Bad Uni but Great City! June 12, 2024

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The academics paled in comparison to the ones at home. I will say that the English classes I took there were very enjoyable. Do NOT take any philosophy classes there though, they are extremely difficult and unenjoyable. The class I took was hard, not because the material was hard, but because the professor was a horrible teacher. I learned nothing. Also, please look into classes for the semester you plan on going because exchange students are only allowed to take certain classes. I am a political science major and all the political science classes were in the fall and I was going in the spring. However, I didn't realize that as an exchange students I wouldn't be able to take the classes list on the main website. You have to go to a specific course browser. To save yourself any stress during the semester, try taking humanities classes that are 100% writing assignments. They are super easy and you'll get high grades easily. I also will say that I will come out of this experience with some good research projects/papers that I can show for in the future. I recommend Beyond Gender Inequalities, Literature and Globalization, and World Heritage and Conflict. The profs I recommend are E. Vlasman, B. Brink, and G. Schwake. Also, please note that once a term starts you cannot add/drop a class, only drop. This stinks because once you're in a class you're IN IT. You either have to drop it or stick through with it. Most American schools have an add/drop period — not the VU.

On-site administration of your program

The Semester in Amsterdam were very helpful. We also went on occasional fun trips. I will say to maybe look into doing this program through IES or CEA because those students got to go on the Semester in Amsterdam trips AND go on more. Those students actually had friends by the end of their time, not us! I will say that the admin does not know what the classes are like or which programs are good. This made it very hard to pick classes, and again, once the semester starts you are stuck in that class. Pick classes you think will be easy, don't try to fill any requirements!!

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

IMPORTANT: Please note that while the program ends May 31-ish, THE HOUSING IS UNTIL EARLY JULY. At least for the people staying at Hotel Jansen it was. Once you sign the VU contract, you are bound by contract to pay until early JULY. So if you plan on getting an American internship (which usually start May/June), you might want to look into another program or be ok with paying until JULY. NO ONE told us that it would be until July, and honestly if I knew that I would've picked an earlier program in the UK. Housing itself was pretty decent! I stayed in Hotel Jansen Schinkel and I think it's in a much better location that OurDomain. It's only a 8 min bike ride from the VU, and the city is super accessible. Only a 15 minute bike ride to the start of the centre canals/Rijksmuseum/Vondelpark. I liked my room, I had my own private bathroom and my room overlooked a working canal, which was cool. I hated the shared kitchen though. The people living at Hotel Jansen are mostly grad students in their mid-late 20's, but for some reason they still haven't learned to clean up after themselves. One good thing about the shared kitchen was I didn't have to buy pots/pans/cooking utensils, that was nice. There was also no community there and people tended to stick with their own people. It was hard as a 21 year old to make friends with 28 year olds, and Hotel Jansen barely put on any community events. I will say that Hotel Jansen has a lot of good nightlife around it, and there are some famous/good techno clubs nearby! RADION is the best techno club in Amsterdam and it's a 7 min bike ride.

Honestly, the food here was pretty good! The Netherlands has really Indonesian, Surinamese, Indian, and Middle Eastern Food!! Bitterballen and fries are also really tasty Dutch snacks. I will say a lot of their snacks lean sweet rather than salty. Like chips, cheese puffs, and dips lean sweet. Sour cream does not exist and everything is mayo-based. The Mexican food is not good, but that's kinda to be expected.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I made zero Dutch friends. I think because VU is a commuter school there is really no community. The full-time students also were pretty uninterested in exchange students, sometimes even a little mean. They seemed sick of us to be honest. There are also barely any clubs and they're really hard to find and uninteresting. Hotel Jansen also did not do anything to promote community, and because we were isolated from the other students in OurDomain and Uilenstede it was hard to make even other American/international friends. I made some friends in class but because the terms were so short, I never got to see them after. Amsterdam itself though was pretty nice! I felt it was easy to integrate into the city, and Dutch culture isn't too different from American culture. Most Dutch people outside of the VU were very nice, especially older people! But I'm also a tall, blonde, white person and most people assumed I was Dutch, which 100% affected how I was treated. I cannot speak for POC. Party culture is 10/10, but it was hard to take advantage of it because I had no friends and the friends I came with did not want to go out. I went to RADION and Club Nyx multiple times by myself though and felt very safe! Just be safe and be aware.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

N/A can't really say

Amsterdam was super safe. I never really went anywhere I felt unsafe. Maybe be aware of pickpockets near Centraal Station, but that's it. Amsterdam is really touristy, so there's always a lot of people and workers everywhere. Even in the surrounding areas of the city, I don't think I ever went anywhere where I felt unsafe. If anything be aware of how crowded and touristy the city can be sometimes! Some areas are busy all year 24/7 because the city was not really built to handle so many people. Go on weekdays to beat the super large crowds (but still be aware that there will be crowds).

I didn't like the academics and I didn't make any friends (and I make friends very easily, so that should tell you something). I would've chosen a program with better academics that was known for it's community. I probably would've looked into IES University van Amsterdam! That program seemed way more fun and what I was looking for.

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

Amsterdam is pretty expensive. I tried using only $150 a week, and sometimes that was pushing it, especially if I wanted to go and do fun things. Too Good To Go was very helpful, as well as cooking at home. But even then, groceries can be a bit expensive! The laundry is also 4-6 euros/wash. And note that the metro and train systems can be pretty pricey/add up. Try biking everywhere or taking FlixBus/BlaBlaBus.

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