UU Report form - 2015-2016
faculty/college Utrecht School of Economics (REBO) destination city & country Berkeley, United States of America
preparation exchange/placement application process
The University of California has by far the most complicated selection procedure, as one has to go through two separate rounds of application: one for the University of California and one for the UC campuses. I knew I wanted to go to California, and more specifically, to Berkeley, ever since freshman year. A lot of the selection happens randomly, so you have little control over anything apart from your GPA and your uniqueness as a candidate. I directed my whole application (letter of motivation, study plan, academic statement) towards a specific set of goals in academic and social life I was looking to achieve at Berkeley. Specific courses, and the professors teaching them, and extra-curricular activities that may only be achievable by going to Berkeley. I do not know how major a role this played, but, in the end, I happened to be selected as one of the four students to be sent to UC Berkeley! counselling/support at home university
Ingrid Dijkstra and Andrea Naylor had been a major source support and information in the preparatory phases of the programme. Pay close attention to their guidelines when it comes to the Visa Application, as it is definitely the most important matter to get in order after being accepted. academic preparation
Getting the basic 3.0 GPA should not be too hard for students aspiring to study at the University of California. In all honesty, if you are truly set on going there, get yourself a perfect 4.0. That Is not to say that you have no chance otherwise, but it is definitely a great way to start a letter of motivation, is it not? language preparation
The Economics and Business Economics Bachelor is taught fully in English, meaning you do not need extra qualifications in the English language. I myself, also had a recent TOEFL score. I would suggest you be rather comfortable in the English language. UC Berkeley is going to be really challenging if you do not have an academic level of English, truth be told. Don’t worry about the accent, I have a terrible one and everybody seems to love it! In any case: practice, practice, practice. You should be, in the least, perfectly fluent in reading and understanding English. I wrote everything in British, it wasn’t a problem spelling-wise. The fun part is when you ask for an aubergine or a courgette.
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finances
One thing to know when visiting America: money is everything. Living is going to be very expensive, as the basic rates for housing, be it university or private, are MUCH higher than we are used to in the Netherlands. Although eating and spending in an average week can cost you very little, expect to spend a large amount of money during your stray abroad. I would suggest you work hard in your time before exchange to build a good budget, and make full use of grant and lending opportunities. Trust me, your time in California is going to be so much better if you have a certain financial ease to try some more foodstuffs, local events, and cover weekly travel costs to San Francisco and many other awesome places in the area that you have to see before going back.
study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
UC Berkeley is the top public university in the world. The academic quality is very high. That being said, there is such an incredibly large number of courses to pick from that you will hardly be able to decide. Make sure to pick two courses in advance you really really wish to follow there, and be more flexible with the others. I spent the first two weeks of classes literally shopping around for courses, going to every lecture I was interested in to get a taste of the class and the professor. I changed my registration daily, until I finally settled on the perfect programme. I did not just follow courses in my major, as I decide to go in a more multidisciplinary direction, and I absolutely LOVED IT. Taking a course in American Cultures as an Economics senior really broadens your perspective on the togetherness you face living there every day. Do make sure to keep in mind how your finals week is going to look when picking courses. Trust me when I say that having 4 exams in a week, or multiple exams on one day, is a NIGHTMARE at Berkeley. You’ll get through it eventually, you’re going to feel like you aged a million years the day you are done. Also, take into account your unit load (discussed below). I took two 4-unit courses (one upper and one lower division), two 3-unit courses (both upper division) and a 1-unit course (a DeCal course). It won’t affect the level in transfer to UU but it definitely affects the level of work required. academic quality of education/placement activities
With different course levels and units come different requirements. A 3-unit upper level course will seem much simpler that a 4-unit one. Nevertheless, the quality is FULLY dependent on the professor teaching the course. If you are at Berkeley, you have the opportunity to meet some of the greatest minds in any field (i.e. Prof. Stefano DellaVigna, Prof. Dan Acland etc). Google your professors, go to the first lectures, talk to them in Office Hours, select wisely and enjoy the full experience of Berkeley. counselling/support at host institution/organisation
It is amazing how, even at such a massive university, you will feel that the institution is there for you, to help you and advise you in any way you need. Professors and tutors will be holding weekly Office Hours in which they will literally talk with you about anything you might want to discuss. You may set up appointments with the department advisors, the Career Centre, the Student Learning Centre, the LEAD centre, the TANG mental health advisors, the QARC queer student collective, the financial advisors for anything you might wish to be
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advised upon. All these services are there for you, whenever you may need them. transfer of credits
One thing Ingrid and Andrea will be telling you all about is how it is IMPERATIVE to get your study plan approved before returning back to UU. It is going to make the transfer of credits so much smoother. You may also do this while you are on exchange, so don’t worry about finalising a strict study plan beforehand. Traditionally, 1 unit in Berkeley equals 2 ECTS.
student life welcome/orientation programme
The Berkeley International Office will be organising a multitude of events the first weeks of the semester to familiarise you with the location and the people. Do not be afraid to go up to people and talk to them. Everybody is new there, and everybody is interested in talking to each other and meeting new people. You may make friends for life, and, in the end, the worst that can happen is that you may not see one person again. You are going to see A LOT of people in those first weeks, and some of them you will be seeing frequently for the rest of your time there. accommodation
I have found that my friends living in the International House have had an incredible time, meeting people from all over the world and always sticking with each other. That’s great and all, but I went a different way. I ended up living in the Residence Halls (university housing), with lots of freshmen. I absolutely loved it, since I got to meet so many locals and had an incredibly American experience, exactly as I wanted to. Also, having meal points grants you access to the university dining halls, which are pretty great. I would suggest one signs up for every housing option, since it is crazy competitive. Place yourself on the lists for the International House, the Dorms and the Student Co-operative Housing, and then proceed to make a choice. leisure/culture
Berkeley is a fantastic place. The city is literally built around the university campus, and everything is walking distance. There’s tons and tons of awesome foodplaces to try, cinemas, vintage and thrift stores, parks and people. With the BART you can be in San Francisco within 20 minutes, which is honestly one of the coolest cities in the world. UC Berkeley has thousands of student-run clubs and organisation that cater for literally every taste. In my one semester at Berkeley, I joined the fashion collective, I walked in a professional show, I joined the Pokémon club, I played intramural volleyball and I rushed, pledged and joined a fraternity. All without having to rest academically, socially or spatially. The American culture is quite an interesting one. There’s going to be attitudes that take getting used to (like a very particular tipping culture, a certain level of expected superficiality in everyday contact and a 21 legal drinking age), but it is all quite easy to get into. That’s when you may see how genuinely nice and friendly the common American living in the Bay Area is. suggestions/tips
I can honestly talk about the Bay Area (Berkeley, San Francisco and surrounding cities) and the university for
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days. I appreciate this place with such a passion that I have written up a semester-long blog of what to do and to see (or avoid seeing) while one is visiting it. It is a magnificent and life-changing experience. If you want to hear all the crazy stories and most amazing things to experience there, make sure to contact me by asking Ingrid. I’d be more than happy to share anything about my time in Berkeley! Trust me, I give awesome tips.
conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
If you didn’t get the sentiment already: YES. SO MUCH. It’s going to cost quite a bit of money, but the experience you will get out of it cannot be assigned a value. Berkeley has everything you think you need, and SO MUCH MORE you never thought you did. And if you are thinking of skipping simply because you are not 21 and would not be able to go out: you are so, so wrong. I’d tell you all about it, but I am pretty sure I cannot post it on the internet. do you have any additional advice or comments?
Just go. And if you are there, do not spend a single day without doing at least something outside, even if it’s just getting a Latte at Café Med and strolling through the Shattuck comic book store, getting a $1 taco at Café Durant’s Taco Tuesdays, visiting Telegraph Ave in Oakland on a First Friday or hopping into BART to chill in Dolores Park in the Mission District of San Francisco. And please, for the love of god, talk to me. I am writing this as I am looking upon the Pacific Ocean from my room in Hawaii, after I just finished finals weeks in Berkeley. If I can be here, so can you!
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UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: University College Roosevelt
Level: X bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: pre-medical track/bio-medical sciences
Destination city & country Berkeley, United States
Name host institution University of California at Berkeley and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 10-08-2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 21-12-2015
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: Extensive, but very clear. I had to go through several phases, both at my host institution and the University of California. I also had to hand-in multiple study plans. It is also very exciting that the destination is unknown and that it will be revealed at the end of the application process. This was definitely an added bonus in my opinion. You are also allowed to write a motivational letter, in which one can really focus on the motivation to go abroad. I think this is a very good thing, as it leaves room for other insights. I was surprised that your CV was not asked at all, but that it was mainly about academic achievements and motivation. Counselling/support at home university: The support at the University of Utrecht was very good, and the presentations given at the pre- departure meeting were very clear. The head of the exchange office in Utrecht was very helpful ! Going abroad will, however, make matters more difficult at times. There were some problems with the translation of courses and credits, but after many e-mails this has eventually been resolved. Going abroad will simply take more time than staying at home, because you will have to prepare every little detail. It is also counter-intuitive that you first have to apply at your home university, and that you afterwards have to start all over again with this process at the host university, but it is understandable. Academic preparation: The most difficult part was, to make sure that my graduation requirements were met despite going abroad. It is always more difficult to take a pre-requisite course abroad because you will need formal consent of your professor. I did take courses that are all relevant to my master, but I am not sure yet if they can all count towards my study points (subject specific). Language preparation: My bachelor is in English, and therefore I did not have to take any additional tests.
Finances: Living near San Francisco is extremely expensive. I have been told that this is partly due to the “software-boom’’. Major companies such as Google, LinkedIn and Facebook are within a driving distance. My normal rent in the Netherlands three folded at least. Staying in the International House Berkeley however, was one of the best decision I ever made. I still have friends from all over the world. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): As has been said before, the information that has been provided by UU was outstanding. Practical information about flight tickets and visa’s were given as well. Due to some error in the visa system, it was quite stressful to obtain my visa in time but this was something out of the control of my home university. The practical information was brief, but to the point. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The quality of the education was very high. I found some of my courses slightly harder than back home, but the major difficulty was the emphasis on competition. The so-called curved grading could work in your disadvantage at times. Almost all students I met were highly motivated. The percentages one has to obtain for a “A-grade’” was also higher in the United States, while in my case the courses were not easier. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: I had some question about certain courses, and my UCEAP advisor helped me immediately. He also advised me not to take too many credits, an advice I am very thankful for looking back. Transfer of credits: I do not want to go into too much detail here, as it depends on the type of faculty. I did notice that between university colleges, rules seem to differ. The transfer of credits & grades was problematic, but after various conversations it has been resolved. I would encourage everyone to keep track of the type of courses taken, the conversion of units and all of their grades during their stay. It is sometimes difficult to round of certain grades, and this could work in your disadvantage at times. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: The orientation programme was fun ! It took place in I-house Berkeley as well. I met a lot of people and it was a great week of activities and fun parties. I would say it is an advantage if I-house is already your accommodation, because many of the friends I made during this week happened to live a hallway above me. A lot of international students choose I-house as their accommodation. Accommodation: Living in I-house was one of the highlights of my exchange: the people, the food, the general atmosphere, the excursions. There were many day trips, hikes and even football games that were provided by I-house. Rooms are rented out fast however, so I would encourage students to arrange their room as soon as possible ! It was also nice to live with someone from a totally different country than my own. Leisure/culture: I had no culture shock at all, because I am familiar with the American culture. The nature is
beautiful, and this really fuels my outdoor/adventurous needs. Yosemite national park tours go from San Francisco, and this was for me the absolute highlight of my trip. Travelling through California is also worth it, but the bay itself has already enough to offer for a semester ! Suggestions/tips: Academics are important, but I remember the fun times with friends and loved ones more vividly than my final exams. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: I would recommend this university to everyone ! However, I would say that it is rather competitive. UC Berkeley has the name speaking for itself, and this comes at a price. The competition in classrooms is fierce, and I noticed that a lot of emphasis was placed on academic achievements. Other than that, this is really the dream university. No one can beat the school spirit, and I will forever be a proud golden bear. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Make the most of your time abroad, it goes by way too fast.
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance, School of Economics
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Economics and Business Economics
Destination city & country Berkeley, USA
Name host institution University of California, Berkeley and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 19/08/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 22/12/2015
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The application process takes a lot of time. There is a standard application at Utrecht University that is common for everybody applying for an exchange that is quick and quite straightforward to do. But if you get a place for the exchange at the University of California, then the next step is a long and quite time-consuming application process within the host university. But the aim of this application is to be decided in which campus you would be placed so it is quite important. Counselling/support at home university: I have received useful advice by the exchange officer regarding the documents that I had to send while applying for the exchange. Besides that, I have also attended the orientation meetings but since I had already decided where I wanted to apply I found them as more informative for people wondering where exactly they want to apply and how to order their preferences when applying in Osiris. The pre-departure meeting is very important and useful and informative for the preparation considering that the amount of paperwork is large. Academic preparation: I have not prepared for the exchange in terms of academics especially since I took courses at Berkeley only within my field of studying. I believe that it is quite hard to do an useful academic preparation in advance since most people tend to change the courses they take once thay have already started their semester abroad. Language preparation: I have not done any language preparation either since I already had a certificate in English that covered their requirements. Besides that, people studying in entirely English-taught programmes, anyway do not need to present a certificate for English language proficiency, but just a verification from their faculty that their language of instruction is entirely English. Finances:
Life in general is more expensive than in the Netherlands, especially housing, but this depends a lot on the campus you are placed in. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): Since my first application for exchange I changed my study plan way too many times. After being nominated for an exchange at the University of California, while applying for my three preferred campuses of the host university, I had to write three study plans for each campus. Despite that at the end most of the courses that I ended up taking are different from the ones planned even in this second application. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The quality of education is very good, but for the same amount of courses that you are taking at Utrecht University you should expect to have more lectures and much larger amount of coursework during the duration of the whole semester! It very often happens that the courses you have chosen a couple of months ago are not what you expected them to be so the university gives the opportunity to adjust your choice of courses during the first one or two weeks. But since some courses are quite popular and fill up quite quickly, then it is very important to sign up for them as soon as the university gives you the chance to sign up (at the beginning of summer). Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: I think there are many opportunities for students to get counselling or support at the university from various sources such as the exchange advisor, the International Office, teachers, etc. I think though that the academic process is well organized, the International Office is providing a lot of information to the international students and in general the studying and living of exchange students at Berkeley is well organized and students are well informed so you would most probably not encounter large problems that will make you seek advice. But if you still need to speak to somebody people are quite helpful and approachable. Transfer of credits: My credits have not been transferred yet, but the courses I have taken at Berkeley have been approved by my faculty at the beginning of the semester so I have been pretty much aware of how many credits at Utrecht University I will get. When starting my exchange I knew that I needed to get as many credits in Utrecht as possible, so I took Economic courses or some other courses closely related to Economics so that they could all be counted towards my Bachelor’s Degree. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: There was a nice orientation programme for all the EAP exchange students in the university during the first one or two days. Apart from that during the whole first week there are plenty of activities on and even outside of campus for international students. Accommodation: I lived in the International House which was an amazing experience. Accommodation is on high demand so it is crucial to apply for housing as early as possible. Leisure/culture: Since San Francisco is located opposite to Berkeley and it takes about 40min. by train to reach its
centre, I believe that there are enough cultural activities to do and places to explore. Besides that the university itself offers opportunities for doing all kinds of activities. Suggestions/tips: Berkeley is a university that offers an opportunity to experience student life in America in the way that many students have not. At Berkeley traditions and university pride are very important so it is very interesting to experience the atmosphere at American football games, to join one of the overwhelming amounts of student organizations and so on. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: I would definitely recommend this university since it is a well-known university and an exchange there would be a good addition to the Bachelor’s degree of anybody no matter the field of studying and moreover it is a really nice place with very good student life where you would have lots of fun. Do you have any additional advice or comments?:
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Social Sciences
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Psychology
Destination city & country Berkeley, United States
Name host institution University of California, Berkeley and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 19th of august 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 16th of may 2016
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The application process for a university of California is a bit more demanding than other application processes. Take some time for it, and read all the instructions on the websites carefully. Everything you have to do is on there or will be told during one of the meetings, no surprises. The most important thing to start early with, is the language test you will have to take: the TOEFL. Make sure you will make the appointment for this test as soon as possible. Counselling/support at home university: Mrs. Dijkstra is really nice and helpful. You can mail her for everything and you should. Academic preparation: To be selected to go to California, you have to have a GPA of a 3.5 (equivalent to a 7.5) or higher. When you are planning on applying, make sure you will have a GPA of a 3.5 during the time that your application process takes. Furthermore, you will need some motivation letters and studyplans, make sure you think about your future aspirations and be ready to write about them. Language preparation: The language preparation is quite straightforward. Every university in California requires a certain test score, you will find them on the website of UCEAP. For Dutch people, it should not be to hard. Our English education is pretty good. Still, you will be better prepared for or the TOEFL or the IELTS if you take some time to practice the tests. They are quite exhausting and require a lot of concentration. I would advise to get some practice tests and make them. Also, you will find useful video’s on youtube. Further, you can buy (or download) practice books or CD’s. Finances: Unfortunately, the United States is expensive, especially California. I spend more money over there than I do in the Netherlands. My estimation would be around 500 dollars a month (besides housing
costs and groceries). Groceries, and especially healthy groceries are way more expensive than we Dutchies are used to. I would advise you to get a mealplan included in your housing or somewhere else, it might not be the most excellent food but it will save you a lot of money. In Berkeley specifically, things are expensive. The bay area is the most expensive area of California. If you want to go somewhere, you often have to hire a car because the public transportation sucks. The BART going to San Francisco is good and normally priced but that is quite all the nice public transportation you get. Also, Berkeley Campus provides students with free bus rides through Berkeley. It is nice, but the busses are not as well organised as in the Netherlands and it takes you some time. Walking is often as fast. Study/placement abroad period You will just have to wait. Try to make your academic statement as clear as possible and it might be smart to initially apply for a major/course that is not that demanding. This only if you want to go to Berkeley/LA. This might increase your chances and later on you can still change your major/courses when you are definitely placed. I applied for the major Legal Studies but ended up doing Psychology and Sociology courses.
Academic quality of education/placement activities: The education system in the United States works differently than the Dutch system. Therefore, I would say, you have to imagine that the University includes as well the University level and HBO level of the Netherlands. Some courses will require you to use your brain more than others. Overall, I experienced it as that I had to work as much (because they work with a lot of assignments and you do four courses at the time) but that it was not too difficult. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: My advisor at Berkeley was really nice and helpful. He responds quickly to your messages. I spoke to him when I wanted to for another semester at Berkeley and he made sure this was arranged within two weeks! Transfer of credits: I did not receive my credits yet. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: In Berkeley, the first week is really well organised and fun. Go to the activities, they are nice and you will meet other international students. Especially if you do not live in I-house, it will be nice to meet people! Caltopia is an event during the first days, it is quite a circus but if you would like to join a Sportsteam it will be useful! Accommodation: International House is by far the most fun and best place to live. It is expensive but definitely worth it. There are a lot of activities organised for the students and you will immediately have loads of friends. It also has a library and quiet hours so it is not party all day long. As a second choice, apply for dorms. I have met multiple international students who lived in private houses with four or five housemates, but it seldom was a fun time, since there housemates were often not that nice to live with and they were not close with them at all. The Coops sounds nice, but you will never get in
as an international student unfortunately although they portray it that way. Leisure/culture: California has so much to offer. Go on hikes, explore the coast, and go to the many National Parks. Suggestions/tips: Arrrive with an open mind, this semester abroad will open your eyes in many ways. Enjoy it from the first day on, time flies when you are having fun! Invest in meeting others the first days, it will pay of and the people you are with will definitely influence your time over there. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes. California is an amazing place to be and the Universities are really well organised. The host organisation is well organised as well, it will make sure you will get everything you have to do done in time. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: -
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: UU
Level: + bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Rechten
Destination city & country Santa Barbara, U.S.A.
Name host institution The University of California – Santa Barbara and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange + study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 01-02-2016 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 07-15-2016r
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The application process was very long. Especially for the UCEAP program you have to apply even earlier then the other deadlines. It was a lot of work all throughout. Counselling/support at home university: I got the most support from Ingrid. Academic preparation: I had to have an average of 7 to be able to do this exchange. Luckily I already had this so I didn’t have to do any other academic preparation. Language preparation: EAP requires a TOEFL test or something similar. Luckily I had already done my Cambridge exam and that was also sufficient. Finances: I financed my trip with DUO, saving money and my parents financed. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): I did two quarters at UCSB. In each quarter I did 3 courses in different majors. My official major was Global Studies, but it is no problem to take any other course you like in other majors. Also I ended up not doing any of the courses I originally planned for in my study plan. Academic quality of education/placement activities: Amazing. Amazing teachers, inspiring, cool classes. The crashing in the first week is stressfull, but it is very worth it to crash a class that you are interested in. I would highly recommend going outside your comfort zone and just apply for classes you think would be interesting. UCSB is excellent in Environmental Studies which is very cool.
Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: I didn’t get a lot of support from the host university. But if you have questions you can always easily reach Willaine Cabbal and she will help you with anything. Transfer of credits: My credits haven’t been transferred so far. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: We only had 1 day of an introduction so this was pretty non-existend. Throughout the year there are more international student activities though. Accommodation: I lived in the student town Isla Vista right next to campus. I would highly recommend living here. It is just way more fun than living on campus and you will really get the American experience. I lived in an amazing house on Del Playa Drive (best street to live on) and I found this through craigslist. To find housing in IV: use craigslist or look on facebook groups like UCSB housing Leisure/culture: There are endless opportunities for leisure. UCSB really has everything from ocean to mountains from surfing to skiing. I would highly recommend joining the Excursion Club. This is a super fun club that organizes really cool trips all around and a great way to meet a lot of fun people. Suggestions/tips: Live in Isla Vista. Join Excursion Club. Take courses you are genuinely interested in (don’t be afraid to crash courses). Go to extra events on and around campus. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: YES!!!! UCSB is the best. It has been the best half year of my life and that is thanks to this amazing place. UCSB has the reputation of a party university, but it is so much more than that. The culture of Isla Vista is unique. The people are amazing and friendly. The university is great, has the best professors and offers the best courses. There is no better UC than this one. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Enjoy!
