Adventure in Amsterdam Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/19/2017 to 12/24/2017 with
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: Amsterdam - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I gained the ability to live on my own without too much support from the school; it was certainly worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I chose the least expensive housing option, De Boelelaan. The apartment was in a good location, but the housing company, DUWO, was difficult to communicate with and slow to respond to concerns- the apartment was not cleaned before we moved in, and we were without heat for two full days. |
| * Food: |
I usually cooked for myself, but the meals that I did eat in the city were very good. I found grocery shopping to be much cheaper than in the US. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had a Dutch buddy (domestic student paired with international students), but other than that and a few cultural excursions, I was not very integrated with the local culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not have any health concerns while I was abroad; there were no prevalent health issues, and I did not need any vaccines specifically for this program. |
| * Safety: |
There were no major safety concerns while I was in Amsterdam, and I felt much safer walking alone than I do in the US. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Although there was nothing special about the program I chose, I met a lot of people whom I otherwise would not have known. The program let us be fairly independent, which was exactly what I was looking for. |
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) |
I cooked most of my meals at home, which was fairly cheap. |
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 |
My section of the language course did not encourage us to use the local language more than once per class period/once per week, and when we were encouraged to use it, it was only for about five minutes at a time. |
| 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? | None |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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? | There would be very little support in terms of language. |
