A Spring in Maastricht, Netherlands June 19, 2025
By A student (Legal Studies, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/17/2025 to 06/07/2025 with
Maastricht University: Center for European Studies, Semester Programmes
I learned to push myself past all my comfort zones and overcome my fear of discomfort and failure, which has often held me back from making my own decisions and doing things I wanted to in the past. At my home university, my focus was always to study and stay on campus, but while abroad, I felt the brevity of my time there and tried to do everything I wanted while I could, even if it meant traveling alone or making spontaneous plans. I also learned to navigate foreign environments with ease and little preparation, and balance academics with adventures without getting overwhelmed by either.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Academics were rigorous due to the period format (2 periods per American semester) and highly interactive problem-based learning. However, most professors were responsive, and classmates were easy to reach out to for discussion and help. If you put in a reasonable amount of effort to complete the readings and study for exams, you will get good results. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program assigns different coordinators to its sub-sections (sorted by subject, i.e., I was in "Politics, Law, and International Relations"). While my coordinator was easy to contact and quick to resolve any issues, coordinators for other subsections were notoriously unresponsive and unhelpful despite serious academic issues being brought forth. The administration as a whole was often uncoordinated, sometimes giving different information to different students. Mishaps such as leaving 2 hours later than scheduled happened almost every trip. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The room was unclean, and some of the furniture was broken when I first arrived. Repair staff responded quickly to complaints, but were often dismissive or expressed an inability to resolve issues such as heating. Throughout the semester, the overhead lighting for my hall and room went out multiple times, often for days at a time, and everyone had to shower and go to the bathroom in total darkness. When we filed complaints, housing staff said they were unable to resolve the problem definitively. |
| * Food: |
The school provides no food. However, there are many great options in the city surrounding the school. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
As Maastricht is a very international city, I felt very integrated with the international community there and often attended gatherings with both students and members of the public. However, I didn't get to learn much about Dutch culture nor be immersed in it. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no health issues during the program. To my knowledge, the program's support during health issues varied depending on which coordinator you had. |
| * Safety: |
Most of the time, I felt extremely safe in Maastricht, even when walking alone at night as a woman. However, on days when one can anticipate lots of people drinking, such as Thursday nights, Friday nights, and during holidays such as King's Day, you often run into drunk men catcalling or trying to follow you. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved the city, the professors and peers I met at the university, and the people I met in the program. I can't imagine having a similar experience anywhere else. |
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) |
Food, groceries, and entertainment are very affordable. You can avoid transportation costs by walking everywhere in the city. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $20 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Buy groceries at the Market, which is in Markt from around 10am-3pm every Wednesday and Friday (though Friday has many more vendors). They are much cheaper and fresher than in supermarkets. Certain vendors will also have discounted prices in the afternoon. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I took a program-offered Dutch language course, but we were never encouraged to speak Dutch outside of it. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | basic vocabulary |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Speak the language whenever you can, such as when buying groceries or ordering food. Most Dutch people in Maastricht speak good English and will readily switch to English if you seem not to understand, so learn how to ask them to speak more slowly in Dutch, or tell them that you want to speak Dutch. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I knew more about the course selection and program, such as the field trips we would have, the semester schedule, and my housing before I'd gotten there. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