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Humanities
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Language and Culture Studies
Destination city & country Santa Barbara, California, United States
Name host institution University of California – Santa Barbara and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 31-08-2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 03-01-2016
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The preparation was quite some work and it was a bit stressing for me. However in the end I wondered what I was stressing about. You just have to make a list of all the things you have to do and just do them all, and you will be fine. It’s not difficult. And if you have any questions you can always ask Ingrid. Counselling/support at home university: Like I said before, I could always send Ingrid Dijkstra an e-mail with all my questions. She replied to me really quickly so that was great. I had the feeling that I was really supported and that made the whole application process much easier. Academic preparation: The main important thing for California I think is that you’re grade has to be a 7.0 or higher. Language preparation: I had to take the TOEFL test. I was really nervous about this, because I heard that many times there weren’t many dates available to do the test. However, in the end this was (again) stress for nothing. Just plan a date and study a bit (I did some practice assignments on youtube) and you will be absolutely fine. Finances: My parents supported me financially and I took a DUO loan, because I didn’t want to be short on money whilst in California. Living in California is pretty expansive, so make sure that you have enough money so that you can do all the amazing stuff Cali has to offer. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): I already had all the ECTS I needed for my bachelor when I went to California, so that was quite
relaxing. I took three courses and I think that was the perfect amount. If you take more you’ll probably will be really busy studying, which is nice as well, however it’s nicel to have spare time and explore! Academic quality of education/placement activities: I thought the academic quality was quite similar to Utrecht. I did take some lower-division courses and they were easier than the courses I took in Utrecht. However, those courses did have a high workload, because you had to know a lot of basic information by heart. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: The counselling and support at the host institution was good! We got a long time in advance many e-mails from Willaine, our coordinator. And you can also always mail her when you’re there and talk to her when you’re having trouble with something. Transfer of credits: The transfer of credits was good! I got an A+ for two courses and an A- for one course, and Utrecht transferred this to a 9 and for the A- course I got an 8. One course was rated as a level 3 course, another as a level 2 course and another as a level 1 course. I do think its strange that they transfer an A+ to a 9 and not a 10 (cause when you have an A+ you didn’t make any mistakes) but despite from that I think the transfer is good! Student life Welcome/orientation programme: There wasn’t a big orientation programme. We had one day of ‘Cali training’, which was really boring, because we were listening the whoooole day to instructions and we had a breakfast which was not really fancy. However, it was a good way to meet some new people and get to know the university. Also the whole campus had introduction activities the first week (or two weeks I can’t remember), for example a sports fair (where you could sign up for sports teams or just eat free ice cream). UCSB has many clubs and all those clubs were introducing themselves the first weeks, so that felt like an orientation as well! Just go to as many as possible introduction things and you’ll create your own orientation programme. Accommodation: I decided to search for a room in Isla Vista on Craigslist, because I heard good stories about that (better than University housing or campus, because those were smaller rooms, more expensive and more rules). I was really happy with the house I ended up with! I rented a room from a girl who went abroad herself, so I could sublease her room. I stayed in a triple. At first I thought this was really daunting, because I like my privacy so now and then, but it was really ok! I only went there to sleep and during the day I just chilled with my housemates in our huge living room or balcony. I had 4 housemates in total and that was perfect! I also heard girls who shared a house with 13 (sorority) girls and I heard less positive stories about that, but it could be a lot of fun as wel! (Much of those houses are on Del Playa, where you have the best ocean view ever, so that’s really something to think about if you would like to live right next to the ocean once in your life). I lived on Sueno Road, which was perfect! It was still only a couple of minutes from the beach and it was a bit more quiet than other party streets, which was nice (especially when I wanted to sleep). But everything in Isla Vista is close, so a couple minutes of walking and you can find a party. Even
though I stayed in a triple, which was fine, I think I would recommend to look for a double. You’ll just have a bit more room, and the chance of being alone in your room (which can be nice sometimes) is bigger. Leisure/culture: I don’t know what to say here, because California is so amazingly beautiful and there is so so so much to do!!! Because I was only there for the fall quarter, I wanted to do something almost every weekend. So I made several awesome roadtrips during the weekends with the friends I made there. I went to Yosemite NP, Sequoia NP, San Francisco, Big Sur and also some amazing spots in the neighbourhood. Santa Barbara is beautiful, I miss it every day. State Street is amazing for shopping, good (fish) food, sunny beachdays and clubbing (if you’re 21). I also loved Paseo Nuevo, a sort open air shopping mall. The vibe there is so relaxed, also because the sun is just always shining and the weather is never to hot and never to cold. I liked IV a lot as well. In IV you can also find nice places to get some food with your new friends or just chill and tan at the campus (!!) beach (yes the campus has its own beach) or Sands Beach. Also I can really advice to hike up to Knapp’s Castle, which is an old ruin in the Santa Ynez mountains, you do need a car to get there, but the Excursion Club organises trips to the castle as well, so you can go there then. Also, partying is really nice and really different from Holland. I also went to the gym a lot, especially Zumba and yoga, which I loved! Finally: after my quarter was done I also made a 3-week roadtrip trough Arizona, Nevada and Utah, which was amazing as well. Me and my boyfriend rented a Campervan. It was so cool, it was a small bus and artists made these amazing paintings on all these little buses, it looks so cool. You can sleep in the back and there is a cooking stove and a fridge and everything, but its not to big so its perfect for driving in big cities as well! (And it was the same price, or maybe even cheaper, than renting a normal car). This is the site: http://www.bakpakguide.com/usa/transport/car-camper- rentals/cars-campers-booking-service.shtml Definitely look into that if you have the chance!! Suggestions/tips: I already gave tips under leasure and culture. But one more tip: join the excursion club! It’s a really nice way to stay active and explore all the beauty around you and meet new people. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: YES! Santa Barbara is amazing. The vibe is so relaxing and the academic quality is high as well. It is so cool to study in a library and when you look outside you see the ocean and when you’re done studying you can swim in that ocean because the weather is almost always good. I’m sure you will have the most amazing experience if you’ll go to UCSB. I did! Also SB is so central, you really nearby LA, but SF and San Diego are reachable as well during the weekends. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Meet new people as fast as you can, don’t be shy! I was scared at the beginning about that, but all the exchange students are in the same boat, they don’t know anyone, need to by sheets and groceries and need to get used to the new culture. Because of that you’ll make new friends so easily and they’ll become really good friends fast as well! And just enjoy every moment there, the sun, the cool things you learn and see and just EVERYTHING.
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Law faculty
Level: X bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Utrecht Law College
Destination city & country Santa Barbara, United States
Name host institution University of California and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 02/01/2016 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 02/07/2016
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The exchange application process took a while! First I needed to apply for UC in general, which I had to do even before the deadlines for other universities. After I heard that I was admitted (conditionally) to UC I had to apply for a specific UC. During spring I heard that I was allowed to go to UC Santa Barbara for Winter and Spring Quarter (January – July) - very exciting! Counselling/support at home university: The support at home university was good! I could always e-mail Ingrid Dijkstra and she responded very quickly. The approval of my courses took a little bit long, though, so e-mail the Board of Examiners ahead of time. Academic preparation: Besides a required GPA, there were no other academic preparations necessary because I already finished almost all my courses in the Netherlands. Language preparation: I had to do a TOEFL Test in order to demonstrate my proficiency in English. Although I was very nervous about the test (I didn’t feel comfortable at all about my English) I passed! Finances: Studying in California is expensive, but it was definitely worth it. I worked hard before my departure and saved, so I was able and allowed to go. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): In Utrecht I study law, but I took philosophy and history courses in Santa Barbara. The courses were challenging, sometimes hard, but very interesting. I learned a lot and it was very good for my English, because of all the readings and papers I had to write. Studying in English and studying
philosophy in English in particular was a lot harder than expected, but I am very happy I did it and would definitely recommend it. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The academic quality of UC Santa Barbara is high. People are eager to learn and therefore study hard. The teachers are very willing to help you and are very involved with their students. They have for example every week office hours where you can ask them questions or talk about the material. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: Before I arrived I received a lot of useful information from the Exchange Coordinator at UC Santa Barbara. Sometimes the amount of information was overwhelming, but you could always send an e-mail for clarification and they would respond very quickly (Americans respond very quickly in general). After my arrival I had no questions anymore, so I cannot really say anything about that. Transfer of credits: The approval of the courses by the Board of Examiners took a while and I still don’t know how many credits I will receive and when. This depends of your faculty though, and I know this is different for other students. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: The orientation programme was short, I think a bit too short. There was only a short day of introduction and a tour a day after arrival. All the overwhelming new impressions combined with a jetlag made it hard to remember everything and to meet all the other exchange students. Accommodation: You needed to arrange the housing yourself, which was quite hard from the other side of the world. Therefore, my first house wasn’t the best experience I have ever had, but through Facebook I found a new house, with four American girls, which turned out perfect. I am really happy that I chose to live with Americans, because I learned a lot about the culture, they showed me around and gave me the real American experience. Leisure/culture: Because of my American housemates I have seen a lot of California. They invited me to their parent’s houses and we went on many trips together. Besides going on trips, hiking is very popular here and people are very active. Santa Barbara is the perfect place for hiking, running, surfing, climbing and other adventures! Suggestions/tips: See and do as much as you can, but don’t forget to study. You learn a lot and you meet many people while studying. Studying in Santa Barbara made the difference for me between being on a holiday and living somewhere. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Definitely! Santa Barbara is one of the most beautiful places in the world, with a very good education system and a lot of fun things to do! Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Just apply!
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Social Sciences
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
Destination city & country Santa Barbara, United States
Name host institution University of California Santa Barbara and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date September 1st, 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) January 8th, 2016
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: As long as you make the deadlines you don’t have to worry. It was a lot of work and most of it seemed completely useless to me, but I guess it’s a necessary evil. Counselling/support at home university: Great support! The prepping can sometimes seem a bit overwhelming, but Ingrid (the exchange coordinator) is always quick to respond with helpful insights. Academic preparation: This was a lot of work, but also fun. You have to make a top three selection out of the 9 UC’s, for your top three you need to select courses you would like to take (which you never end up actually taking), so you have to do a lot of reading on all the courses all the UC’s offer. No matter your major in Utrecht, you will find someplace where you find the rights courses. Language preparation: I did the TOEFL exam, I was all worried about this and then it turned out to be very easy. It was in fact so easy that it feels a bit silly to spend so much money on a high standing English certificate when it doesn’t even really test your skills. Just make sure you schedule an exam on time as they’re often fully booked a few weeks/month ahead in some cities! Finances: You have to guarantee the UC that you are soluble for an amount between 5000-1000 USD (depending on the UC location). The easiest way of doing this is by showing you have this amount on your bank account (I was lucky enough to have my parents help me out with this). If you don’t have this amount readily at your disposal, don’t worry! There are plenty of ways to work around it.
Just be aware that this estimate that each UC location sets is quite accurate for what you actually have to spend (at a minimum). But here in the Netherlands you also have a certain spending pattern and the high costs are totally worth the amazing experience. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): As an exchange student you get the last pick in classes, meaning interesting and popular courses can already be full by the time it’s your turn to enrol. That’s no issue though. At UCSB it was very common to crash courses, meaning that if you are not enrolled in a course you just show up at the first lecture so that when spaces become available, the professor can still admit you. That’s why you’ll want to enrol in a whole bunch of courses at the start of the quarter and just drop a few during the first two weeks that you find least interesting or relevant to you. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The academics are vastly different from here at Utrecht University (I think American and Dutch/European education are different in general), but that’s all the more reason to go on an exchange I think!
The big difference between UU and UCSB was that at UU we generally get deeper into the course material/readings and have to find the interrelations between different theories, but the course readings are never that large. At UCSB we get huge loads of readings and homework and learn them all by heart, but you learn everything in isolation and hardly ever have to compare one theory to the other. At the beginning this made me feel a tiny bit like being back in high school, when you had to learn French vocabulary by heart without having to use them in an actual conversation. Luckily most of my courses became more and more challenging as the quarter progressed!
I took two lower division courses in earth science, they were both absolutely amazing. There was a lot of hands on lab work and the teachers were so enthusiastic and supportive. Which is something I sometimes miss in my programme at UU. One of the professors had even been a researcher at Yale and had such a huge knowledge about his field of study, very inspiring! I also took one upper division course in sociology about climate change, despite having an awesome and highly motivated professor it was not a good course. We wrote a weekly essay in which our feelings and personal opinions were more valuable than academic knowledge, so referring to anything more than Wikipedia wasn’t really necessary. This doesn’t say anything about the Sociology department of course, just that this was a terrible course if you’re a person that feels university is not the time and place to talk about personal opinions and feelings.
Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: Awful. If I were to begin talking about the struggles I’ve had in dealing with UCSB I wouldn’t stop writing for five pages, so I won’t. In a nutshell, UCSB is a great learning institution but an awful organization. No matter what happens, UCSB is the party that is in power and is able to set the rules, your rights as a student don’t really matter, at all. Make sure you avoid the UCSB housing office and anything in the financial departments.
Don’t let this discourage you though, just be aware of it! I still had an amazing experience and I would definitely consider a Master’s degree at UCSB if I could afford it. I would just go with different expectations and try to avoid having to deal with the operations side of UCSB.
Transfer of credits: Don’t know yet (it’s mid-February right now)! I just hope the efforts I put into my grades at UCSB will also be recognized here at UU. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: I went for the fall quarter, start of the new academic year! I was already there two weeks prior to the start of the quarter, which was quite a mistake as it was still summer holiday so the campus was pretty deserted! So if you go before the quarter starts, go travel around with family/friends or something.
At the first week of the fall quarter there’s a big introduction week! There’s no such thing as ESN though that arranges an introduction especially for internationals, good opportunity to get out there and meet friends on your own! Accommodation: They scare you about the difficulty of finding housing, I didn’t have a house prior to arriving so that’s why I went early. I was so stressed about it that I ended up just going with the university owned housing, biggest mistake of my life. First of all because they made mistakes with my placing and I ended up paying for them myself, secondly because uni housing is way overpriced (650$ for sharing a bedroom with two other guys!) and if you’re not happy about your accommodation it’s impossible to relocate or break your contract with them. Only after getting my uni housing I learned how easy it would have been to find a nice privately owned place if I’d given myself a few days/weeks to sort it out instead of rushing into the safety of the uni housing.
My suggestion would be to not stress about housing at all (so the opposite of what I did), you will always find something, and if you don’t have housing on day one you’ll be just fine crashing on someone’s couch until you do (Americans are very nice people!).
As to where, IV and downtown are both fine. If you’re over 21 and don’t want to be stuck at parties where most people are 19 y/o’s getting wasted and then the cops show up at 1am to shut down the party, downtown might be more for you. But if you do live in IV there’s still plenty of possibilities! You can take the bus for free and it only takes you about 20 minutes to get to campus. Leisure/culture: There’s endless possibilities so just go out there and explore! Seriously, I joined so much clubs and activities and along the way you meet amazing people (usually other internationals). If you want to make American friends, join sports clubs! I joined cheerleading, running, rock climbing and kick
boxing and all were great ways to immerse myself into American life (people at UCSB are quite active).
UCSB (and especially IV) used to be known as a big party place where every night was a wild night. This has changed over the recent years due to very strict university policy and corporation with the police. So the party scene was a bit of a a let-down. That being said, there’s plenty of opportunities to still make the most of it, LA is around the corner, there’s a few fun clubs in downtown (Wildcat!) and you can always make your own parties. Suggestions/tips: - Don’t go for uni housing. Also, you have to share your bedroom with at least one other person. This is strange at the beginning but you get used to it, I even miss it now! - Enrol in as many courses as you can and then drop a few as you go. It’s fine, everyone does it. - Same goes for other activities, I joined a gazillion clubs at the start and kind of stuck with the ones I really liked. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes, definitely. Building your little life in such a huge and interesting country is an experience you will never forgot. You’ll have frustrating moments where you will hate life in America (obviously, you have to suddenly adjust to a completely new country). And you will also have amazing experiences, road trips and meet friends for life. UCSB has some great professors and has a beautiful campus. All ingredients for an unforgettable experience! Do you have any additional advice or comments?: I’ve talked too much already, just apply!
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Utrecht University, Geoscience
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Human Geography & Planning
Destination city & country Irvine CA, United States
Name host institution University of California Irvine (UCI) and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 13/09/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 08/01/2016
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: I had been looking for host universities in the United States for over a year when my eye landed on the University of California. I applied for Berkeley, UCLA and UCI and (even though there were some technical difficulties) I was finally placed at UCI – And I am very happy about it. Counselling/support at home university: The whole process was supported by Ingrid Dijkstra from the International Office in the Netherlands. Academic preparation: I made sure to have a 7.0 / 3.0 GPA. Language preparation: I have had bilingual education and I’ve spent months abroad in Canada before going to the US so my English was already sufficient. I did take the TOEFL test (as that was a prerequisite). Finances: I had known that I wanted to study abroad for a long time so I had been saving up for years, and I closed a loan with DUO. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): I am very interested in earth sciences and want to do a master on climate change, which is why I chose my courses accordingly. The courses were challenging, yet organized extremely well and definitely doable; I scored an A+, A and A- on my courses. Academic quality of education/placement activities: I thought the academic quality of the lectures and tutorials was very high, even challenging. However, the midterms and endterms were a little too easy according to me, concerning the fact
that the material discussed in class was way more intense and elaborated. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: Kim Henne has been of great help and was always prepared to help international students. Transfer of credits: Has not yet been completed, however my grades translate to a 8.5 for an A+, a 8 for an A and a 7,5 for an A-. This seems rather low concerning the fact that I scored 98/100, 95/100 and 93/100 respectively on these courses, yet it’s understandable as our level of education and especially finals is way higher over here in Utrecht. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: Was awesome, there were a lot of activities organized for international students which has enabled me and my friends to meet lots of new international people (who I’m still close friends with). Accommodation: I found my room through the UCI Housing facebook page. My roommates were amazing, even though I had to get used to sharing a room with 2 others (3 in total). In the end, it was amazing, and I’m still very close friends with my roommates. Leisure/culture: All my roomies were Mexican, so I have definitely learned a lot of the Mexican culture (food, music, etc). Suggestions/tips: If you want to stay in LA relatively cheaply and with international students/people I can recommend USA Hostels Hollywood / Samesun Hostel Hollywood or in Venice. As for Irvine, a great tip is to search for housing through facebook and comment on every single attractive post. I found my room within a day. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes. Even though I was a little bit disappointed at first that I had been placed at Irvine as I hoped to study at UCLA or Berkeley, in the end I could not have wished for a better university! The campus is extremely peaceful and lovely, people are nice, Irvine is incredibly beautiful and much cleaner than a big city such as LA or San Fransisco. Also, it is very easy to travel from Irvine to Los Angeles (55 minutes by train) and to San Diego (1,5 h by train). If you have a car, you can travel anywhere in a short amount of time. Irvine is close to San Clemente and Laguna Beach – both amazing cities. It is nice to be able to live and study in a peaceful, calm environment like Irvine but to be able to go on an adventure in a big city like Los Angeles or San Diego whenever you want. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: I had a lot of time off during my stay at UCI – I only had classes for about 1-2 hours a day. My advice is to choose your classes in the morning like I did, so you have each day off around 11-12 am. Then you still have the whole day to do fun stuff or travel! In my relatively short stay, I have travelled a lot. I have been to San Diego, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Fransisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and even Vancouver and Vancouver Island in Canada. Try to make friends with people who have a car or rent a car with all your friends
and go on adventures! There are so many beautiful places so closeby. Also, Joshua Tree National Park is only a 1,5 h drive from Irvine (through Palm Springs, Coachella Valley and the desert – a great trip) and is one of the most beautiful places I have been. If you’re studying at UCI, UCR, UCLA and other UC campuses nearby in April, you can very easily go to one of the biggest festivals in the world – Coachella. From LA/Irvine it’s only a 1,5 h drive.
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Faculty of Law, Economics & Governance
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Economics & Businesseconomics
Destination city & country Irvine, United States
Name host institution University of California Irvine and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 06/09/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 23/04/2016
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: I can’t completely comment on this as I have a US passport, which eased this process a lot for me. This saved me the trouble of getting a VISA and having to hand in a financial declaration. Basically what I’ve heard from other people is that the process is not hard or difficult, it just takes some time and you have to start early with it. If you start early, you’ll be stress-free. Counselling/support at home university: Any questions I had were quickly answered by Ingrid. She’s very helpful and takes her time to help you out when you’re stuck with something about the process. Academic preparation: To apply for the University of California in general, your average grad has to be higher than a 7, if I recall correctly. Not too hard. Furthermore, you have to take a TOEFL test. This test is not hard at all and if you speak basic English you’ll easily manage. Just make sure you start early because the wait times can be long! Language preparation: It’s all English so it really isn’t too hard getting around. If you manage to get a good score on the TOEFL test you’ll be absolutely fine. Your English will majorly improve while staying in the States cause you’ll be forced to speak English all the time! Finances: It’s pretty expensive. I saved up quite a lot myself and was lucky enough my parents were willing to contribute a little. I do recommend bringing more money than you actually need (or think you need after calculating). There’s going to be stuff you’ll be wanting to do that you did not plan on and in that case you don’t want to be limited due to finances! Study/placement abroad period
Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): It was good. The study programme honestly wasn’t that different. Basically I had to study books and papers for exams and had to write papers myself. It’s what we usually do in the Netherlands too. I have a hard time finding out if the workload was the same as at Utrecht University. I was very motivated on my study abroad so I worked a lot more than I usually do, which probably made it seem easier. I think that if you manage at UU, you’ll manage at UCI too. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The quality was very high. I thought the lecturers were absolutely amazing and very interesting to listen to. I enjoyed it a lot and didn’t have any trouble concentrating. Most of the books I had were nice too. They weren’t written just for the course but were actually older books in their fields of study, which made them very interesting to read, whilst still being relevant for the course. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: To be honest I did not really look for any counselling or support while abroad, so I can’t give any comment. Transfer of credits: I did not need any more credits but my Osiris shows I received 24 credits for the three courses I followed abroad. 24 obviously is less than the 30 you could’ve gotten whilst studying here but I didn’t need them anymore so no problem for me. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: I don’t recall a big welcome programma. Basically there was a day that started out with a breakfast, which was quite fun. It was a very good opportunity to get to know new people as everybody was very open. Afterwards there was a brief tour around the campus. Accommodation: There’s a couple of housing complexes around the campus that are usually inhabited by students. There’s a facebook group that you can only get access to with a UCI e-mail address (which you’ll receive way before you actually leave). This facebook group is very convenient for finding good housing. All of the complexes are very nice. Be prepared to share a room though, unless you want to pay a lot! Leisure/culture: The culture isn’t that different, although there are a few small differences. Except friendly (sometimes fake), talkative and open people. Also, be prepared to meet people that do not have a clue where the Netherlands actually is. But in general the culture is quite the same. Irvine is really boring. There’s almost nothing to do and a party scene is basically non-existent. Make friends, preferably friends that own cars, so you can leave Irvine together. There’s a lot of cool stuff around (go to the beaches!) and there’s a lot of beautiful nature around. Go to the beaches for partying, the parties there are really chill. And make sure you visit some real American house parties, they’re exactly like the movies! Most of the apartment complexes come with a pool and hot tub, so you can chill out there too. The library facilities are amazing as is the school campus itself. Also, the gym area is huge and really nice, but very busy too.
