related incidents that took place while we were there. Some people from our program did have their bikes stolen, but that was the extent of our safety issues. I never felt unsafe in the city and I would frequently walk there alone at night feeling fine. Of course, always be mindful while alone, no matter how comfortable you feel, and always make sure your phone has some battery in case you get lost or need help.

Amsterdam is my all time favorite city. I've visited a few times before studying abroad there and even now I still want to go back. I feel like there is so much to do there that I haven't even found about yet! I love the culture so much and just biking around the city makes me feel so at ease and happy.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Amsterdam is not known for being a very affordable city. I budgeted about $1000 per month for my entire time abroad, and I was barely under that amount by the end. Personally, I wanted to budget money specifically for spending on things like clothes, gifts, and trips so if you don't think you'll be spending money on that then I'm sure you could spend around $500 a month or less. If you decide to rent a bike, you'll save A LOT of money on transportation. Eating out in Amsterdam can cost anywhere from $10-$20 per person, while the food in supermarkets is super cheap. Some of my friends recommended trying to budget per day instead of per week - it can help you to visualize exactly how much you've spent and have left.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I took a Dutch class while abroad, in which we were encouraged to use the language every time we spoke. Outside of the class, our program staff did not encourage too much to speak Dutch because most of our participants were not in the class.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• The people I met on my program
• My classes
• Our program field trips

• Pre-departure information/correspondence

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