Suggestions/tips: Make sure you have your weekends free! There’s so much cool stuff to do. Visit San Diego, San Francisco and everything in between. Go to Yosemite National park, go to Grand Canyon. I would use every weekend because before you know it it’s over. As long as you plan your studying you’ll be able to go on amazing weekend trips. Following this, I would advise, if at all possible, keeping Monday and/or Friday free. You can go on longer trips in that case. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yeah I would. It’s located in a beautiful part of California. Irvine itself may be boring.. But I actually didn’t mind. It let me focus on my studies more. I still did loads of awesome stuff in the weekends and it’s still possible to go out once or twice a week as the party places are close by! The quality of the education was amazing, I was very impressed by it. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Leave the house any moment you have the chance. For relaxing, reading, studying, whatever. California is beautiful, experience it!
UCLA Exchange
I was beyond happy when I found out that my University of California (UC) campus placement was in Los Angeles. All the UC hopefuls were warned that most students never usually get the top three campus choices that they want. But I am honoured that I received my number one choice. There were plenty of things to take care of including visa preparations, housing, course selections and coordinating the practicalities of my move from Utrecht to Los Angeles. Although in the end it did turn out to be a lot of work, it was well worth it. I was excited to begin my adventure by attending one of the best public schools in America as well as experience the city that is the centre of the American entertainment industry.
After a full two months of internship plus a couple of extra weeks of holiday, going back to school felt more nerve-wracking than ever. I finally arrived in sunny LA after a very long 21-hour flight from Jakarta and was very lucky to have several high school friends going to university in LA that helped me out a lot when I first started settling in as well as the entire time I was there. I do say sunny for a good reason because LA perpetually has good weather and it always emanates the laid-back and easy-going California vibe. I was sure to reserve my accommodation early so that I get to live on campus and not have to worry about commuting. LA is a big urban sprawl extending its reach to nearby smaller cities that all make up part of the greater LA county. Getting to places is highly challenging if you don’t own a car because everything is so far away from each other and using public transportation isn’t the most efficient or safest (especially for a girl travelling alone) method of travelling in the city. But I managed by relying on friends who have cars or using Uber or Lyft.
UCLA’s campus is beautiful. I always felt like I was in summer school as opposed to actually doing a semester when I walk around campus. The atmosphere is always positive with students walking briskly to and from class, the usual skateboarders whizzing past and the occasional cyclists wheeling by. The standard dress code would always be shorts and a t-shirt even until early November, which I still find unbelievable. But I’m not complaining because I loved that the sun was always out. The nice weather is also a reason why exchange students always go out often to experience what LA has to offer. From going on hikes in the mountains to relaxing in Santa Monica beach, there’s always plenty of things to do. LA is also known to have extremely good food. I particularly enjoyed the variety of Asian cuisine I can get from Koreatown, China town and Little Tokyo, they are all truly delicious. But even on campus there was a lot of variety of food. Going into a dining hall with buffet style food ready to be served saves plenty of time and it also means I don’t have to go grocery shopping or do any dishes whatsoever.
What about the university itself and their system you may ask? UCLA is a university that uses the quarter system. It’s slightly different to U.S.E.’s quarter system because what’s worth two semesters for us is three quarters for UCLA, with the fourth quarter as an optional summer quarter. This means that the teaching period and exam week occurs within 12 weeks. Classes are fast-paced and very content-dense. The material isn’t necessarily harder than in U.S.E., it all depends on the classes you take. But workload is slightly heavier because the standard amount of classes to take is three, which is the amount I took. Each class was worth 4 units, the equivalent to 8 ECTS. Some people take four classes but as an exchange student, even the exchange coordinator in UCLA didn’t recommend us to do this. “Stick to the 12 units minimum requirement for visa purposes, otherwise you won’t get to enjoy LA”, he said. That was great advice.
I took one economics course called Introduction to Urban and Regional Economics and two management courses (both on entrepreneurship), taught by the Anderson School of Management, the very prestigious graduate management school. I enjoyed both of my management classes very much because it was a more intimate setting with only 40 students in the class in a conference-room type setting and the content, discussions and materials that we covered were highly relevant to the latest start-ups with very interesting additional case studies. My economics class was larger at around 100 students and provided less chances for interaction. This setting was rather difficult because the content of the course was quite difficult and though the professor accepted questions during his office hours, there were no extra tutorials designated.
I was also lucky not to have classes on Fridays, which gave me an opportunity to do weekend trips to cities nearby like San Francisco, Monterey, Berkeley, Santa Barbara and San Diego. But even within LA I managed to see all the touristy places including going to Disneyland, Six Flags, Griffith Observatory, LACMA, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood and Highlands, and many others. In addition, as an exchange student, I attended at least one football game - American football that is - which is a must-go experience. The game I attended was UCLA against UC Berkeley and you had to really be there to feel the strong college spirit and intense rivalry between the universities. College pride and spirit is innate in most students attending American colleges. UCLA’s archrival university is the University of Southern California (USC) and these two even go as far as vandalising their respective mascot statues. Our “Bruin Bear” was even protected by a box the week of the football game against USC so that no damage could be imposed on the bear.
Despite the occasional inter-college drama occurring on campus, the facilities and amenities that UCLA offers is remarkable. For example, two of the main libraries allows you to borrow MacBooks and iPads that you can use either for classes, group meetings or even for your personal use during the day. In addition, UCLA hosts a lot of events and it helps that they have an extensive network from which to invite guest speakers. I once attended a UCLA Venture Capital Fund event that invited Uber co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick, who also happens to be a former UCLA student, to share his journey as an entrepreneur.
All in all, my overall exchange experience was fulfilling and enriching. I attended a well-known university, I travelled both the West coast and East coast of America, I was enlightened by the knowledge I gained and I achieved the American college experience that I was always curious about. So if you want to escape the rainy and gloomy Dutch weather to have the complete opposite of never-ending sun and warmth, then LA is the place to be. If you want to attend a reputable university that has a beautiful campus with many great facilities and opportunities, then UCLA is your target school. For me, UCLA was genuinely a priceless journey and tops as one of the best moments of my life. Go Bruins!
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Humanities
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Comparative Literature
Destination city & country Los Angeles, United States
Name host institution UCLA and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 21/09/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 28/06/2016
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: I was quite worried about the application process, but in the end it turned out to be fairly easy. If you stay on top of things you will be totally fine. A helpful thing to note is that your study plan is not definitive; you just have to give an indication of what you are planning to do. In the end I did not take any class that I included on my first study plan. Counselling/support at home university: The International Office, especially Ingrid, is always quick when it comes to replying. They try to give you as much useful information as they can. It was nice to attend the pre-departure meaning, but you can find everything online as well. Ingrid Dijkstra showed herself to be a big help when I decide to extend my stay and I had to arrange that with UCEAP and UU. Academic preparation: I did not really prepare myself in an ‘academic’ way. Language preparation: In order to get accepted at UCLA you have to make the TOEFL test. I was very worried about this language proficiency test but in the end it was really easy. Just make a practice test online, you should be fine. I really regretted buying the preparation book. Finances: I made full use of my STUFI and student loan. Besides that I saved some money myself as well. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): In the US it is quite common to just pick a bunch of courses and drop some of them after the first (or after the second) week. Make use of that! It is not always possible to enrol before hand,
but if you just show up in the lecture and talk to the professor they will almost always add you the class. You have to enrol for classes through MY UCLA, which is a really helpful and easy system to use. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The academic quality of UCLA is high, although I would not recommend taking low- division classes. I would recommend it to take courses outside of your major since UCLA offers so many of them. I had some really cool classes, one that focused on the first amendment for example and was thought by a lawyer, but also some really disappointing ones. The Comparative Literature department at UCLA is amazing. It is also cool that they let you take graduate classes and that they have seminars (instead of lectures). Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: I didn’t really make use of the counselling options at UCLA. There is a short orientation when you arrive, which was helpful. When I had to extend my stay I mainly talked to the Bradley International Office. They can really help you out, but you should never forget to mention that you are a UCEAP student (not an exchange student). Transfer of credits: I’m still in LA, so I can not say much about this. I did save all my coursedescriptions. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: The orientation programme is fairly short and not really entertaining. Accommodation: I lived at the COOP and I could recommend that to everyone! No it’s not pretty or luxurious, but it is really cheap and its really easy to make friends. Just as in the dorms you will be signed up with roommates, but through the BUMP process you can pick them yourselves in the end. I got randomly assigned into a room with two other girls, who have become my best friends. In the end I would say that the COOP mainly made me decide to extend my stay. It is fun that there are so many international students living here, but there are also a fair amount of Americans. Best thing is that there are no rules (in comparison with the dorms). My experience was also that people here were around the same age as me. Leisure/culture: LA is huge and after a year I still don’t have the feeling I fully know the city. That is also what makes it so fun, there is always something to explore. It is really nice that Santa Monica and Venice are so close, I have spent many weekends at the beach there. Suggestions/tips: I would definitely live at the COOP. A lot of international students that I know decided to move here eventually. This is mainly because it is so easy to make friends here. UCLA is very big, so it is not always that easy to make friends in your class. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes, definitely. I had an amazing experience and even decided to extend my stay. Do you have any additional advice or comments?:
Think about staying for a full academic year, this is what most international students do and it really contributes to your experience.
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Utrecht University School of Economics
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Bachelor in Economics and Business Economics
Destination city & country Los Angeles, US
Name host institution University of California, Los Angeles and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 20/09/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 30/12/2015
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: In the exchange application process and visa application stage, there are a lot of documents to prepare and a lot of staff to arrange. Just follow the steps and the advices provided by the international office. It will be fine. Counselling/support at home university: The Student Exchange Coordinator is very nice and very much willing to help students. Just ask she for assistance whenever you need help. Academic preparation: For me, I did not prepare for the study at UC. But remember to register for the courses at UC early, because economic courses are very popular and the places are limited. Language preparation: The language of instruction of my program at USE is English, so I don’t need to take a TOEFL test. Finances: The living costs in Los Angeles are quite high, about three times of the living costs in Utrecht for me. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): I choose 3 courses at UC, 2 economic courses and 1 for my interest. I recommend you to take no more than 4 courses. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The academic quality of UC Los Angeles is quite high, as you can imagine. So I just took 3 course and I ended up with an A. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation:
The counselling services at UC is helpful and easy to reach. Transfer of credits: After the study at UC, I sent the transcript of UC to the board of examiners of my faculty directly and I got the credits transferred very soon. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: There is a welcome meeting for all exchange students coming to UC Los Angeles. It is a good opportunity to get some useful instruction from the international office and make friends with other exchange students. Accommodation: I lived in an university apartment. It was quite nice but it costed high. Leisure/culture: There a lot of interesting activities to do in Los Angeles, such as shopping at the Beverly Hill, surfing at the Santa Monica State Beach, having fun at Universal Studio or Disney Park, travelling around California etc. Take your time and have fun! Suggestions/tips: There a lot of great things to do in Los Angeles, so make plans early and balance your study and other activities well. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Absolutely yes! Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Start to prepare and arrange everything early. Always contact the relevant institution if you need help.
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: (Economics & Business Economics
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Bsc. Economics & Business Economics
Destination city & country San Diego, United States
Name host institution University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 14-09-2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 12-29-2015
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: Although the process is not that complicated, it takes a long time. After I applied on Osiris system, I have waited for the result for around 4 months. And then we have to apply for the campus. After I get the offer for UCSD, things like courses, housing, visa, flights tickets, finance and so on are following and all have to be arranged by myself. In the end, like everyone else I think, it is all worth it.
Counselling/support at home university: Utrecht University did probably everything they could to make the application process as easy as possible. Ingrid Dijkstra has been very helpful. She arrange several meetings with all EAP students and she also invited students who have been abroad already as guest speakers to answer our questions.
Academic preparation: For application, I think the average no less than 7 would be required to submit the exchange for EAP. Although we have already handed in the study plan when we apply for EAP though Osiris system, when we get the final confirmation letter from the specific campus, we have to make a new study plan again and then apply for the course we want to take in ucsd education system. The description of each course is very clear. You can make comparison with the course in UU and decide which level of the course would be. For students who study economics, you can choose 4 courses from economics department in UCSD.
Language preparation:
I did not prepare English because all my courses in UU are already in English. Finances: I saved money before and my parents financially support me. I didn’t live in i-house, which I heard quite expensive. The food in California is not expensive but it will cost you on transportation if you want to go somewhere out of campus. You normally open a new bank account in U.S., and you have to be aware of the charging fee every month. From what I remember 6 dollar will be charged if there is no deposit made to the account for Bank of CHASE. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): For EAP students, the enrolment offered by UCSD was in May, which is prior to other students. You can easily choose the courses and following the timetable. Be sure that the courses you take will not be overlapped. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The professor and teaching assistants are very enthusiastic. Most of courses are formed in a large group about 200 students. We only have lectures, twice a week. You can also attend discussion, and the TAs will be there to give you the answer of the exercises and help you with the problems. I took four courses: Monetary Economics, Urban Economics, Game theory and Market imperfection, and I have 9 lectures in total every week. Normally the lecture last for 1hour 20min without breaks. I really like the professors of Monetary Economics and Game theory and recommend to all students. The tests are not hard as we took in UU and I pass all four courses.
Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: All teachers and TAs have office hour, so you can just walk in and ask questions. They always make effort to make sure you understand the subject. Transfer of credits: Before I went back to Holland, I ordered the official transcripts online in UCSD. When I received the grade, I sent to my home university in the Netherlands. The process went very well, and the examination board transferred my credits within two weeks. I received 32 ECTS for 4 courses, which are more than the course in uu (7.5 per course). The grade of ‘A’ in US is transferred into 9 out of 10. At the end I got 8.5,9,9,9. Three courses in level 3 and one in level 2.
Student life Welcome/orientation programme: Before the orientation, we have to pick up the student card and there are volunteers helping you with the bank account and also for the bus stickers. There is one-day orientation for EAP students. We meet students from different countries and different school. The activities organized by the host university were interesting. We have been divided into three groups to play games. After the orientation, we get a free lunch and many student organizations were there to help you get used to the campus and invite you to join their group.
Accommodation:
San Diego does offer us I-house but we have to apply for it. It takes me a lot time to answer those questions and each one has to be around 300 words. At the end, I didn’t get the change. For what I know, two other students who also applied for UCSD I-house hasn’t been accepted either. My friend helps me to find a single-room for 450$ a month which is 20min far from the school by car. The houses for rent near campus are more expensive. I have 4 amazing roommates. We cook together and hang out every weekend. They are all students here and help me a lot. Student live in campus are easier get to class. There is a small shopping center near campus as well. Leisure/culture: San Diego is an amazing city with very good weather. You can see the sea from the campus. Many students would like to go surfing after class. There are many things you can do here. The student organizations have different activities every week. After I finished the exam, I travelled around the California. I have been to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Santa Barbara, Los Angels, Sanford, San Jose, Monterey and San Francisco.
Suggestions/tips: Use the weekend or any spare time to travel. There are many places worth visiting in and around California. Don’t stay at home in Halloween, because there are many activities outside and you can book the tickets for the haunted house in advance. There are many good restaurants in San Diego, which are cheaper than Netherland such as Sushi Ota, Spices Thai Café, Convoy Tofu House, Manna Korean Bbq, Tora Seafood Buffet, Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot and so on. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: I would definitely recommend UCSD to all students considering an exchange to California. The campus is beautiful, the city is amazing, the people are very nice, and everything is good. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I have make friends there and we still keep in touch. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: If you have a chance to study here, don’t miss it！
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: University College Roosevelt
Level: x bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Liberal Arts & Science (Economics & Politics)
Destination city & country San Diego, USA
Name host institution University of California San Diego and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange x study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 31/12/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 10/06/2016
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing.
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The process of applying to the University of California happens online via a website. It is a tiring process and prepare to spend many hours on formalities, but don’t get discouraged. You have to apply to three different UCs and look up courses you would want to take there. Do a lot of research on the location of the campuses and how their programs of your interest are, because every UC differs. I would strongly advice not to only look at rankings, where the academics are supposedly the best. It is important, but keep in mind that you also want to be at an exciting place during your exchange so location is probably one of the most important things to consider. Counselling/support at home university: My home university, University College Roosevelt does not have any exchange advisor, so there was not much help I could get. I talked a lot to my tutor about the credit conversion, but in the end you have to do it yourself. The best way to find out what things you have to consider is to ask people that went to the destination you want to go. I was in contact with a friend who went a semester before me and that helped a lot. At the same time during my exchange many people from home questioned me about the process, so asking people who have done it before is the best advise you can get. Academic preparation: I did not have to prepare academically for my exchange. I study at home in English and the system at the University of California is similar to home. Language preparation: Like mentioned before I study in English in the Netherlands. Finances:
Going on exchange, especially to California is really expensive. Actually even worse than I expected. I saved a lot of money, but after a couple of weeks I saw that the estimations about expenditure they make are realistic, so my parents assisted me. It is possible to work during your exchange. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): I was enrolled as an economics major at UCSD, but I took in my two quarters two economics and one politics course each. I could freely chose the courses I want to take and a lot of people also do random courses out of their major. Academic quality of education/placement activities: I would say that the university is less intense at UC, but that is also because I only took three courses each quarter. Most courses have one or two midterm exams, a final exam, an essay and quizzes at the start of lectures. The economics courses also have 4 problem sets that you have to complete during the quarter. Quality wise I think the testing is easier here, but you have to score higher at the same time (an A- starts at 90). Most courses I took are bell curved, so your grade depends not only how well you do, but also your peers. It can be in your advantage, but can also mean that you need to study extra hard if everybody is doing very well. All the courses I took were very interesting and specific. The professors are mostly researchers and sometimes also quite well known in their area. So the classes were definitely inspiring. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: I cannot think of anything that seems relevant here. Transfer of credits: I have not looked into the transfer of credits yet, as I am still on exchange. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: The welcome program was very good and it is probably the most important event to attend. You meet all the new exchange students there and I met most of my friends there. It only lasted 4 hours, but nevertheless a good program. Accommodation: At UCSD most exchange students live at the International House. It is a very good place to live on campus as it is mixed half American, half international and you meet a lot of people. I would definitely recommend living on campus as most people live there and otherwise you will be cut off from the campus life. I lived on another campus location on my first quarter, because I didn’t get into I-House, but it was right next to it. It was a three people dorm, which was definitely an experience, but second quarter I moved as I wanted to have an own room. Accommodation is very pricy, take that into account. Leisure/culture: I surfed a couple of times a week, which is definitely the best activity to do here as the campus is next to the beach. Otherwise, I did a lot of weekend trips to explore Southern California and cross the border to Mexico for a day. San Diego has plenty to offer, but it is advisable to rent or buy a car like I did with a friend. I also enjoyed the Latino influence on culture and food in San Diego.
Suggestions/tips: A lot of friends’ home universities gave them the option to stay with a host family for the first few days of arrival. I only heard good things about it and would have liked to do it as well. Mostly they also stay in contact and meet up with you later. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes, University of California San Diego is definitely a good destination for exchange. You have very interesting academic programs, with influential professors. Also the lifestyle, and the city around the university is a really nice place to live for a few months. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Go in the Spring semester as you can stay at the UC for two quarters, each ten weeks, so you have a longer stay. In the winter semester you can only stay one quarter and most people, who do that don’t have time to really settle down and feel like they lived in San Diego.
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Faculty of Social Sciences
Level: X bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Psychology
Destination city & country San Diego, United States
Name host institution University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 26/08/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 09/07/2016
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The first step was to apply for the University of California, which took the most time. Once you’re accepted, you need to rank your top 3 of campus preferences. I spent a lot of time on exploring the courses offered at all UC campuses before I decided to choose San Diego as my first preference. Counselling/support at home university: The International Center organized a pre-departure meeting for all exchange students in which the visa procedures were explained. The International Center was also of great help whenever I had questions or needed advice. Academic preparation: Given the diversity of courses I took at UCSD, I did not have any specific academic preparation. Language preparation: I took an English language course at Malta in the summer of 2014. Finances: I had saved around 9000 euros at the time of my departure and took a Dutch student loan during the second semester since I ran out of money. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): Since I already completed all my required courses at Utrecht University, I was free to choose courses based on my interests. I was majoring in Political Science (International Relations) and took classes in human rights, national security, US foreign policy, terrorism, psychology and law, etc. Most classes are given in the form of 2 or 3 lectures a week and in addition to the finals at the end of every quarter (fall, winter and spring) there are midterms in the form of papers and/or in- class exams.
Academic quality of education/placement activities: The academic quality is very high, though it was not hard for me to get A’s in my classes. My professor in Psychology and Law was a great inspiration to me and his class was of great benefit for my future career. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: The International Center is the best place to go to for help or advice in my experience. They guided me with the extension of my exchange program and helped me whenever I needed advice. Transfer of credits: My credits have not been transferred yet, but I took 3 courses of 4 credits every quarter so 36 credits over the whole year. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: The introduction week started September 21 with an orientation meeting for all EAP students. During this week there was the option of a guided tour through the library, the opportunity to join student organizations and lots of activities, such as the All Campus Dance and Meet The Beach event. Accommodation: I lived in International House, an on-campus accommodation that houses both international students and American students. It was amazing to live with students from so many countries and to have friends around you all the time. Leisure/culture: I went on many roadtrips to national parks with other students from I-House. On (Taco) Tuesdays we often went to Pacific Beach to eat tacos and go to bars. There is a lot to see in San Diego, and the beaches (Black’s beach and La Jolla Shores) are beautiful and close to campus. I signed up for a volleyball class, I surfed and I played drums in a band and performed at I-House events (there is a practice room for which you could sign up). Suggestions/tips: My suggestion is to have an open and active attitude and take every opportunity you get to make the most of your time abroad! I recommend joining a student organization, especially when you’re not living in I-house, so you will meet a lot of people! Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: I would definitely recommend the University of California and in particular the San Diego campus to others! The university offers a wide variety of interesting courses and many facilities, the quality of education is high and living in International House is an amazing experience! Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Make sure you’re on time with enrolling for classes, since some classes get full quickly!
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: rechtsgeleerdheid
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: rechten
Destination city & country San Diego, The Netherlands
Name host institution University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 04/01/16 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 25/07/16
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The application process itself was realty hard. It asks for a lot of paper work throughout the whole process which takes you like a small year. So what ive learned from this is to start on time and don’t save it for the last moment. America has a lot of strict rules and formalities so you have to take that into account. Counselling/support at home university: The home university was very helpful throughout the whole process. Academic preparation: When I applied for the exchange program I was more focused on my grades. Because I wanted to get into Berkeley at first and I know that means outstanding grades. So academically I prepared myself well.
Language preparation: One requirement is the TOEFL Test, which proves you have knowledge of English in writing, speaking, and reading. Before I had to take the test I prepared with newspapers and new on the TV Finances: That was covered by my parents and I have worked to save money Study/placement abroad period
Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues):
The study program was very easy to submit so there are no issues there
Academic quality of education/placement activities:
UCSD is a good university but not as hard as UU. I expected to be challenged more because UCSD is seen as an outstanding university. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: They we’re very helpful all the time Transfer of credits: I don’t know yet how my grades achieved in UCSD will be transferred Student life Welcome/orientation programme: Orientation program could have been better. It was only 1 day instead off a whole week to get to know people. I know UC Berkeley has a week orientation so that is better. Accommodation: The place I stayed was good Leisure/culture: America does not have a lot of culture but they have beautiful national parks which I have visit.
Suggestions/tips:
No Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: I would highly recommend this to anyone. The experience is great you meet so many people which will be your friends for life. And it is a great way of knowing another country while studying. Also good to have a different academic experience than your home university. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: No
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Bestuurs- en Organisatiewetenschappen
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Bachelor of science
Destination city & country Santa Barbara, United States
Name host institution University of California, Santa Barbara and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date January 2nd (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) July 3rd
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The application process itself consisted a lot of steps, but as long as you follow all the steps, you will be fine. It took a long time until I knew for sure at which University I was placed. But it is worth the waiting! Counselling/support at home university: The orientation meetings were clear, just as the forms with information and steps for application. If you have further questions, you can e-mail Ingrid Dijkstra from the International office. Academic preparation: The courses I took during my Bachelor in Utrecht were enough academic preparation. Language preparation: I took the TOEFL test and in order to practice this test, I borrowed a TOEFL book, including a CD, from a friend. This was very helpful! Finances: Because I knew long in advance that I wanted to do this exchange program, I started lending the maximum amount of money from DUO. Besides this, I saved a lot of money. It is very important to make sure you have enough money on your account in order to show that you can afford to go to the U.S: everything is very expensive! Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): The courses at UCSB were very interesting and made me willing to do my best to get good grades. There is a difference between lower division courses (for juniors; mainly students who are in their first or second year of University) and upper division courses (for seniors). Where the lower division courses are kind of an introduction to the field, the upper division ones go deeper into a certain
subject. It is really not the case that the lower divisions are “easier”: they actually take more time because they consist of more lectures (and sections), they take more attendance, and they ask you for a lot of facts on exams. Personally, I learned a lot in those classes because I never took courses in the particular field of study before. The upper division courses are very interesting if it is about a subject you are enthusiastic about. The ones I took were in my opinion super interesting and therefore it was no problem to keep up with all the readings, pay attention during lectures, and make the exams. Moreover, professors and TA’s (teaching assistants; you can ask them questions and they will grade your exams) find participation in class very important, which make the classes interactive. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The academic quality at UCSB is high: the professors and TA’s know a lot about their subject and are always willing to answer your questions and help you out. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: During the orientation meeting the first day, we got a lot of information and forms. In my opinion, that was clear and enough and I did not contact with the International Office after the orientation day. However, if you have question, there is a contact person you can e-mail and I heard that she responses quickly and tries to help you. Transfer of credits: During the half of Spring quarter I filled in an online form in order to send the official transcript of all my grades (Winter and Spring) to my home address in Holland, which was around $16 as far as I can remember. I hope it will be on time to include these credits in my bachelor and that it appears on my diploma. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: The orientation programme was useful for all the practical information, but in my opinion it was too short to meet all the other international students. The orientation was just an afternoon and we had to split up in several little groups. I highly recommend to organize more obligatory activities in the first week. Accommodation: Luckily I found a perfect apartment in Isla Vista with lovely American housemates. I found this place on facebook: UCSB housing. A lot of students post their rooms on this page, so it is worth it to look on this page every day when you are looking for a place. I really enjoyed my stay, because I became part of the American student life and experienced their culture. It is also possible to live in University housing, but then there is less chance you meet and hang out with American students. Moreover, all the parties are in Isla Vista, so living there is the best experience!;) Leisure/culture: Most American students find school very important and want to get good grades (because the school tuition is very expensive). This hard working culture motivated me. However, when the sun is shining, there are a lot of students taking a break to go to the beach or they throw parties in their houses and on their balcony’s: very fun! This balance between studying and having fun was perfect for me.
Suggestions/tips: The health insurance is very expensive and costs $954 per quarter, which you have to pay through an online system. Therefore, a student credit card with a monthly limit of $1000 is not enough to pay for everything including rent, groceries, books, etc. What I did, is opening an American bank account, which turned out to be easy and convenient. If you don’t feel like doing this, you have to make sure your credit card has a higher limit or take an extra credit card with you from one of your parents, for example. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: YES! I highly recommend UCSB: a campus on the beach, palm trees, a lot of students living the typical American student life, high quality of professors and interesting courses. The combination of working hard to get good grades and the beach/party life is the best you can get! Do you have any additional advice or comments?: I personally recommend taking courses at the Global Studies department. Global studies is a booming subject and the global perspective completed my international experience.
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Humanities
Level: X bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Liberal Arts and Sciences
Destination city & country Santa Barbara, United States
Name host institution University of California, Santa Barbara and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 27/12/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 08/08/2016
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The application process is a pretty long and hard process. There are a lot of rules/steps/paperwork etcetera. Especially since the USA has some strict rules on immigration and bureaucracy. However, all the work is totally worth it and I actually learned a lot of skills from this process. Also, if you start in time and work through everything step by step it will not be stressfull at all. Just make sure you start in time. Counselling/support at home university: You get a lot of support from the home university, but everything is also available online. I’d say try to find all the info you need online and whenever you have any questions or concerns the uu will gladly help you. Academic preparation: All you need to do is make sure that you have a high enough GPA to get in. The level of the courses here is similar to the UU (I even found them easier than the UU). Language preparation: Make sure you get your TOEFL certification in time. This will have less pressure on you for succeeding TOEFL in one go. If you fail you need to take it again. I found TOEFL very doable but preparation is still needed. Finances: The costs of living here for me were the same as in the Netherlands, but that is because I found very cheap housing. The housing here can get insanely expensive, so then you have to make sure you got some extra money for your time here. You can also look for some scholarships, I didn’t have any access to any but you may find some that apply to you. Study/placement abroad period
Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): The study programme is very similar to the UU. However, its normal here to take 3 classes at the same time instead of 2. I would make sure you check out the types of classes that are not available at the UU (for example, classes about Iran). Black studies and Global studies are two fields that are very interesting to take in the US. Also, you can take very fun classes like sailing or acting. I recommend you do a bit of both. Academic quality of education/placement activities: I feel like the UU is a bit harder than UCSB. It seemed to me that they gave very high grades very easily, but maybe that were the specific classes I took. The content of the courses are about the same level as the UU. A lot of reading. I just feel like the exams are easier, but the content is about the same and the workload is about the same. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: They are very helpful at UCSB, there’s help from literally everywhere. Uncountable campus clubs for any purpose. So if you need that little extra help it is definitely available. Transfer of credits: It’s easy to transfer the credits to the UU. They have an easy online system where you can buy your transcript and send it directly to the UU. Just make sure you keep things like your syllabus to send to the ‘examensecretariaat’. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: I heard the orientation for fall quarter is bigger than the one in winter. Although the one in winter is good too. Is a short orientation with mostly practical information about American law and where to go for questions. You get put in touch with the other international so its easy to make friends through the orientation. Accommodation: I highly recommend getting housing through Santa Barbara Student Housing Co-operatives. It’s such a fun way of living. You live communally in big houses. There is about 6 houses in Isla Vista and they organise a lot of fun activities together. It’s a very American and fun and cheap way of living, and you make tons of American friends. Just make sure you subscribe in time through the waitlist, because its first come first serve. If you can not get placed at SBSHC, and you want to live in a co-operative, you should contact me: I lived in a non-university-affiliated co-op called the faux op, and they might have spots left whenever you go. Just shoot me an email and I can enquire them about this. It’s an amazing house to live in and very cheap! Leisure/culture: Isla Vista is known as a party town. There is things to do all the time and lots of outdoor activities since we’re right at the beach. You can party whenever you want but people are also very serious about studying and intellectual/activist activities. Suggestions/tips: Subscribe for excursion club! They organise so many excursions in nature, it’s a very fun group of people. And you can rent out any gear (like surf gear) for super cheap!! Also, definitely go live in Isla Vista, not in Santa Barbara or Goleta. And live in a co-operative!!
Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes, definitely. I love that UCSB is located in a small town Isla Vista. You can walk everywhere and you get very close with the community, you will walk on the streets and see tons of people you know. The location is ideal and there’s fun things to do for anybody. Also, the school is very high ranked and professors are very good. The academic extracurricular activities are also very inspiring. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: See suggestions/tips. And contact me if you want to know anything more!!
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: University College Roosevelt
Level: bachelor x master PhD other
Name degree programme: Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Destination city & country , Santa Barbara, California (United States of America)
Name host institution University of California, Santa Barbara and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses x work placement field work other
Departure date 24-09-2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 12-12-2015
Preparation
Exchange/placement application process: This went smoothly. Since the Registrar and the Board of Examiners has to approve of your application as well, it has to be acknowledged that the process takes longer, which can create some stress since the application deadline for California is earlier than other universities. However I did not experience major implications in terms of the exchange application.
Counselling/support at home university: UCR provided a special exchange guide (which is updated every year) that included everything I needed to know. In particular the pre-departure meeting in Utrecht was very useful. I do not have any critique in regard to the counselling.
Academic preparation: I did not require any specific academic preparation for the exchange.
Language preparation: Since UCR is an English speaking university, I did not require any additional English lessons of any kind.
Finances: It is useful to receive bank account declarations as soon as possible, since it may take some time before these are prepared and sent to the user’s address. In particular with banks that do not have physical client offices such as Triodos Bank, this can be problematic.
Study/placement abroad period
Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): As an exchange student it was difficult to gain access to some courses, because one does not have priority over the actual domestic students. Although this was not majorly problematic, it was disappointing not getting into specific courses that perhaps made an exchange student excited to go to the university in the first place.
Academic quality of education/placement activities: The quality was good and up to standard. I would argue that the American higher education system is more about learning rather than understanding (that is, gaining a critical understanding of academic issues), but this may have been due to the specific courses I took.
Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: The exchange office at UCSB was always open and available for questions and they organised several activities such as a weekly get-to-together.
Transfer of credits: The transfer of credits was dissapointing, since my UCSB grades were translated literally, while the percentage ranges of As,Bs,Cs, and Ds do not match with UCR’s system. Translated fairly, I would have received all A-plusses, but I ended up with an average of A-. Since I had no idea (before I applied to the exchange program) how the grades would be translated, it was disappointing to see that my hard work at UCSB was not entirely rewarded when I returned to the Netherlands. Considering the transfer of credits is different between UCR and UU, I would suggest to be more transparent about that in the future so that UCR-students are aware what to expect when they return.
Student life
Welcome/orientation programme: This was not satisfactory. I actually expected some sort of introduction week, where I would become acquainted with other exchange and UCSB students. Instead we were obliged to attend an orientation programme that was filled with presentations that took up the entire programme. There was hardly any time to socialise with the big number of
exchange student present there. Very disappointing.
Accommodation: I arranged accommodation through craigslist.com which went rather smoothly. I do not have any other comments on this.
Leisure/culture: the exchange program offered the opportunity to make use of exactly the same resources as the domestic UCSB students (often for free). The campus functioned basically as a small town, where one could do everything, from sports to theatre to going out. The university also offered field trips and short holidays (for UCSB students for considerable discount!).
Suggestions/tips: I would suggest that in the pre-departure meeting (or preferably even before that) to make sure that the area of California is very expensive. I remember that some UU exchange students had to cancel to join me on trips because they were suddenly confronted with the high price of living there (e.g. rent, groceries, etc.).
Conclusions
Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes. The university is wonderful, offers great academic courses, and includes a lot of (often free) leisure activities. The campus feels like a small town, which makes it in my opinion a much nicer experience than at campuses where all students are housed in big dorms (which evidently makes student life there more individualistic) such as at UCLA. If an exchange student is considering California I would absoltely recommend UCSB before any other UC.
Do you have any additional advice or comments?: -
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: REBO
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Bestuurs- en Organisatiewetenschap
Destination city & country Santa Cruz, United States
Name host institution University of California, Santa Cruz and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 09-01-2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 07-01-2016
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: It is important to start thinking about your application as soon as possible. Obviously you need to consider in time how you are going to fit your time abroad within your current education at UU. I choose to go abroad after my third bachelor year to be able to go a year to UCSC. When you would like to go to California, you need to make sure you are willing to go to different UC campuses, since you are only able to indicate a preference. The UU asks you to indicate the courses you would like to take. However, not all courses return every year, so you might end up taking a lot of courses you did not even list in advance. Don’t worry about that! Once you are there you will find enough interesting courses to take, but you need to be aware of that possibility. After the UU selects you to go to California, you need to apply to the UC system, where you’ll list your preferences. Santa Cruz is probably the most beautiful campus of them all! Do not only think about academic reasons to go somewhere, put also consider location, the people, and the environment. I enjoyed walking next to deer, squirrels, and within a beautiful forest overlooking the bay so much! Counselling/support at home university: The International Office is a good resource for support. However, the success of your exchange is dependent on your own attitude and initiative. Do not hesitate to ask your host university for information when you think they would be more helpful. Academic preparation: Please make sure you do not have any outstanding assignments before you go abroad, because you will probably not have time to think about that. As long as you do that, your academic knowledge is definitely broad enough to follow along and participate well. Language preparation: The UC system requires a medium to high TOEFL score. I took my test in advance (August 2014) to make sure I would fulfil that requirement before applying for the California exchange in November
2014. Practice and prepare enough to feel confident, so the test won’t be surprising. Usually Dutch students perform well (I got a 111 score), so you do not have to be worried. Finances: Living in California is expensive and housing in Santa Cruz is especially expensive as well. Therefore, make sure you have enough money saved up to pay for food and rent. For me it was not unusual to pay around $350 for food and going out and $600 for rent each month. Living on campus is more expensive. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): I stayed a year at UCSC, which is amazing! I enjoyed taking courses during Fall, Winter, and Spring quarter. I took courses in Politics (6), Sociology (2), Psychology, and Theatre. Studying abroad is a nice period to explore some courses outside your major, because you will figure out there is so much more to learn! Most courses have a little more readings and tests than UU courses, but as long as you stay on top of it, you will do well. I usually receives A’s or A-‘s, which translates to 8’s or 7,5’s. If you do not understand something about the registration process or prerequisites, just contact the professor or the registrar. They are always willing to help. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The UC’s are known for their quality, so the courses are interesting and comparable to UU courses. Sometimes you need to show you took enough courses in related areas to demonstrate you will be able to follow along. These prerequisites are a hassle, but just try to convince the professor your courses are relevant if you think they are. Start doing this in advance when you want to register for upper division (specialized) courses during Fall quarter! Continuing students already register in June for that quarter, so perhaps the professor can save you a seat. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: UCSC has enough resources for academic and even psychological counselling. Your college adviser and major adviser can help you plan for courses are grant you a higher course load. Last quarter I took 20 instead of 15 units and they need to sign off on that. However, usually professors (and students) are helpful enough to figure everything out. Transfer of credits: Credit transfers should be approved by your Board of Examiners. In my case 5 units equal 6,7 ECTS. I transferred them per quarter by sending my Board the results per class and the syllabus. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: UCSC’s orientation for exchange students was disappointing to me. Even though it was nice to see some other exchange students, their presentations were not that interesting. Therefore, make sure to connect actively with other students, because the university won’t facilitate activities to get to know each other that much. The experience might differ when you live on campus and your college arranges additional activities. Accommodation: Living off campus is cheaper than living on campus. In addition, it is a huge perk that you do not have to go to the dining halls for all your meals. Even though it is fun to eat whatever you like for a
day or two, after that it becomes very repetitive and you won’t enjoy it anymore. Campus is also pretty quiet during the weekends, so living closer to downtown would be nice as well. I lived on the Westside, which is a residential neighbourhood with a big grocery store and lots of students and families. Other good places would be the Base of campus (Nobel/Bay), but that is further away from downtown. I would not recommend to live past downtown; do not live on the East side, Seabride or even further away. Public transportation to UCSC is horrible from there. Finding housing is hard, but once you have your UC e-mailaddress you can accept Facebook groups were rooms are offered. This is a great place to find housing with nice students who will become your friends. Leisure/culture: Santa Cruz is an amazing area! The beach is lovely, the campus has hiking trails and it’s a short drive to other trails, San Jose, and San Francisco. Most leisure is spent outside, and the nice weather does not spoil your plans at all! After a while I started to miss the bigger city, but that’s a personal preference. Make sure you will visit the aquarium in Monterey, visit SF often, and food and bars in San Jose. Suggestions/tips: In addition to everything above, I would like to suggest an active attitude when it comes to making friends. Even though I am a social person, I noticed it could be hard to connect with people. Most run from class to class and if you do not live on campus, there’s hardly a time you can actually talk to them extensively. So make sure you approach them, text them regularly about going or hanging out, and stay on top of it. Americans usually tend to be enthusiastic about plans, but once something else (better) comes up, they will do that. Therefore, it is not a rejection but just another possibility of doing something else a different time. Living off campus will help you connect with Americans, because you live with them. I enjoyed that very much and made 8 really good friends! Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: UCSC is amazing! Even though it was my third choice, I think it was the best campus for me. Walking (and cycling) through the woods to class is very special and I will probably never experience that ever again. Berkley and LA had better courses for me, but after speaking to students here as well, I figured the SC environment is way better for an exchange. Interaction with people who appreciate the great focus on important research (much more than Berkley!) and opportunities to take courses with the former major of SC who also worked at the White House and professors who testified for the US Senate are much more valuable than an old image. I look back at a great experience and I hope you will have a great one too in the near future. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Plan everything in advance, do not stress out, and start looking forward to an amazing time in California. Whichever UC you will end up going to, it will be awesome!
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Betawetenschappen
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Informatiekunde B
Destination city & country Santa Cruz, United states
Name host institution University of California, Santa Cruz and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 30/12/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 21/06/2016
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: For the placement process the UC’s have the hardest prerequisites in the US on academic level. The most challenging thing for the US is to get your funding, having someone who will back you up monetarily. The application process is not clear, you give the UC a top 3 campus. What I have heard of is two things: Do not choose both Berkeley and LA if you want to go to one of them specifically. Besides that most people in UCSC were placed at their second choice. Counselling/support at home university: There is very little support from any of the Universities except for the pre-departure meeting. The information available at the UU is not very accurate. It is, quite easily possible to waive health insurance issued by the UC’s (saves you about 1500 euro’s) and if one would want to get a job it is pretty easy for lower valued jobs. The best ones are often for domestic students, but getting a job in a Dining hall is not too hard. Academic preparation: The academic level in the US is lower than it is in The Netherlands, so the only thing needed is to have an approved study plan. Language preparation: For the UC’s one needs to have a TOEFL score of >80, I had >105 myself and it was pretty easy to maintain and get around in English on the campus and everywhere else. Finances: You need a sponsor or someone that has the money available in their account for you. Otherwise it is very hard to get a visa for the US. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues):
The set-up of the education is different. You need to take at least 12 credits, which is like two courses and a seminar. Most people take at least three courses and an optional seminar if possible. Academic quality of education/placement activities: Exchange students have priority enrolment, which is very nice. Prerequisites are hard to get completed, but personal talks with professor most of the times gives you an access code for the courses you want to take. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: There is support for if you want to lift your finger (figuratively). If you need it, it’s there, you only have to find the right organisation. Transfer of credits: Not completed yet. Account is on hold: this can be for multiple reasons. You can still owe money to the University or be on a judicial hold for example Student life Welcome/orientation programme: There was none. Accommodation: I lived in the International living center for most of the time. A great and thriving community with lots of students from different countries. All open to Leisure/culture: Santa cruz is very liberal and open minded. There is a place for every type of minority and majority. California is very liberal, especially the coast. If you do like surfing, go here, it is surf city. Suggestions/tips: Hail Columbus, explore California. It is probably the greatest state that is in the US. The grand canyon and Las Vegas are pretty close too, do not forget to visit those Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: For partying other campuses might be better, but the people and the open minded atmosphere is of a new level. If you want to get out of the box, go there! Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Make the most out of your time here, it is going to be an experience that is as great as you make it yourself. Just do it.
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Geesteswetenschappen
Level: X bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Geschiedenis
Destination city & country Santa Cruz, USA
Name host institution University of California and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 30-12-2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 23-06-2016
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: Going through admission process is a lot of work, and although a lot of people may seem helpful, you really have to be prepared for the worst (the reason I’m saying this is; don’t underestimate, and generally check everything yourself after you have been advised something). I haven’t had a lot of troubles with my application. Just be prepared to double check everything when you get a certain/conflicting advice and stand your ground when needed. Counselling/support at home university: Was ok, though could be way better in my opinion. One example: we were told that there was no way to waive the UCSHIP (the healthcare UC provides and every UC student is mandatory to take), which is something like $700 per quarter, and if we did, we would noy be fully insured. It turned out that I was able to waive in the end, saving me a lot of money. When I was in need of medical attention, everything worked out perfectly with my Dutch insurance. There is really no need to pay. I think Utrecht should focus way more on preparing for every Univerity or campus individually, and not in groups that go to the same countries/continents. Academic preparation: Was ok. American undergraduate education is not really comparable with the Dutch system. However, if I really had to make a comparison: if you’re an ok student here, you’ll be a great student there. Language preparation: For me ok. I grew up bilingual. As far as I know language preparation or TOEFL training was never offered (That last one would be a great help I guess. Even someone who is fluent in English would get out of their mind by time pressure) Finances:
I really don’t understand why I have to evaluate this. It’s expensive. I set money aside. My parents gave me some. You don’t get any extra support from DUO or the University. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): I picked everything when I was there. Since I knew that I was able to beforehand, I just handpicked some courses that fitted my motivation. Also, as soon as you have to make plans for your application, classes during your stay are probably not online already. The variety of courses offered at UCSC is nice. Generally, you will not find it very hard to find something you like. Internationals also get a few extra days before course enrolment starts for everyone, so that’s a plus. Academic quality of education/placement activities: Was ok. At UCSC Professors are very relaxed (e.g. generally don’t care if you’re late, they often are themselves, as far as I had them) Furthermore, like I said; American undergraduate education is not really comparable with the Dutch system. However, if I really had to make a comparison: if you’re an ok student here, you’ll be a great student there. It’s easy, but fun. You’ll still need to put some effort in courses (naturally), but you’ll generally always pass if you show you put some effort into it. It’s all about participation and engagement. If you’re smart, really give it a go: it’ll be great for your GPA! Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: I think I had something like 5 advisors (perhaps more), of which I have never seen one. (you get one for housing, finances, academics, major, college etc.) Support if you really need it is ok. (Organization is pretty messy at UCSC, and not always efficient. If you need something, stand your ground but stay nice and polite, and smile. They may bark, but never bite.) Transfer of credits: This hasn’t happened at this point. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: Non-existent. They do a big intro for students arriving in Fall in September. If you arrive in Winter (like I did), they’ll have an ‘introduction’ meeting after I think two or three weeks after you arrive, so when you basically already know your way around. Luckily, I met a lot of nice students and staff instantly, who where able to show me around (everyone is very relaxed in Santa Cruz!) Accommodation: I lived in the ILC (international living center) The best thing about this; the people who live there. The housing itself is very basic, and sometimes feels more like a juvenal than actual student housing, but with the right group of people I can guarantee you that it is worth your stay! (they say off campus housing is slightly less expensive, which is true, but it’s still expensive and might sometimes feel very alienated. Public transport is far from perfect and if you live off campus, having a car is no unnecessary luxury. Also, living with internationals is a plus, because it’s easy to find other people who want to tour the country justa s much as you do. The community is mixed (there’s Americans too) so don’t worry that you’ll never see Americans when you go live there)
Leisure/culture: The campus is beautiful (I swear). Sequoia trees, views on the ocean, racoons, deer, squirrels! Basically you’ll be walking through a fairytale forest when you hop from one class to the other. However, the campus can also be a lonesome place in the weekend and during breaks (literally everything closes). Santa Cruz is a great layback town. It’s not much of a city, but has a lot of very nice places to eat and relax. It’s located on the famous highway one route and has a lot of beautiful beaches. Generally there’s still a sort of hippie culture going on, and a lot of people take care and interest of environment. However, you really don’t have to care about those topics. Also, though public tansport isn’t perfect, Santa Cruz is very well and centrally located in California if you want to see some more of the state (San Francisco is 1½ hour driving, 3 hours by public transport, and Los Angles is about 8 or 9 hours by bus (if you take two night busses, you can easily visit for a weekend!) Suggestions/tips: If you drive around on a sunny day you’ll see a lot of yard sales. Have a look! It’s a great way to talk to locals and find the coolest stuff the cheapest!
Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes, the campus is nice, people are nice, the environment is great and location is perfect! Academics are relatively easy if you’re an undergrad (at least in Humanities I guess). Do you have any additional advice or comments?:
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Humanities
Level: bachelor
Name degree programme: Liberal Arts and Sciences
Destination city & country Los Angeles, California
Name host institution UCLA and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses
Departure date 31/12/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: It was sometimes tough to go through the whole application process, especially the whole VISA thing. A lot of documents are required, it all feels very formal. However Ingrid, who was our guide in the whole process, was always there to help and make the process easier. Counselling/support at home university: Like I said, without the counselling and support at Utrecht University it would have been much more difficult to apply. While you’re in the process, it all feels like a lot. Looking back, I can say it was all well worth it and to be honest we will have to go through some worse paperwork in our life. Academic preparation: I needed to have a 7 out of 10 average, other than that there was no academic preparation needed. Language preparation: To make sure my English was sufficient and I was eligible to apply, I had to do a TOEFL test, which you have to plan several months in advance! Finances: Make sure you or one of your parents / someone else close to you have/has 13.500 USD in the bank. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): This was probably the most difficult part, or at least the most time consuming. Before getting picked for your preferred university, you have to make a study plan for your top 3 list. Every university has a different website and therefor a different system for choosing courses, course descriptions etc. Make sure you start well in advance and figure out how these websites work, once you know how they work you’ll find they’re just like Blackboard / Osiris. Academic quality of education/placement activities:
I am very enthusiastic about the quality of the courses I followed, not necessarily because of their high academic level, but because of the dedicated professors and interesting content. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: This support was pretty well arranged at the International Dashew Center, we felt very welcome and our counsellor even gave us his private cell number in case we needed him in an emergency. Transfer of credits: Hasn’t happened yet, a month after arrival back home. Hope it will come soon! Student life Welcome/orientation programme: Lovely orientation programme, but most of the welcoming is done by the international students themselves by making a Facebook group etc. Accommodation: I had a WONDERFUL stay at the UCHA co-op, right next to the campus of UCLA. Definitely recommend this place, met lovely people, a lot of internationals but also a lot of Americans. The food is usually pretty good, and all is pretty clean. Don’t let the idea of community housing scare you, I always appreciate a clean environment and prefer the princess penthouse, this was good enough. Leisure/culture: LA is a city where lots of things happen, you just have to go out and do them. Westwood, the area where UCLA lies, is not the best place for culture. It’s mainly the UCLA campus and student parties for students from 18-20 years old. Even though I’m only 21, coming from Holland I felt pretty old since I’m used to clubbing and going out for a drink by myself instead of staying at house parties. Make sure you travel through California and the surrounding states and if you get the chance go drive up all the way to Canada, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver are lovely in early summer! Suggestions/tips: Don’t worry too much about getting home sick, we all have those feelings sometimes. Remember yourself why you wanted to go away for a while in the first place and please remember that when you’re back, everything is just same old same old again! Enjoy it while it lasts. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes, definitely, for all the reasons mentioned above. Learned so much about other things as well as about myself. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Get insured.
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Rechtsgeleerdheid (REBO)
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Utrecht Law College
Destination city & country San Diego, California, U.S.A.
Name host institution University of California, San Diego and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 27/12/2014 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 06/08/2015
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Preparation Exchange/placement application process: I always knew that I wanted to study abroad. That’s why I attended information meetings for exchange programs in my second year and I approached students who already did an exchange. This turned out to very helpful for choosing my destination. After doubting between some incredible cities (e.g. Sydney, London, Jakarta) I decided to apply for the UCEAP program in sunny California. This might have been the best decision I’ve made in my life thus far. I would do anything to go back in time and do it all over.
Anyway, UU expects students to have a 3.0 GPA, which is a 7.0 out of 10 for Dutch students. Also, for the application I had to write a motivation letter and I asked one of my instructors to write a letter of recommendation. The motivation letter is obviously of upmost importance. I asked my parents, instructors and friends to have a look at it. Make sure to note down important deadlines since California has early ones. After being accepted by Utrecht University I had to apply with the University of California. I gave them my top 3 choices for campuses (Berkeley, San Diego, LA) and was more than happy to hear that they placed me in San Diego!
Counselling/support at home university: After being selected by Utrecht University, the actual preparations start. The International Office organizes meetings for upcoming exchange students. Those were very helpful thanks to all the documents you receive and other students you speak with. Furthermore, my exchange officer (Ingrid Dijkstra) was extremely helpful and always patient. She responded very quickly to all of my e-mails.
Academic preparation: I study Law in the Netherlands and I took classes in International Relations and Political Philosophy in San Diego. So I didn’t take any specific classes to prepare myself for my upcoming exchange. Part of the application process in Utrecht and later on in San Diego, is providing both universities with a list of the classes you want to take. I did this, but eventually took different classes in San Diego. When it comes to enrolling in classes and dropping classes, UCSD is way more open-minded than our university. Language preparation: I had to take the TOEFL-test and scored high enough. This test is easy, but make sure to practice. The setting in which you have to take the test is weird, and kind of tough: four hours in a classroom with many other persons who all talk to their computers etc. Anyway, make a couple of tests and you’ll do fine. Finances: I am blessed with helpful and supporting parents who covered my – expensive – rent, dining dollar plan and health insurance in San Diego. I basically only had to pay for trips (I travelled a lot) and other daily expenses, which I did with my student loan. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): As an exchange student you have priority enrolment time, make sure to take advantage of this because popular classes tend to fill up extremely quick. Some classes have prerequisites, but the student desk at UCSD usually gives you permission to enrol after you ask them to do so. Also, when deciding which classes to take, students at UCSD do look at the subjects the class will touch upon, but more important is a professors rating on www.ratemyprofessors.com. Make sure to have a look on that site before enrolling! Academic quality of education/placement activities: UCSD is a high ranked university in the US. The professors are very talented and genuinely interested in the subjects they teach. It’s very hard for American students to get in and those who get in tend to work hard. Strangely enough, I didn’t find the classes from my major Political Science that challenging. To be honest I would say that the classes were easy, but interesting at the same time. Perfect right? Also I took 12 credits (three classes) in each quarter, which is normal. I would recommend all exchange students to do the same. Believe me, there are other aspects of life you want to focus on during your stay in California. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: I never needed support at UCSD. All the questions I had were easily answered by the website and/or friends. However, if necessary, I’m sure there is plenty of counselling and support available. Transfer of credits: My transcript of records arrived in Utrecht and I brought it to the Studentdesk of Rechtsgeleerdheid. I have to wait approximately six more weeks before my credits will be transferred. Student life
Welcome/orientation programme: I arrived in January (semester 2) and had a one-day orientation programme. Students who arrived in September (semester 1) had a full week orientation programme. I was fine with this because I already knew San Diego quite well, and most of the friends I quickly made were exchange students who arrived in semester 1. They introduced me to a lot of stuff and made me feel home immediately. Accommodation: I lived in International House. I would highly recommend applying for it. I-House is a unique community with 300 residents (50% US and 50% international students from over 30 different countries) who are adventurous and determined to explore all the beautiful places California and surrounding states have to offer. Almost as important as that, the UCSD campus is not that interesting when it comes to parties. I-House is the exception to this rule. We had some crazy parties. It is expensive, but it’s definitely worth every penny. The application process consists of writing five or six little essays. It is very hard for American students to get in, since almost everyone wants to live there. It’s a bit easier for internationals (I heard 70% gets in), but still, give those essays all you got. Thanks to I-House I have friends all over the world. I couldn’t imagine how my exchange would have been without I-House. Leisure/culture: The campus of UCSD has lots of tennis courts, basketball courts, soccer fields, two big pools and two big gyms. So plenty of opportunity to burn those calories. Also after you arrive you’ll receive information about programs you could get involved in. I joined the Model United Nations team and went to the UC Berkeley conference in San Francisco. That was a great experience. In addition, I decided to take surf lessons and immediately got hooked. The campus is a ten-minute walk from one of the main surfing beaches in San Diego. So I enjoyed myself. For partying and chilling we would usually go to Pacific Beach or San Diego Downtown. Also I went on a lot of trips and saw almost everything in California (San Francisco, Yosemite, Santa Barbara, LA etc) and we went to Mexico and Costa Rica. Suggestions/tips: I did not really experience the typical American college life. In the beginning I was hoping that UCSD would be like that, but it wasn’t. If that is what you want, apply for UC Santa Barbara. However, in retrospect, I am very happy that I did not go to a university like that. So my suggestion would be to go to San Diego and apply for I-House. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Definitely. I believe that I explained that in my answers above. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Yes! Apply for an exchange. Mine was life changing, and I hope yours will be as well. Cheers.
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht
UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Faculty of Law, Economics, and Governance
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Economics and Business Economics
Destination city & country Berkeley, United Stated of America
Name host institution University of California, Berkeley and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 21/08/2014 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 21/12/2014
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Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The application for exchange to University of California is somewhat more peculiar than the applications to the other universities as for UC you will first need to apply to the uni as a whole and then once you are accepted you will have the chance to put three campuses as your top choices. Normally they will manage to allocate you in one of your top choices. Even if they don’t, it’s still Cali and you will love it anywhere there ! Counselling/support at home university: I found the exchange team in our university quite useful during the application process and while I was preparing for my arrival. I know it can get tricky for time to time, so do not hesitate to contact them for anything you might need ranging from general information on the host uni to more specific information on visa applications. Academic preparation: Make sure in advance that you take courses which the Board of Examiners of UU has already approved. Prepare a well-structured study plan well in advance and try to stick to it as much as you can in order to obtain all the credits that you need in order to graduate. However, courses at UC change on a yearly basis so do not worry if you end up getting courses that weren’t initially there. In my view the most important thing is to get the most out of the great curricula there and in more practical terms, to also not jeopardize your graduation from UU. Language preparation: You might want to try practicing American accent over summer . However, it will be super easy to adapt to the American language also because the environment is highly international. If your degree in Utrecht is not in English, you might be required to provide them with some language certificate. Finances: Everything you need to know regarding finances is also on the UC website. It depends on campus and city, but I personally found housing the greatest expense- the rest is pretty similar to European standards. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): I had to change the courses that I had put on my initial study plan and this is highly likely to happen to you also as course offerings change rather frequently. Try to enrol over summer asap for the courses you want to as they get full quite fast. Also, it is important to know that during the first two week you can ‘shop’ for classes. Therefore, you can register for more courses than you need to take and then drop the ones you realize you are not interested in. In my opinion, the two first weeks are crucial because afterwards you cannot make any changes to your curriculum or schedule. Academic quality of education/placement activities: Education in UC Berkeley is organized in lectures and group discussions (tutorials). Make sure to make the best out of it as lecturers are usually brilliant and will make you gain an understanding of the course that no book will ever make you gain. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: Make sure to take the best out of all the education services offered by UC Berkeley. There are academic counsellors and advisors in the international office that will be able to help you out with any education matters that might arise during your stay. They are quite welcoming and eager to help. On a side note, try to exploit as much as you can also the career service offered by the university, which organizes frequent events helping students prepare for job interviews, job hunting, etc. Transfer of credits: You will have time to take care of this once you are back from sunny Cali, however, it is important to transfer the credits as soon as you can in order for it to be smooth. 1 UC unit counts for 2 ECTS. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: The introduction week includes various activities, which will help you to get used to the campus and meet loads of people, whom you will stick to also during your stay. Accommodation: It may appear in the beginning difficult to find accommodation in Berkeley. However, it is not as bad as it seems on first sight. I would highly recommend living on campus, on one of the student halls there (I-house preferably :D). Apply for accommodation as soon as you receive the acceptance from the uni- they get full really early. If you don’t manage to accommodate yourself in one of the campus buildings, you can also consider off-campus accommodation, which is also quite nice . Leisure/culture: Suggestions/tips: Travel as much as you can around Cali and make the best out of your sunny experience there! As you will soon come to realize, time flies in Berkeley!!! Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: YES, YES, YES! Why? - Awesome uni! - Great people! - Best campus in the world! - California sun! - Perfect scenery! - 20 minutes away from San Francisco! - Unforgettable experience! - Need I say more? Do you have any additional advice or comments?:
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Social sciences
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: psychology
Destination city & country Berkeley, United States
Name host institution and/or University California Berkeley company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 13-01-2015
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 08-07-2015
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Preparation Exchange/placement application process: Because I already knew in my first year of college that I wanted to go to Berkeley in my third year, I worked hard to get a GPA of 3.0. I emailed the International office at the end of my first year, who told me that I could go to an information session in the beginning of September. During this session they tell you almost everything you need to know to prepare your exchange/application process (study plan, financial plan, motivation etc.). In December 2014 was the deadline of the first application for the University of California. Especially on my motivation letter I spent a lot of time. 3 weeks later I heard the good news that I was accepted at the University of California. The next step was to apply to Berkeley it self. For this application you had to do a language test, have a stamp of the Bank and write an academic statement. In your academic statement it is important that you make clear why you need to go to your favourite university, and why this is good for your academic career. In the end of September I finally heard that I could go to Berkeley in January 2015. Counselling/support at home university: I had a lot of support of Ingrid Dijkstra, the student exchange coordinator of North-America. I emailed her at least two times a month and always got a response within a day. Every time I wasn’t sure about something, I asked her for help. She was very helpful. Academic preparation: Academically I didn’t prepare my self for Berkeley. I planned to read a lot of English, but in the end I didn’t do it. The beginning of the semester was hard, but you get used to the English and the level very easily. Language preparation: The only thing I did to prepare my self for English, was the Toefl test, that was required for my application. I did study for this test, because I wanted to be familiar with the format of the test. I recommend to do a few practice test. Finances: Since I already knew a long time that I wanted to go to Berkeley, I saved a lot of money. My parents also financially supported me. I lived in the International House, which was 100% worth it, but quite expensive. Besides the housing and food, you spend more money than you think on weekend trips. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): The study programme in Berkeley is different than in Utrecht, because it has a semester system. This means that there are a lot of midterms and papers during the semester and finals at the end of semester. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The quality of education is higher. The classes are really small, and the professors really want to get to know you. The work load is also higher, and all the students work harder than in Utrecht. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: I didn’t have/ need a lot of support at the host institution. Transfer of credits: At the moment I am still busy with the transfer of my credits. Unfortunately an A is only a 8 in Utrecht. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: The first week was a nice orientation programme. We went on a camp for two days which was really bonding. In a short time you got to know a lot of people. Accommodation: I lived in the International House which was the best. Leisure/culture: Every weekend we went on roadtrips in California Suggestions/tips: Start early with your motivation letter! Live in the International House! Enjoy every minute of your time at Berkeley! Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Absolutely 100% YES! If I would describe my exchange semester at Berkeley in short, I would say that it was honestly the best time I have ever had. I never felt so happy as I was in Berkeley. The whole atmosphere of the university is amazing. Everybody is extremely proud of the university and you can really feel that. There are so many different people with different cultures walking around, the campus is beautiful, the professors are inspiring and the lectures are truly interesting.
Besides the campus, Berkeley it self is super nice. There are several nice cheap restaurants to go out for dinner and you can run up to the mountains. In the weekends you can do road-trips around California. California has so many good places to go, to many to visit them all in one semester.
I stayed in the international house, which I really recommend to everyone! It's like a big community where everybody is friendly to each other and there are a lot of activities. I could never imagine that I made such good friends at I-house. We did everything together. Having breakfast in the dining hall, going to lectures, having lunch at campus, going to the gym, having dinner, hanging out in the great hall of I-house. In the weekends we went on several trips and we had a crazy spring-break in Mexico.
If I would have the opportunity, I would stay at Berkeley forever. It's the perfect combination of studying hard and doing fun things. A place where the sun always shines and where you make friends for life. Since I left Berkeley, I think about it every day, dreaming to go back.
Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Go and apply for Berkeley!
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Philosophy and Religious Studies
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Philosophy
Destination city & country Berkeley, United States of America
Name host institution University of California, Berkeley and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 14/08/2014 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 5/08/2015
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing.
Preparation Exchange/placement application process:
The part of the placement application process that is taken care of by Utrecht University went as smoothly and pleasantly as one can expect. Utrecht University requests you to prepare rigorously before sending in your application (e.g. in the form of a financial overview), which -- while originally experienced as tedious -- turned out be incredibly useful throughout the rest of my application process
The remaining part of the placement application, namely the part that is done through the University of California, is actually frustrating and time-consuming. You spent a lot of time fighting with bureaucratic nonsense and start wondering why it is that you just had to sign up for the University of California -- especially because placement at your preferred university campus is not guaranteed. However, after having gone through it all I am glad I did. Not only did I gain valuable experience in dealing with bureaucratic mumbo jumbo, but I also ended up in California, Berkeley where I am having the academic and personal experience of a lifetime.
Be prepared to spend several hours every week slugging your way through the application. If you stay on top of your application, however, you should be fine and it will be worth it for sure.
Counselling/support at home university:
Ingrid supported me excellently wherever she could. However, at a certain point there will be things that are so specific to your university that you will have to figure it out yourself, or with the help of the university abroad -- good luck with the latter. I think learning to deal with these kind of things is part of the study abroad experience, and is part of what makes it so educational.
Academic preparation:
My academic preparation was relatively barebones and consisted of me scouring Berkeley’s website for a few days, figuring out what they offered, and what I could and should take in terms of courses. After making a tentative plan, I dropped by my study advisor’s office and had him double- check it fitted into my curriculum before giving me the go and signing the documents (NB do not postpone this meeting with your study advisor, you need it for your application). Once abroad, you’ll realize how tentative your plan really is, as I only ended up taking two of the courses I had set out to do. Go with it, and be proactive in asking your fellow students as well as faculty which courses (or extra-curricular engagements for that matter) they would take if they were only here for half a year (or a year).
Language preparation:
I studied English for a year at Utrecht’s applied university before starting my studies in philosophy and, besides reading up on and practicing the way the TOEFL tests, I did not prepare.
Finances:
Going to a Western country, like the United States, is always going to be more expensive than you think. Look for scholarships and funds if necessary, they might be difficult to find for undergraduates, but there are some generous people out there if you have good reason for going and a reputation for being a good student.
Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues):
I already covered this in one of the questions above, but be open to changes in your plans, as you will most certainly find it to be different from what you had expected.
Academic quality of education/placement activities:
It’s Berkeley, so the academic quality is unbelievable. However, even here there are major differences between different courses (and faculties). Do your research! Talk to people, bother people if necessary, as you will be able to figure out what they know from having studied there for years. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation:
Great! Scott, EAP’s advisor, is a stand-up guy: approachable, kind and knowledgeable in all areas you’ll want assistance. Additionally, BIO is open all week and used to dealing with international students and their complicated issues. Go there as soon as you run into something; go visit Scott and have him advise you on things, he’s awesome.
Transfer of credits:
Haven’t gotten to that yet, haha.
Student life Welcome/orientation programme:
Dull. Dull, dull, dull -- as is the case with these generally.
Accommodation:
Living in Berkeley is expensive! Be prepared to spend tons of money and/or share a room with other people -- which is much more enjoyable than it sounds, the roommate part.
Leisure/culture:
We are talking about the Bay Area, so in terms of leisure and culture you couldn’t do better. With the hills in the East, San Francisco (!!!) just a 30 minute BART ride away, Oakland to the South and the University with all its extra-curricular activities, film showings, art galleries, symposiums, conferences, and so on, you will never be bored. If you were to get bored, there’s a bus to LA for 30 dollars; Big Sur, Big Basin, Point Reyes, Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite are all within driving distance -- some even in range of public transport.
Suggestions/tips:
I realize Berkeley sounds attractive, I mean, I came here because of what I thought it would offer me. It did, and so much more than I thought, both academically and personally. However, the academic side of things is intensive. You’re probably used to hearing that, as that is what any university staff member will tell you before you started studying, but Berkeley is actually intense. I’m actually studying twice the amount I did back at home, and I wasn’t cutting corners to begin with. Realize what you are getting yourself into, and ask yourself if that it was you are hoping to get out of your study abroad. If it is, perfect! If you’re looking for something that leaves times to actually have a social life, travel, party, or something along those lines, maybe Berkeley isn’t the place for you. However, if you’re coming for the academics, there is no better place. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain:
See above.
Do you have any additional advice or comments?:
Get on top of your accommodation! There is too little, and the available rooms go quickly, are difficult to obtain if you’re not in Berkeley to come visit, and are contested by 30,000 other students.
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Social Science
Level: X bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Psychology
Destination city & country Irvine, United States
Name host institution University of California, Irvine and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 01/01/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 19/04/2015
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing.
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: All the information you can find on the website, although it is a bit of a search in the beginning, if you understand the structure, it is very clear. Counselling/support at home university: Ingrid Dijkstra is the contact person for exchange to North America. She will organize information session and you can always e-mail her questions or make an appointment. Academic preparation: If you want to go to the University of California, make sure your GPA is 3,0 at least. The higher, the better, because this will decide which university you will be send too. Language preparation: Make sure you plan to take a TOEFL-test in advance. This is a requirement if you want to study at the University of California. Look up what score you need to have for what location of University of California. As a preparation of TOEFL I only made the test exam a day before. My score was 102. Although my grade for English in high school only was a 5,8. But since I am studying all my books are in English. Finances: I saved money for two years and worked full time two months during my summer break. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): This is exiting, but a bit of a hussle the same time. You have to get used to the website of the university and find the syllabus. Once you found the syllabus you can look up courses of your interest. Also google the conversion rate of units to ects, so you are sure you won’t extend your studies unnecessary. For the first application round which is to get accepted to a University of California you already have to choose your courses. However, it is possible you do not get one of your top three choices, so once you get admitted, you have to sort it out again. Second, the syllabus can be old and by the time you have to actually sign in for courses, it could be you have to reschedule and pick new courses again. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The academic quality was very high, passionate teachers, involved students and higher work load. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: Also the host institution has a contact person who as glad to answer all your questions. Once you are placed he or she will send you an e-mail. Transfer of credits: A couple of weeks after your final exams your credits will be send to the international office. You can pick the official document up there. Then you have to go to the administration office of your faculty, so the examination board can transfer your credits. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: In the first week there were already three activities. On Monday an introduction and information session. On Wednesday an international breakfast. And every Friday an international coffee hour by students themselves was organized. However, it could be that during the time the activities take place you have to attend lecture and therefore cannot come. Accommodation: I was very lucky because a girl looked for someone to sublease her apartment during the same exact time I had to stay there. The contact person of the international office transferred the e-mail to all the international students, so it was very easy for me. Leisure/culture: In the beginning of your arrival you may be disappointed and lonely. A lot of negative things about the location, culture of your situation will be apparent. However, after a while I learned to think in pros and cons. In the Netherlands I did not like everything either and in Irvine there were things I liked better. So every place has it pros and cons. Suggestions/tips: Be patience, meeting people is easy, making friends takes time. Try to focus on the positive things. Enjoy the focus on your study and mental health and see the boring, lonely first weeks as a retreat. Try to work hard during the week and plan nice trips on the weekend. Save lots of money! And take three credit cards with you, which you keep in three different places. My wallet was stolen which caused me a lot of stress and problems. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: I would definitely recommend University of California, Irvine. First because the University of California is a great university, whatever location. Second the weather in Southern California is always nice, no worries about bringing umbrellas. Third, the beaches near Irvine are lovely to tan, swim, surf, dive, sail and there are nice bars too, Taco Tuesday! Fourth in Irvine you will not be easily distracted, because without a car the only thing you can do is study, sport or eat. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: If you stay longer then three months in Irvine, I would recommend a drivers licence and to buy a car. It is totally worth it, financially and socially. You will spend a lot of money on uber anyways or will be lonely and bored at home or dependent on other (drunk) drivers.
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange UU Study Abroad Report Form faculty/college University College Roosevelt (UCR) level X bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Major in Social Science (focus on Psychology) destination city & country Irvine, United States of America name host institution and/or University of California, Irvine (UCI) company/organization purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 07 / September / 2014 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 24 / December / 2014
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process The application process consisted of 3 main stages. I first had to apply to my own university (UCR), then to Utrecht University, and finally to the University of California. I had to make a top 3 of the universities I wanted to go to in California in the last stage. It took a lot of time (+/- 5 months) before I received the news that I was not placed in my top 3, but instead, I was offered to go to UC Irvine. I accepted the offer, because I had already prepared myself to go on exchange and I was ready for a new adventure! I remember that the wait was the worst part of the whole application process, but looking back, it was so worth it. counselling/support at home university My exchange coordinator in particular helped me a lot with my exchange preparations. Despite her busy schedule, she always made time to talk to me about my exchange plans. I should also mention that the Senior Tutor at UCR was more than willing to listen to any difficulties I faced before going on exchange. At a certain point, it seemed that my exchange plans would not work out, but we somehow managed to make my exchange happen! academic preparation The conversion of UC Irvine units to UCR ECTS was the most difficult part of my exchange, because I had to take 18 UCI units, which would equal 12 UCR ECTS (bare minimum). Since almost all UCI courses were worth 4 units each, I struggled finding a 2-unit course. After going through all the fall 2014 course offerings I found a course with a grade evaluation, because I was only allowed to take courses that would be graded (a pass/no pass system wasn’t allowed). Eventually I got to choose 4 psychology and social behaviour courses and 1 international studies course, which perfectly blended in with my interests in psychology as an international student. Therefore, it is highly recommended to check the unit to ECTS conversion with your home university before going on exchange. language preparation I feel like I was pretty used to speaking English as we only speak English at UCR, but of course, a lot could be improved upon still. I watched some episodes from the series ‘Friday Night Lights’ to continue listening to English as a preparation for my exchange to California. finances Arranging a credit card is a must before going to the US, so make sure you do so as it will make your life way easier! You can use your regular debit card to withdraw money, but be aware that a small fee will be charged (Chase is relatively cheap bank).
page 1 of 3 study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) I was a fulltime student at UCI taking 5 courses being worth a total of 18 UCI units. I liked how topic-specific the courses were e.g., sport psychology, forensic psychology. This is different from the courses offered at my home university as most psychology courses are based on fairly general topics, such as abnormal psychology or social psychology. Each course consisted of lectures and some courses organized discussions sessions with a limited number of students to make the class more interactive. We would listen to guest lectures on various topics (e.g., studying abroad, fair trade, etc.) for the international studies public forum course. I will never forget the inspirational speech given by Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee. academic quality of education/placement activities I had enthusiastic and dedicated professors for all of my courses, which made the classes very interesting and of good quality. The final grade consisted mostly of exams at UCI, whereas my final grade at UCR would be composed of several exams, papers, presentations etc. Even though I felt like the exams at UCI were easier (mostly multiple choice), there was more at stake if you would do bad on the midterm or final. On a positive note, if the class average would be relatively low, a curve would be applied to increase the average, thereby making the grading more lenient (as long as your total points would be higher than the mean of the class). counselling/support at host institution/organisation There were possibilities to talk to a counsellor when you wanted to talk about any issues you had or you could go to the international center to ask for help (especially the study abroad advisor). If anything, there was a police station pretty much on campus if need be. My roommate used the disability service offered on campus, which meant that she made her exams in a separate building with less students around and that she had more time to finish her exams. transfer of credits The MyEEE website kept track of the grades and emails I received from my professors. The UCI study abroad advisor sent out an email concerning departing UCI toward the end of the quarter. The grades I received were automatically placed on my official transcript and sent to my home university in the Netherlands. student life welcome/orientation programme The Welcome Week was fully planned with all kinds of activities, starting of with the student convocation in the Bren Events Center. I remember first feeling the American ‘vibe’ to studying at an American university, because of the cheerleaders, the American anthem, shouting the popular chant ‘Zot, Zot, Zot’ (sound made by the UCI mascot, the anteater), and the various speeches given by among others the new chancellor. All first year students, transfers, and exchange students could pick up their own UCI sweater: a must-have. Also, we had a mandatory UCEAP session and tour around campus with all other exchange students. Another memorable moment was breaking the World Record for the largest pillow fight. I also really liked the international welcome breakfast, because now I already knew quite some people and the food was delicious too! One of the many clubs at UCR was the ‘Dumbledore’s Anteaters’ and I got sorted into the house of Gryffindor (and yes, throughout the quarter each house would earn points to win the house cup just like in Harry Potter). The end of the Welcome Week was marked by an International Welcome lunch and a (free) trip to the Spectrum (an outdoor shopping center) in Irvine. There was a beautiful ferris wheel and a lot of new (American) stores to explore: a great ending of this amazing Welcome Week! accommodation Kendall who went on exchange to the Netherlands subleased her room to me, so we were essentially exchanging countries haha. I lived in an apartment at Turtle Rock Vista, which I shared with 4 other girls. I shared my master
page 2 of 3 bedroom with another UCI student: Ashley and I ended up becoming best friends. For me it was a different experience to share a room, because I have my own room in the Netherlands: it was a great new experience for me. Our apartment was +/- 30 min. walking from campus. My roommate happened to have 2 bikes at home, so her mom brought the bikes over to our apartment and I got to borrow her bike for the rest of the quarter. leisure/culture I participated at the art lab where I performed ‘Warrior’ (sang) together with Irene who accompanied me on the piano. I also did karaoke with some of my friends, because I simply love singing and I feel like music brings (seemingly very different) people together. Unfortunately, I could not become an official member of SIOP (Student Industrial/Organizational Psychology) or PSA (Psychology Student Association), because their weekly meetings were on Wednesday evenings and I had class at that time. I however did try to join their social events, which was a lot of fun! The requirements to become a member of PsyChi were pretty strict (e.g., you had to spend at least 2 quarters at UCI) so I couldn’t join. Ironically, I managed to visit their Psyched4jobs event in LA together with one of my friends (Kevin) who I met in this Wednesday class. With regard to culture, my friend Sam showed me around in LA so I could explore the American culture more and my friend Ashley took me out to have Dim Sum (her mom is originally from China), Thai food, boba at Cha for Tea (something you really have to try!). I loved to go to the beach (e.g., Laguna beach, Corona del Mar, etc.) and watching the sunset with friends. Kevin, who worked at Disneyland, invited Ashley and me to visit Disneyland and that day was just magical in so many ways… The highlight of the day was watching the ‘World of Colors’! suggestions/tips Even though it might feel ‘safest’ in a way to become friends with exchange students (which I did as well), I also highly recommend making friends with other students in class. This way, you really get to improve your English and experience American culture. Of course, making friends should something that comes natural, but dare to be yourself and make effort to talk to your fellow students. You won’t regret it, because these friendships can be long lasting and rewarding in so many ways, e.g., they make you feel confident and ready to face issues in your life. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Yes, without a doubt. UC Irvine is a relatively new university and so I feel like their mission (‘Bright Past, Brilliant Future’) is geared toward improving their reputation even more, which benefits the students. do you have any additional advice or comments? If you’re taking quite some UCI units that will make your quarter pretty busy, make sure to arrive a few weeks in advance or stay a few weeks afterwards (‘grace period’) to travel to LA, San Diego, San Francisco etc. Traveling takes a lot of time (especially because of the large distances between cities). Therefore, you might need to spend more days in a certain city to fully enjoy your stay and to not feel like you’re rushing from city to city.
Contact details:
Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht T: +31-(0)30-253 7000 E: [email protected] (information) [email protected] (report) I: www.uu.nl/students/exchange
page 3 of 3 UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: REBO (Economics & Business Economics)
Level: X bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Bsc. Economics & Business Economics
Destination city & country Irvine (CA), United States
Name host institution University of California, Irvine (UCI) and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 31/08/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 24/12/2015
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing.
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: In order to be able to apply to any UC campus, you need to have sufficient GPA. Therefore, I had to make sure my grades were sufficient. However, for me this was not a problem. Furthermore, a motivation letter was needed, a financial plan and courses you would like to follow. All this was needed only for the selection at UU (about 40% of the students were accepted since demand for an exchange at UC is higher than the availability). When I got through the selection of UU, my motivational letter, financial plan and course plan was presented to UC EAP, who placed me at a campus. UCI was not in my top three, however, it was a good choice after all. Then, I had to make a course plan that applied to UCI and I was asked to do some other general preparation (with strict deadlines!!). Counselling/support at home university: All the questions I had were answered by Ingrid Dijkstra. She knows everything that is concerned with the exchange and helps you wherever help is needed. Furthermore she gives students the opportunity to share their experiences with other students and arranges several meetings with extensive hand-outs. A lot has to be prepared in order to study in the US, it is a hassle, but it’s definitely worth it (she said this over and over again, and it’s so true). Academic preparation: Make sure your GPA is sufficient. Enroll for the courses you wish to follow and e-mail professors in case a prerequisite is needed (don’t worry about this too much though. If you haven’t made up your mind yet, there’s plenty of time to take care of this when you arrive at the university) Language preparation: I did not have to take a test since my entire bachelor is in English. Finances: The US is expensive, UU needs a financial plan on December first, but this is just to set the people who are actually seriously intending to go abroad, apart from the people who don’t even want to put any effort in applying. Anyway, make sure you have enough money for housing, food, campus fees (which are ridiculous) and fun things! Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): The study programme is similar to the UU time slots. Periods are around 10 weeks and often the structure of the courses are quite similar as well. The only difference however, is they have only 3 periods a year, instead of four. In these 3 periods you are expected to do the same amount of work as we do. Luckily, the work load turned out to be less in comparison to UU. I took 4 courses and an individual study, had a lot of spare time (level was also a bit lower in my opinion), studied well for exams and earned 34 ECTS in 10 weeks, with an A+, 2 A’s and an A-. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The quality of education is quite good. The courses are pretty well organized in general and lecturers seemed experienced. However, since in my opinion some of the students lacked behind, they explained every possible detail, sometimes things that are common knowledge. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: It is a bit messy, more question marks appear in comparison to UU. But who to blame? The campus is huge, there’s a difference in culture and the university has both similarities and differences when it comes to organizing and structuring certain things. Overall, everything will fall in place. Transfer of credits: Just make sure you keep your board of examiners (at UU) up to date about the courses you are following. When you made your final decision when it comes to courses, make sure you communicate them to the board and suggest a level and give them some extra information concerning the course contents. I did all this in time, when I came back I had a tentative approval for all the courses and the credits from the US, I sent this to the board and they put everything in Osiris. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: Even before university, EAP students were introduced to each other. Which made it easier to meet new people. During the programme, we had a lecture from the EAP exchange officer who gave us a lot of relevant information with regard to the program, the study load, the culture etc. Accommodation: Accommodation is expensive. Housing on campus in particular is expensive and not the nicest. Therefore, I decided to look a bit further than on campus and found a website where people near the university could place a room for rent without necessarily being involved with the university itself. This way I found a woman who was looking for a roommate, the beautiful house was located about 15 min (by bike) from the campus, I had so much fun, but I was lucky! I paid $750 a month, which was a great deal for a clean environment. Leisure/culture: California is beautiful. Although it is not recommended to travel before the start of your program, I did, and I still don’t understand why it is not recommended. Traveling before school started introduced me to the most beautiful places in California (and Utah, and Nevada, and Arizona). It gave me the opportunity to get to know the culture and to explore the places I wanted to go back to when I had the chance (during the weekend for instance). Suggestions/tips: Make sure you have enough money. Make sure you inform the board of examiners at UU. Make sure you travel around (I would suggest before university starts). And most important, enjoy the stay. I miss my exchange every time it is raining in the Netherlands. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes, Irvine is nice. Although there are some cultural differences since about 65% of all students are Asian. And by Asian I do not mean American Asian only, but about 40-50% is from China or Japan. They’re nice people, but very different from Europeans. Therefore, it is not the best place to meet new friends. I haven’t really met an American friend but my roommate, who was 47 years old (I still talk to her though). Do you have any additional advice or comments?: No, not really.
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Sociale wetenschappen
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Undergratuate
Destination city & country San Diego, United States
Name host institution University of California San Diego and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 11-09-2014 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 18-01-2015
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Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The exchange/placement application process was stressful because I was unaware of the early deadline for the Universities of California and because I underestimated the amount of time that was needed to complete the application. My advice is to start really early because you may want to request a letter of recommendation for example. Counselling/support at home university: If you have any questions you can always make an appointment at the international office and are really kind and helpfull. Academic preparation: It is really easy to look up the available courses of the different universities online. This way you can choose which university is preferable for your academic development. Language preparation: Because the language was English and I already had English lessons for years at my high school, I did not extra practise or study. Finances: I was able to pay for the exchange because I had savings and worked a lot before I went. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): The study material was easier and less work at UCSD compared to UU in my experience. You can also change your courses for three weeks what gives you the opportunity to try some courses and drop them if you don’t like them. Academic quality of education/placement activities: There are a lot of activities you can join for free. There are also a few pools and gyms on campus were you can go to for free. I personally was also in a volleyball team with my friends. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: There are a lot of options when you want counselling or support. There is a special department were you can go to. I would recommend to get an appointment to arrange this in the beginning of your exchange to be able to make as much use out of the advantages as possible. Transfer of credits: To transfer your credits is really easy. You can request an official form with your grades online. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: There was 1 day of orientation, but this is a day you make friends really easy. You can join the triton leaders but I never did something with these people after the orientation day. Accommodation: I stayed in I-house. I recommend this accommodation because people are always hanging out togheter and you can walk to class. Leisure/culture: Because in I-house 50% is American and 50% is international, you will meet a lot of people from different countries and cultures. I loved this part of the exchange. I learned so much about other cultures. Because you actually get to know the people form the other cultures, you learn to see things from a different cultural perspective. Suggestions/tips: Join a sportteam! Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: I would recommend San Diego as destination for your exchange because of the beautiful beach, the beautiful campus, all the great options for the nicest weekend trips (Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Anza Borrego Dessert etc.), the wheater and the excellent academic quality of UCSD. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Go to Hawaii after you finished your courses because you are relatively close and it really is such a beautiful place!
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Social Sciences
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Psychology
Destination city & country San Diego, United States
Name host institution University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 01/01/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 16/08/2015
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing.
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The whole application process was very stressful to me. A lot of times, I felt overwhelmed by all deadlines, forms, processes, etc. I would recommend doing thing step by step: every day a little bit. Don’t worry if things take longer than expected, in the end it will always turn out well. Counselling/support at home university: Every question was answered immediately and all information I couldn’t find myself was provided. Academic preparation: Choosing the courses was not that important for me, because I didn’t need the credits to graduate. What I did do, was apply for the Faculty Mentor Program. This is a program in which students work for Professors doing research, getting the chance to gain experience and doing their own research project. The application for this took me some time and effort, but it was 120% worth it. Language preparation: I did the TOEFL test. Finances: I tried to make an overview of expected expenses, which was helpful when I was here, to prioritize on what things on which I wanted to spend the limited money I had: Traveling. I had saved a lot of money, and my family gave me lent me money. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): Since the whole exchange was extra in my bachelor, I could choose all courses I wanted to. I study psychology, and took the courses: Psychology of Consciousness, Psychology of Human Sexuality, Psychology of Emotion, Music and the Mind, Sensation and Perception, Psychophysiological perspectives on Social Behavior. All of these were very interesting, I learned a lot! Academic quality of education/placement activities: I think the quality of the education is the same or even higher than in Utrecht. An advantage of UCSD is that personal communication is considered very important. All professors are motivated to meet up with you for any questions or feedback on assignments. The difficulty of the material is about the same as in Utrecht, but usually higher grades are assigned. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: It was very easy to meet up with counsellors for any type of question. The international office helped me finding the right person. Transfer of credits: Still in process. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: Unfortunately, the orientation programme was limited, because I went on exchange in Winter and Spring quarter. However, I lived in I-House, and was very warmly welcomed by all full-time students and exchange students that were already there. Therefore, it was ok not to have more orientation/welcome activities. Accommodation: I lived in I-House, which was the best decision of my life. It was incredibly valuable to me to develop, grow, and learn about myself, other cultures, other people’s lives and worldview, the world, my own life, etc., which would not have been possible living off-campus. A 24/7 interaction with international people is not only fun, but you create friendships all over the world, which gives you a worldwide network for the rest of your life. My attitudes were challenged all the time, which made me think about things I never thought about before. Also, it is way more easy to travel, go to activities together and have people around you when you want to. Being part of this community changed me, my worldview, my life. I am incredibly thankful for this, and want to underline that all of this cannot be expressed in money. I know it is expensive, but I would still fully recommend I- House for everyone who has this unique opportunity. It is an investment in yourself, and your future, both socially and academically. Leisure/culture: I travelled a lot with other international people from all over the world. We made trips through California, as well as surrounding states, Mexico and Canada. Suggestions/tips: Apply for I-House! You won’t regret! Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: I would fully recommend UCSD for exchange. The campus is right next to the beach, so if you like running you could easily do a beach run every morning. A lot of classes are offered, and the quality of the education is high. The weather is usually good (although we had some bad luck regarding weather) and there are a lot of things to do. It is very internationally oriented and everyone is welcome. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Try to hang out with as many international students as possible. Don’t stick with people from your own country, that will limit your experiences. Be open to everything and everyone, and you are going to have the best time of your life!
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Geosciences
Level: Bachelor
Name degree programme: Human Geography and Planning
Destination city & country Santa Barbara, United States of America
Name host institution University of California, Santa Barbara and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses
Departure date 01/01/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 01/07/2015
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Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The United States always seemed very attractive to me, a big country with lots of adventure, that was the country I wanted to study abroad. I was very motivated to get accepted by University of California, so I worked hard on improving my GPA and writing a motivation letter. The whole application took more time than I expected it to be, you have a lot of documents to get ready, so make sure you start well ahead of the deadlines! In addition to this if you’re looking for a health insurance to waive the way too expensive UCSB health insurance there is ISO, an insurance for international students. I got the UCSB insurance waived by taking this one. The costs are around 100 dollars per month. So around 300 dollars per quarter, UCSB insurance is 800 something dollars per quarter, so you can save a bunch of money! Counselling/support at home university: Ingrid, the adviser of the International Office is really helpful, If you cant figure something out by trying it yourself, don’t hesitate to ask her a question, she has a lot of experience with these type of exchanges. Academic preparation: I had already enough courses taken in Utrecht to be able to study abroad, also my GPA was on track. Language preparation: I already took several courses in English at UU, and I had to take the TOEFL test and pass it to be selected. This TOEFL test was easier for me than I thought it would be. Finances: My parents supported my exchange abroad, for all the trips and traveling I worked during the summer and the year and saved that money to do awesome trips to New York City and Hawaii for example. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): Since I already finished all the requirements for my bachelor Human Geography I was free to choose whatever upper division course I would like to take. I took courses in Geography and Political Science, in particular courses which would help me prepare and get in my Masters Degree. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The materials and the lectures are at the same level as the courses at home. The only difference is that the exams are easier abroad than here, they are usually quite straight forward and often you receive a study guide with the main subjects of the exam. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: The international Office at UCSB was very helpful if you had any questions, in addition to that I haven’t used any of the available resources on campus. Transfer of credits: I haven’t received my transcript yet, but I hope that everything will work out. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: The orientation itself is not very interesting, most things they will tell you are common knowledge, but it’s the best way to meet other exchange students. Most friends I have, I did met during that stupid introduction, so its definitely worth it! Accommodation: I lived in a private apartment complex Campus 880 in Isla Vista. I found this room through craiglist and I subleased it from another exchange student who lived here during fall quarter. It is nice to live in IV, it is basically a big IBB with a lot of students living, some little shops and cafees. The best way to get involved in the student life is by living in this neighbourhood. From what I’ve heard it’s a lot more fun than the dorms where mostly freshmen live. Leisure/culture: The beach is literally right around the corner! So for all your beachy adventures its there. Also the gym with a swimming pool, tennis courts and more is free to use, which is ideal! Also sign up for the Excursion Club. They seem to be a bit crazy but it’s the best way to go on cheap adventures through out whole California. In addition to this you can also travel by yourself and with friends! Your’re in the middle of California and by car/zimride or greyhound, you can get anywhere you want! Suggestions/tips: Meet new people! Contact with other Dutch people who go to the same campus as you do, try to meet people on the first day, but don’t shy away from meeting people in your classes, especially American friends are also nice to have, not only because they have a car, but also because they are happy to show you around in their wonderful country. Go on trips with Excursion, they are fun and are open to anyone, you can meet nice people through them. Go also on trips with your newly friends, California and the US is THE place to travel around! Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes! UCSB has a wonderful campus, weather and all other facilities. It’s a wonderful little place in the world between the beach and the mountains, you will see the best sunsets you’ve ever seen and the courses are interesting and up to the same standard as back home. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: As I said earlier, go traveling! I visited San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Yosemite, Seqouia, Death Valley, Las Vegas, New York City, Hawaii, Los Angeles and San Diego (and yet more to come) its wonderful and if you’re 21 and go with more people you can easiliy rent a car, apart from that traveling with zimride (a shared ride with other UCSB students) works out really well.
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange UU Study Abroad Report Form faculty/college Science Level X bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Physics destination city & country Santa Barbara, USA name host institution and/or University of California Santa Barbara company/organization purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 09 / 09 / 2014 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 13 / 01 / 2015
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. Preparation exchange/placement application process The application process went smoothly. I decided in August to study abroad, and in September I knew the university of California would be my first choice. Since then it was a matter of following the instructions on the website of the UU and writing a good motivation letter in order to be selected. I suggest to start in time preparing the documents, since some documents might take a couple of weeks. After I heard that I was selected for the university of California I could apply for the campuses. My top three was 1. Berkeley, 2.Santa Barbara, 3. Santa Cruz. After a long wait I heard I was selected for Santa Barbara. counselling/support at home university Most documents I had to fill in and things I had to arrange were straightforward. The few questions I had about the application process have been answered adequately and fast by the people in my department and by Ingrid Dijkstra. academic preparation I didn’t really need any academic preparation to go to UCSB. When I went abroad, I already was a fourth year student and I already got all the credits for my major. language preparation Part of the application process at the University of California is completing a language test. I decided to take the TOEFL test, which turned out to be pretty easy. Finances A combination of my savings, a contribution of my parents and the contribution of DUO made me able to afford my study abroad. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) Since Berkeley was my first choice I did different courses than I initially got approval for at my department. In the application process for UCSB I choose 4 courses of 4 units. In the end I signed up for 2 of those and 2 other courses. I strongly advice to subscribe for the courses you really want to do as soon as possible, since courses might get full. For the other courses it doesn’t really matter. There are a lot of people, who choose their other courses during the first weeks of the quarter. academic quality of education/placement activities
page 1 of 2 The undergraduate courses are all fairly easy, but there are a lot of courses to choose from. Since I had no major requirements anymore, I could choose freely from the wide variety of courses. counselling/support at host institution/organisation I didn’t really need counselling or support at UCSB, but The EAP officers gave me a very warm and welcome feeling, when I checked in. transfer of credits I didn’t transfer any credits yet, since it usually takes a couple of weeks before the transcript is sent to Utrecht University. I do not expect a lot of problems with transferring my credits, since everything will be part of my ‘profileringsruimte’. student life welcome/orientation programme An advantage of starting in September at UCSB is that there is a week of welcome, where a lot of student organizations present themselves. The orientation programme from the University was one day. I wouldn’t consider this programme very helpful, since I already knew most things they said. That being said I’m glad that they gave this orientation, since it is an easy way to meet other international students. Another part of the orientation at UCSB is following 2 online courses and an in-class workshop on alcohol, drugs and sexual harassment. Accommodation I subleased a room in Isla Vista from someone else who went abroad. In the apartment we were with 5 people in an apartment with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a spacious living room apartment. 3 of my roommates were American and there was one German guy who also came to UCSB for the fall quarter only. My roommates were really chill and I paid about 600USD per month. I got the room via a message in the exchange facebook group of UCSB. I’m really glad I got it early, since in my year there was a serious housing problem at UCSB. A lot of people were still looking for a room, when the quarter already started and a lot of people ended up not living in Isla Vista. leisure/culture There are a lot of organizations affiliated to UCSB that organize a lot of things. I definitely recommend to join the excursion club, which is basically an organization that organizes a lot of activities like camping hiking surfing kayaking etc. You can always use their camping and surfing gear whenever you need it and it only costs $30 for a quarter. In addition there is a international student organization, that organizes some drinks and trips. Furthermore you have as an UCSB student free access to the Recreational centre (i.e. a gym and some fields where you can play soccer or whatever you want to do.) suggestions/tips Start travelling around California as soon as possible. There are many places worth visiting in and around California. In addition I would recommend to try to meet other (international) students as early as possible, to go to some parties in IV and to join the excursion club. Conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Yes absolutely. I think studying abroad will always provide great experiences, and UCSB is a great university on a beautiful location. do you have any additional advice or comments?
page 2 of 2 UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Geesteswetenschappen
Level: bachelor
Name degree programme: Liberal Arts and Sciences
Destination city & country U.S.A., Santa Barbara
Name host institution UCSB and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses
Departure date 17/09/2014 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 14/01/2015
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing.
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The placement process was pretty long for me. Originally I wanted to go to London but the office didn’t have any contracts with universities there that could be used by me. As soon as I decided to go to the U.S. instead it all became a lot easier. The process for UC’s is long and it can be complicated at times but the international office at UU makes it as clear as possible. Counselling/support at home university: I had very good support from UU, all the information and help I needed before I left was clear and sufficient. Academic preparation: I went in my forth (extra) year so I didn’t really need any preparation to take undergrad classes. Language preparation: My bachelor’s program is in English so language preparation wasn’t necessary either. Finances: I was fortunate to get help from my parents. The UC exchange is not one that, in my experience, can be done on a small budget. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): I enrolled for a feminist studies class, a black studies class and a literature class. The enrolment didn’t go very smooth as exchange students enrol after the other students enrol and some classes were already full. What I love about UC’s however is they give you the opportunity to crash courses. That means you just go and sit in with the first lecture of a course and enrol if other’s drop the course. It is stressful to attend loads of lectures in your first week but I was able to take exactly those classes that matched my interest the most in this way! Academic quality of education/placement activities: In my experience the level of the courses at UCSB was a lot lower than at UU. I didn’t have to read any tough theory and it wasn’t expected from you to be as scholarly as is expected at UU. The course load however is a lot more. I read about 4 full books per 2 weeks, while at UU we work with articles more and I almost never have to read a book cover to cover in a week time. Keeping up was hard but it’s do-able. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: UCSB had loads (and I really means Loads) of counselling and support organisations. I was fortunate to not need this help but UCSB puts a lot of work into these organisations and they’re available to all students! Transfer of credits: Went very easy as I didn’t need the credits for my program. My program is an open program (i.e. I take courses in all faculty’s in NL too) and they also didn’t have to find out whether the courses were Dutch level 1,2 or 3 since I already had enough level 2 and 3 courses. Only thing that’s strange to me is my A-level grades are 8.5’s in NL which means you can’t score higher than 8.5 while abroad. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: Orientation was very lame in my opinion. It was very formal and IV-life/college-life in general allowed for the fun to have started way before the orientation happened haha. Accommodation: I lived in IV in an apartment with two other girls. I enjoyed staying in IV a lot. It’s expensive but it’s part of the UCSB experience. I had a hard time finding a place as I wanted a single room which isn’t common, but I found one! Leisure/culture: UCSB hosts a bunch of interesting events. From lectures by famous people (nobel price Malala is coming in a few weeks), to a fair amount of great sports events (soccer, basketball) and also theatre, movies and concerts. Party-life in IV is abundant and there’s a lot of sports you can get involved in such as surfing or hiking. You do not have to be bored one second (check out the pools in the rec cen if you like swiming) Suggestions/tips: - start looking for housing in time: use craigslist and the ucsb listings site - be open-minded about other cultures and customs but: - you’re still you also at the other side of the world. IV life was too intense for me at times and I’m very happy to have stayed true to what I want to do and what I don’t want to do. My American friends were definitely surprised about my values at times and would express this loudly but in the end they respected my opinions. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: YES!! UCSB is the perfect time away for Dutch students. The sun, the courses, the teachers (!), the student-life, it’s an experience for sure! I loved my time there and I still feel very connected to it which is a great feeling. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Only thing I have to add is when I applied many people said they didn’t recommend applying for UCLA, L.A. is commonly viewed as weird city (which it is) but I spent a lot of time at UCLA with a friend and it’s a top university for a reason. If you think you have a chance to get in-go for it. Also, if you are very used to living in cities UCLA might be a better fit as their campus is actually in LA and UCSB for instance is outside of SB (also SB is more like a village than a city lol). If like me you value going to museums and concerts etc. on the weekends a lot UCLA will be your perfect fit.
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: University of California Santa Cruz
Level: bachelor
Name degree programme: Film & Digital Media
Destination city & country Santa Cruz, CA, United States
Name host institution University of California Santa Cruz and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses
Departure date 22/09/2014 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 17/01/2015
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing.
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: I feel like that even while the application process seems like a lot of effort, it is all completely worth it. As soon as you hear you get accepted you’ll just have to make sure to keep an eye on the deadlines to hand in forms etc and it will all be fine. Counselling/support at home university: I did not use this a lot, but I do remember that we had a couple preparation meetings before the exchange, which were very helpful and fun. Also whenever I e-mailed Ingrid Dijkstra she always answered quick and with helpful information. Academic preparation: For me it was quite a hassle since I was doing an internship from 8 in the morning until 10 at during the four months before my exchange, so I did not have a lot of free time, but I think if you do have more time it is all very doable. Just make sure you know all the deadlines to sign up for courses etc and it will all be fine. It is very helpful to ask former students for help since some tasks seem very difficult and confusing from home, which can cause a lot of stress, while students that already have been on exchange can explain how it works (what for some things, like signing up for courses, can mean that you’ll have to trust that you can figure this out on the spot, and that a lot of stress beforehand is not necessary). For me it was difficult to sign up for Film courses, as I wanted beforehand, because I needed permission codes that I did not get. I e-mailed a lot with the contact person of the Film department of UCSC and she made me send a lot of course descriptions and an film essay I wrote during my studies, but all translated to English which made this a lot of work. Still I did not manage to get into the right courses before I left to California, but when I arrived I just talked to the teachers and turned up at meetings in the first week of courses and I got into all three courses I wanted to take! Language preparation: As a language preparation I did the TOEFL test, which was not that hard. It is wise to prepare and practice for a bit (at that point in my life I had not spoken English on a daily basis for a while), but in my experience the basic English, as most Dutch people know it, is enough to pass the test. Finances: I do not remember exactly the costs, but I do know studying in the US is more expensive than other places, since the housing is not cheap and you’ll have to pay for a visa. I did find the information about finances quite transparent on the website so it should be possible to find out about this beforehand. Also if you cannot wave the health insurance, this is quite a big cost. I was able to waive it though, due to help from former exchange students that explained me how to do it. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): I actually liked my courses at UCSC a lot more than my courses at home, since I got way more freedom to choose (partly because they just offer more courses) and I could take courses in subjects I was actually interested in. I took two upper-division courses: American Film and Documentary Film, and I also took one production course: Fundamentals of Film and Video Production. I was very happy, especially to follow the last course, since I did not have a lot of opportunities to take practical film courses at UU. If you have a lot of freedom in choosing (dependent on your current degree at UU, maybe not all the courses you’ll take during your exchange count for your current degree) you also have the freedom to choose other kind of courses. For example you can do volunteer work with homeless people instead of one course. I really wanted to do this, but unfortunately this overlapped with my production course so it was not possible for me. Academic quality of education/placement activities: I really liked the education at UCSC, since I could combine two upper-division theoretical courses with one practical production course. The theoretical courses did not seem harder than courses I took at UU, but overall they did seem like more work. The biggest difference is that you’ll have more deadlines and smaller assignments, instead of one or two big ones, like mostly the case for me at UU. The combination of two upper-division courses with a production course did end up to be quite a heavy one, compared to the other exchange students I had a lot more hours of class. Also some of my American classmates that had the same combination of courses told me that it was one of the heaviest quarters in workload they experienced so far in their studies. I did not mind it that much though and if I could choose again I would have done the same thing, but I did have to work quite a lot more than I normally did at home. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: As explained before, the counselling from home was quite a hassle, but as soon as I got to UCSC it turned out to be easier to arrange things than I was afraid of. The teachers were helpful and wanted to offer me places in their courses if these were still available (sometimes they do not know this beforehand either because it can depend on people turning up or not at the first class). Also the Program Coordinator of the UCSC Film department helped me by telling me which courses would fit me and were still available. Transfer of credits: This went easy for me, although I did not know what to expect to earn in ECTS before I did the exchange. I should have done more research in this. It turned out to be not much of a problem, since I only needed 15 ECTS and I ended up getting 6,5 ECTS per course, which made a total of 19,5 ECTS. I did expect to earn at least 7,5 ECTS per course during the exchange, since a fellow exchange student from UU, who did Economics, told me he would get 10 ECTS per course (since the normal workload during a quarter is three courses and the exchange is instead of one semester at UU, where you would earn 30 ECTS too). So I was actually quite surprised I got so few ECTS, since I figured that even if I would not pass one of my three courses it would still be fine but this ended up not to be true. Luckily I did pass all my courses so it was not a problem, but it is quite advisable to check how this transfer of credits works in your degree at UU beforehand since this can obviously really change per study. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: This was quite fun. We did have one and a half week before school started, which actually felt quite long since you do not know the people yet and do not really know what to do in the beginning. But we did some activities and especially if you live in the ILC you get to meet people in no time and it will all be fine. Accommodation: I lived in the ILC (International Living Centre), which was really a lot of fun. I chose to live on campus, partly because my exchange period was only for three months and it did not really seem to make sense to find off campus accommodation for that short of a time period. Also I thought it would be fun to experience what living on campus was like, and I really enjoyed it to live so close to all my friends. I did not really get the matching principal though (by applying for housing I had to answer a couple questions, so that they could match you with a roommate you would probably get along with well). I got placed with a quieter Korean girl, who was nice, but we did not have a lot in common and we did not hang out with each other. I did not hang out that much with the rest of my apartment either, it was a bit of a shame since a lot of my friends did have very fun apartments/rooms, but it did not matter that much since in the ILC everybody is living in one minute walking distance anyways. It is good to mention that we did also hang out with off campus people. They seemed to make their own crew for a bit too, but they came join us at campus and we hung out with them downtown as well. Maybe if I stayed for a longer period of time I would have tried to switch to live off campus after the first quarter because it takes half an hour to come into town if you live on campus. This is really difficult though, and I did really enjoy my time on campus, which especially makes it so easy to make friends in the beginning of the quarter. Leisure/culture: There were always fun things to do. Santa Cruz as a town is not that big but I really liked it and since you’re studying as well you’re not going to explore town all the time anyways and there is a lot of things to do on campus as well since it is so big. For example we went hiking to some hidden waterfalls, while still being on campus. I also went to the beach quite a lot, mostly in the beginning of the quarter. Also I took surf classes (organised by UCSC) and I did a lot of trips in the weekends. Some of these were organised by UCSC (Yosemite), but most just by groups of friends from the ILC (San Francisco and Los Angeles). Suggestions/tips: It is important to realise beforehand that most of the exchange students from other countries stay for the whole year. When I was at UCSC only the first out of three quarters it felt very short and it was very difficult for me to say goodbye to all my friends that were going to stay for two more quarters without me. While I was there only the Dutch people and a couple others did not stay for the whole year, if I would have known this in advance I would definitely have thought of extending the stay for at least one more quarter, but when I got at UCSC and only found out there, it was too late for me since I already planned out the rest of the year. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes, I loved it. I had so much fun and the courses I took were really good too. Living in the ILC felt like living with a new temporary family and Santa Cruz is chilled out and a lot of fun. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: UCSC has the most beautiful campus in the middle of the redwoods and Santa Cruz is a beach town, which I found a really awesome combination. Also I heard that the experience I had, were quite everybody living in the ILC were friends, which made it feel like a big family, was different at UCSC compared to other schools, so I was really happy to be placed here since the people made my experience.
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Social Sciences
Level: bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Psychology
Destination city & country Santa Cruz, United States of America
Name host institution University of California Santa Cruz and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other
Departure date 4/9/2014 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 17/1/2015
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing.
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The Exchange/placement application process was rather long but it all turned out well in the end. As I noticed later, almost all the tardiness was due to the incredibly slow UCSC system. Counselling/support at home university: This was really good for as far as it was present. We only had 2 meetings but they were very helpful. Academic preparation: There was not really any academic preparation before departing to the US since I didn’t know which courses I was going to enrol in. Language preparation: I was sufficiently adequate in the language prior departing; I only studied a bit for the required TOEFL test. Finances: I had a part-time job for half a year prior to the exchange and I took a government (DUO) loan in order to pay the rest. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): My study program was rather full but really good. The amount class hours is higher, although not that much, than at my own major here, but the amount of work is much higher. That took some organisational flexibility. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The academic quality of education at UCSC was really high, at least in the courses I took. The interdisciplinary focus of my courses (which were quite interdisciplinary I must add) and the broad, comprehensive coverage of the subjects was good. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: This was good, whenever I really needed something I could always go to someone. Transfer of credits: The transfer of credits went well, although the transferred credits were rather low compared to the ones I received at UCSC. This has to do with the systems being different. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: This was great, we had a really nice week of all kinds of activities with fellow EAP students and later one for just freshies. Accommodation: However extremely expensive, it was amazingly situated, in the middle of a redwood forest, and it had good facilities. Leisure/culture: The sports facilities at the campus were amazing and free as a student. That was great. Culture was quite nice downtown as well. Suggestions/tips: Paying fees to UCSC did not always go as well as it should or could have. There might be some more information about this prior, especially regarding international payments and UCSC being extremely late and something charging you for stuff even though you’ve been gone for months. Which is rather unfortunate to take care of from the other side of the world. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: I would highly recommend UCSC to anyone, just make sure you have enough money. It was absolutely amazing. California is a beautiful place with so much to do (in so little time). If possible, I’d go on an exchange for a year. Due to the quarter system at UCSC, one quarter can be really short since its only 10 weeks. If going for a quarter like I did, I would recommend the fall or the spring quarter, but fall is best. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Make sure you use the grace period of 30 days before and after your visa. You will need it to see the golden state.
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Utrecht School of Economics
Level: bachelor
Name degree programme: Economics and Business Economics
Destination city & country Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
Name host institution University of California: Santa Cruz and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange study/courses
Departure date 12-09-2014 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 31-03-2015
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing.
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The application process was the worst part of the whole exchange. Mostly because everything was ‘new’, there were a lot of strict deadlines and it was until a couple of months before departure that the application was fully approved. BUT, keep in mind: it is definitely worth it! And this is the part you directly forget about once you’re abroad. Make sure you just read all the details and write down the deadlines, make all the information understandable for yourself. Don’t worry too much, just make sure you have all your documents ready and keep with all the boring stuff your goal in mind: most awesome period of your life. Counselling/support at home university: Ingrid Dijkstra helped me a lot. Because of her knowledge and experience she’s the person that can answer all your questions, can make you feel comfortable and is always willing to help. Furthermore, I didn’t have any support from my home university. Selecting courses etc. was just my own responsibility. A suggestion would be to talk with your academic advisor to make sure that you have enough ECTS to eventually graduate and that the selected courses are transcribed for the right level (check with board of examiners). Academic preparation: I just had to make sure that two of my courses abroad were at level 3 and were ‘major-related electives’. Furthermore, doing research about the courses of the university before eventually selecting these. However, eventually, in the first week of being at the University of SC, I dropped two of the three courses and decided to take two others, of which I heard were more interesting etc. You should use www.ratemyprofessor.com to see evaluations of the different courses and professors. This was really helpful to me. Language preparation: With the textbooks and some assignments in English, I was not concerned with my writing and reading skills. However, speaking in English was not something I did often. In generally, Dutch people are quite good in English compared to e.g. French exchange students. In the end, you shouldn’t worry too much about this because once you are abroad, you HAVE TO speak English, which is the best way to learn. In the first weeks I felt it was a bit hard to make myself truly comprehensible but after just a few weeks, I didn’t had any problems. Also, professors generally do take into account that you are a foreigner and don’t take grammar mistakes too serious. Finances: This was a thing. Studying abroad in California is expensive, especially the housing. I only had the summer to work around 24 hours a week, which helped me to save some money. I also participated in a health research in the hospital in Groningen, for which I earned quite a lot of money. In addition, made friends with DUO and received €500,- a month from September on. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): Really well organized, sometimes a bit ‘too much’ (Americans). There are a lot of academic advisors available for you, that can help you with all your questions. The enrolment for courses is something you should be aware of. However, all my selected courses were FULL but I just went to the professor, told them that I came from the Netherlands to study here and then received a permission code. Using a new system (MyUCSC) was confusing in the beginning, but was not something I used a lot. Also, there are a lot of exchange students that face the same issues etc. and there are American students that are willing to help you with this. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The level of education was definitely not higher than the level back home at USE. However, it depends highly on the course that you take, the professor, the assessment method etc. You can use ratemyprofessor.com to check the level of the courses. Although the level was a bit lower, the intensity was a bit higher in the sense that you have to do a bit more work during the weeks instead of only a few days in the library before the exam. There are also more methods of assessment, such as midterms, research projects, presentations etc. The courses were also way more interactive and relevant, which was really nice. The professors used a lot of actual real-life examples, case studies and also the collaboration amongst students with each other was way better than my experience with USE students. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: Great, again, a lot of resources, advisors, etc. available for you. You only have to find the right person for the right question (regarding housing, health, academic, etc.) Transfer of credits: I didn’t have any problems with the transfer of credits. Just make sure that the Board of Examiners approves the courses you are planning to take. I received 10ECTS for every course of 5units. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: This was a great opportunity to meet other (foreign) exchange students, share experiences, do activities together and receive information about the housing/studying etc. Because all exchange students are ‘on the same boat’, it was really helpful to meet each other at the start of this whole new experience. The activities organized by the host university were a bit boring though, it was just fun to go with all the other exchange students and get to know the campus (which is extremely beautiful and huge). Accommodation: The campus of UCSC is one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen. Mostly because it is a big forest, with squirrels, deers and racoons everywhere, on a mountain with a beautiful view on the ocean. Also, the facilities to do sports, play tennis, swim, go for a run, go to the gym, etc. were amazing. The dining halls were also quite a new and rare experience, fun in the first two weeks but thereafter not really my thing. Then, the apartments at the ILC, where I lived, were renovated recently, which made that they were clean and quite spacious. Leisure/culture: Go surfing!! Santa Cruz is a surf town with one of the best places to learn how to surf. Just buy a longboard at the Costco if you’re a beginner, make some friend that live near the ocean and buy a bike to easily get there ;) Also, the forest and hills at the campus are perfect for mountain biking. Downtown of SC is not so special, quite a lot of junks and not a lot of nice places to go out.
During my period of studying abroad, I’ve done a LOT of (road)trips. I listed some that you definitely can’t miss!
- Big sur - Whale watching in Monterey - Las Vegas - Yosemite - UCSCB - San Francisco - San Diego - Football game of Berkeley (Golden Bears) Suggestions/tips: - Be proactive in making friends, organizing trips, enrolling in surfing classes etc. - Enjoy from the first moment on, days and weeks and months will go by (too) fast - In the first week abroad, get an American bank card, which is free and will save you some money - AT&T is the best provider on campus, you can easily take a sim-only which is really helpful for making friends, keeping posted about things that are going on etc. - Go skydiving in Hollister, which is only around $90 - Go whalewatching in Monterey, which is only around $30 - Don’t be shy or modest in speaking English, just speak and you’ll improve fast - Take a 55-day meal plan; a lot of days/weekends you’re not on campus, which makes that you pay twice for your meals, also: the dining hall is a nice and new experience but after two months it will get quite annoying to eat there everytime. Cooking with housemates and friends is nice to have some social time etc. - Take a ‘stekkerdoos’ with you, which gives your multiple charging options - ENJOY Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Definitely. UCSC was not my first choice but I did have the best time of my life. The campus is really unique, SC is a really good place to (learn how to) surf, you’re near SF, Yosemite and Big Sur and the education is quite good. People were in my opinion a bit ‘weird’, SC is quite a hippie town but at the same time, this makes UCSC as well as the group of exchange students more a community. This really helps making (good) friends! Do you have any additional advice or comments?: I made quite a couple of GoPro videos of some roadtrips, the campus and the surfing. One of these has some footage of the Campus and Steamers Lane from the air (with a Drone), which is really cool: https://vimeo.com/124740988.
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange UU Study Abroad Report Form
Faculty/college: Betawetenschappen
Level: x bachelor master PhD other
Name degree programme: Biology
Destination city & country Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Name host institution University of Santa Cruz, University of California and/or company/organisation
Purpose of exchange x study/courses work placement field work x other: internship Departure date 19-12-2014 (dd/mm/yyyy)
Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 16-04-2015
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing.
Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The application process for the University of California in general is quite elaborate and therefore time-consuming. There were several moments in which documents had to be handed in and the wait time between these was quite long. I applied December 2013 and only in July 2014 I heard that my application for the University of California was accepted. However, only 1,5 months before my departure in December I got to know that I was placed at UCSC (this had also to do with the fact that I was only coming for the Winter Quarter). I had to do a lot of last minute work (housing, flights, visa etc) which made those last months rather stressful. But don’t worry, it will all turn out right! Counselling/support at home university: I am very grateful for the help that I received from the International Office. I had to get some extra things organised because I was only staying for Winter Quarter, and I received a lot of help with that. The pre-departure meeting was also very useful. Academic preparation: For the application I had to fill out a study plan. I did this with the course manual that was available from Winter 2014 (There was no manual for 2015 yet). This was quite some work, but was is also fun to see the diversity of courses that UCSC has on offer. When I knew that I was accepted to UCSC I could enrol in courses. For some courses I had to list prerequisites (courses that I had already taken at the UU). This is also some extra work but in my case it was definitely worth it, as I was able to take courses that have my interest but are not on offer here. Language preparation: I took a CAE exam in high school and the results from that test were still valid to use for my application. Finances: I had to make a financial plan for my application and submit proof that I had enough funds for this. I went to my bank to get a proof of sufficient funds. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): In Santa Cruz, the enrolment period remains open three weeks after the classes have started. It is thus still possible to switch and try out classes in the first couple of weeks. You can ask instructors for permission codes. I took one Biology course, a course from Environmental Studies and I did an internship at a natural park (organised through the environmental studies faculty). Academic quality of education/placement activities: I think that the level of education was quite comparable to that at the UU. However, the way of teaching is quite different; there is much more interaction during the lectures and I feel that the teachers were somewhat more approachable than here. The placement for most courses is not difficult (although it might be a bit chaotic in the first coupe of weeks to get all your courses together) Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: I received a lot of help/support because I had quite some questions about my enrolment. For example, for my internship I was too late with applying, but the internship coordinator made an exception for me and helped me get in contact with Natural Bridges State Park. Also, there was an academic information meeting for exchange students and we were all assigned an academic advisor. Transfer of credits: I received a transcript of grades and I will take this to the Biology Exam board to get my grades transferred. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: As I arrived in Winter, there was no introduction programme. I know that there is one for students arriving in Fall. In my case though, I could move into my apartment Sunday evening and had to start classes on Monday morning so I didn’t really have the time to get used to my new environment. Accommodation: There are several housing options. You will be affiliated with one of the 10 colleges. I was affiliated with college 9, because the international living center is part of college 9 and 10. I lived in a single room in an apartment, but it is also possible to choose for a double or triple room in the ILC which is slightly cheaper. Leisure/culture: There is a lot to do in Santa Cruz! Santa Cruz has the so-called ‘office of physical education, recreation and sports’ which is responsible for a wide range of activities. For example, I went whale-watching, sailing, surfing and even mushroom foraging. They organise backpacking trips and survival courses too. Also, I enrolled in a yoga class. It is possible to try different sports classes; the offer is huge compared to that of Olympos! Santa Cruz is a nice town. All the people are quite outdoorsy and it is impossible to meet somebody who doesn’t like surfing or hiking in the natural parks in the surroundings. Suggestions/tips: Explore as much as you can! The campus itself is already beautiful. It is right next to a natural reserve called Pogonip and there are a lot of hidden trails over campus. Spent a day just getting lost on campus and spot banana slugs and deer! Also, it is a must to take a surfing lesson Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Absolutely. I had a great time at Santa Cruz. The campus is beautiful, the diversity of classes and recreational activities is amazing and everybody I met was very friendly and willing to help me with any questions I had. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Do not worry too much about the application process! It seems very long and there are indeed a lot of things to organise, but it is all worth it once you are there.
Contact details Student Services / International Office Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 6, Utrecht +31-(0)30-253 7000 [email protected] (information) / [email protected] (report) www.uu.nl/students/exchange UU Study Abroad Report Form faculty/college University College Roosevelt level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Honours degree in liberal arts and sciences (Social Science) destination city & country Los Angeles, USA name host institution and/or University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) company/organization purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 05/ 09 / 2013 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 20 / 12 / 2013
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process Through the University of California Education Abroad Programme I applied for three universities in California. Luckily I got placed at my destination of first choice. counselling/support at home university optimal, as the application process was explained in detail. The exchange officer at my college assisted in preparing the paperwork for the Utrecht University selection round. academic preparation Seemed unnecessary. In the US its common to switch courses and enrol in as many classes as possible, and then drop the least interesting ones. Therefore I did not really know what my course programme would like like up until the start of the quarter. language preparation not needed Finances Utrecht university requires you, as part of the application process, to submit a financial plan. Those estimates proved to be accurate. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) Although the classes are bigger then the University college style approach, any student coming directly from the UU would find the transition easy. academic quality of education/placement activities UCLA has a great reputation both in the US and the world at large, the quality of the courses I took was high. My programme consisted of courses in the field of logic, political science and development economics counselling/support at host institution/organisation I’m sure they provide excellent counselling services but I was not in need of counselling during my one quarter there. transfer of credits UCLA uses curve grading in some of the courses, which Utrecht University did not take into account in the credit
page 1 of 2 transfer. A grade letter B does not translate into a B back home in terms of actual grade and GPA points. Take this into account when deciding wether to go on exchange or not. student life welcome/orientation programme Good, all EAP students have a collective introduction session. Accommodation The rooms are small and you will most likely end uphaving one or two roommates (on campus), but I’d say its part of the college experience. leisure/culture It’s LA, you’ll find something to do suggestions/tips As UCLA uses a quarter system there is a lot that needs to get done in a short period of time. This can make it hard to combine any travel plans with the spare time you have during week-ends. Arriving earlier or staying later is probaply better then sacrificing studyhours for short trips. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Yes. UCLA has a great reputation and would make a great addition to your UU transcript do you have any additional advice or comments? A bit obvious but anyway: stay in touch with the people you meet, I’ve planned to meet up with several friends that happen to be in Europe over summer.
Contact details:
Student Services / International Office Postal address: P.O. Box 80125, NL-3508 TC Utrecht Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 8, Utrecht T: +31-(0)30-253 7000 F: +31-(0)30-253 2627 E: [email protected] (information) [email protected] (report) I: www.uu.nl/students/exchange
page 2 of 2 UU Study Abroad Report Form faculty/college Humanities level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme History destination city & country Irvine, California, United States name host institution and/or University of California, Irvine (UCI) company/organization purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 18 / 09 / 2013 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 09 / 01 / 2014
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process Although I remember the application process as extensive, it is definitely doable if you start to prepare well in time. For every step of the process, there are clear instructions so even though there is some work to be done, you’ll know what is expected from you. counselling/support at home university The support I got from the International Office at the UU was very helpful, whenever I had questions there was someone to answer them for me. academic preparation The academic preparation I had to undertake wasn’t that big of a deal, all I had to do was get permission from the examination board to prolong my bachelor’s and do the extra courses abroad. language preparation I did the TOEFL test well in advance and didn’t have much trouble with it. I prepared for it by taking one of the online tests they offered and got a good score, so I decided not to prepare in any other way. finances Luckily I had saved a lot of money myself, because even though I was only in the US for a short period of time, it was very expensive. But that is probably also because I did a lot of travelling. Furthermore, the amount of rent I had to pay in Irvine was very high compared to my rent here, and I was on the cheap side of the spectrum compared to the other students. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) I did have to make a study plan, but it was more of a concept than an outlined plan and it wasn’t very hard to get permission for it to be honest. When I was in Irvine, I decided to drop out of one of my classes, to have more time to really enjoy the experience of studying abroad but that wasn’t a problem as I still earned enough grade points. academic quality of education/placement activities While the workload was very high, the quality of some of the courses wasn’t that great. Some of the courses reminded me of stuff I did in high school, and it wasn’t very hard to get good grades. However, some of the courses were very interesting and I thought the quality of the teachers was on average higher than in the Netherlands.
page 1 of 2 counselling/support at host institution/organisation In Irvine, I also always had someone to contact when I had questions so that was very nice. transfer of credits I was a bit late with transferring credits, as I forgot to pay a bill for my zotaccount at UCI and they refused to send my transcripts because of that, so I am not sure what the outcome of this will be yet. student life welcome/orientation programme The welcome or orientation programme wasn’t very extensive or elaborate and unfortunately not that exciting either. I kind of had to get used to not having orientation activities that involved alcohol and I don’t think they did a good job at finding good alternatives to really get to know you’re fellow students a bit better. We basically had to organize a lot on our own. Accommodation Although the rent was high, the accommodation was pretty cool as there was a pool and a hot tub. I stayed at Visto del Campo Norte, which I would recommend if you’re willing to spend some money on rent in order to stay in an apartment that is close to campus and to other students. leisure/culture Unfortunately, It is very hard to do things in Irvine if you don’t have a car. So you need to make friends with a car soon, and go out on trips to adventure parks, the mall, and cool cities like LA and San Diego nearby. suggestions/tips Use the weekend or any other spare time you have to travel, travel and travel more, preferably with the new friends you’ve made of course. There is so much to see in California and the rest of the US, besides it’s nice to see how different the culture is in different parts of the country. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain I would, but more because of the location within the area (close to LA, San Diego, Santa Barbara, national parks and Disneyland!) than because of the city itself, because to be honest, there is not that much to do in Irvine when you are an international student without a car. If you stay there for a longer period of time you could always decide to join a club and go on trips with them. do you have any additional advice or comments? If you go to Irvine, it is very convenient if you have a driver’s license and are able to rent a car. Being 21 is also nice, but even if you are, you’ll have to make friends that are also 21 and over in order to experience bar’s and clubs with them. Furthermore, try to keep up with facebook pages for exchange and international students so you don’t miss out on things that are organised by other people.
Contact details:
Student Services / International Office Postal address: P.O. Box 80125, NL-3508 TC Utrecht Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 8, Utrecht T: +31-(0)30-253 7000 F: +31-(0)30-253 2627 E: [email protected] (information) [email protected] (report) I: www.uu.nl/students/exchange
page 2 of 2 UU Study Abroad Report Form faculty/college Social Sciences level x bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
destination city & country Davis, California, The United States of America name host institution and/or University of California Davis company/organization purpose of exchange x study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 10 / 09 / 2013 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 10 / 01 / 2014
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process The placement application process for UC Davis was a lot of work, but it wasn’t hard and it was totally worth it. I had always wanted to go to the US for an exchange. I quickly submitted when I saw that California was a possibility: I spent a vacation on the east side two years ago and was curious about the west side. I vistited the ‘ study abroad meetings organised by the Universiteit Utrecht, but I could find most information on UU’s international office website and the website for the exchange to california’s universities (http://eap.ucop.edu/ReciprocalExchanges/Pages/default.aspx). One of the first things I had to do was to submit a study plan and a top three of universities in Cali. The study plan contained courses I could follow of the first university on my list, but these weren’t binding, and I don’t think I followed any courses I originally filled in on the study plan. UC Davis was first on my list, because I thought the university provided a good combination of education and leisure activities. I had never heard of the place, but it was just an hour and a half drive from San Fracisco. Most students apply for UCLA or Berkely, and I thought this was a really underrated university. Apart from the study plan, I had to submit a motivational letter, a financial plan and my CV. I didn’t have a letter of recommendation. After my study plan got accepted, the rest of the application process followed itself. I had to get a Visa, select courses and fill out a lot of forms. These instructions were all online, or provided by email or the meeting organised by the international office. counselling/support at home university I received good counselling from Ingrid Dijkstra from the international office. She was the contact person at UU for the exchange programmes to North America. She organised a couple of meetings with fellow exchange students. I send her a couple of questions by mail and always got a quick response. It was also no problem to make an appointment to ask some questions in person. She gave me suggestions (for example on choosing courses) but the application process was a little bit different for every university, so most things I had to figure out myself. academic preparation I think an average grade of 7.5 was required to submit for an exchange in the US. My bachelor, interdisciplinary social sciences is a combination of all social science disciplines. This bachelor programme wasn’t available in Davis, so I had to subscribe to a different major. I choose sociology, because this is closest to interdisciplinary
page 1 of 5 social sciences, and I had to do some extra test if I wanted to subscribe to psychology. However, I didn’t choose courses just in sociology. So I will describe my process of choosing courses only for the university of Davis, I don’t know how this process goes for different universities, although I suspect it is similar. UC Davis has a lot of courses, far more than Universiteit Utrecht. Because this was my ‘ free space’ (profileringsruimte) I could choose any course I wanted, provided that I met the course requirements. The requirements were stated in the ‘ course catalog,’ as well as a summary of the course and the amount of points received for completing it. Two things here considering picking courses: the added amount of units rewarded for courses had to be 12 or more. The average credit was 4 per course. This meant choosing three or four courses per quarter (I picked 3, but my roommate picked 4, more than 4 is really too much). Second, for every major, there are lower division (courses marked 1 – 100) and upper division courses (100 and above). The higher division courses are more challenging, but also more suited for somebody in their second or third year. Lower division courses are really introducitionary, and more suited for first year students. I suggest picking higher division courses, which you will also get more points for from UU. As I said, I didn’t follow any of the courses I initially filled in in the study form. These are not binding, and mostly for UU purposes (although you can follow them of course). You have to register for courses officially in certain ‘ time slots.’ The times of these slots will be mailed to you by UC Davis, and international students often are the first students able to choose courses. Although the time slots are long, a couple of weeks I remember (I even changed courses just 2 weeks before they began) it is important to look which courses you are interested in and how the process of registering works. You will get so much information that by the time the timeslots open, you are not certain how to register. I eventually registered for 3 upper division course, one in Sociology, African American studies and American Studies. language preparation I had to pass a TOEFL English exam, which existed of speaking, writing, hearing and reading, and lasted at least 2 hours (or longer, I can’ t remember). The test wasn’t difficult, especially for Dutch students who often have a proper background in the English language. I didn’t really prepare for it, but there are a lot of exercises or test examples online. The test was also expensive! finances I saved a lot for the exchange. How much you spend all depends on what you do: I decided to travel for almost a month after the quarter, so I had quite a lot of expenses. Of course there are the common expenses like plane ticket, apartment rent, food, books etc. California is also a pretty expensive region, especially for food and stuff. The EAP website lists the average living costs for UC Davis: $5000 for one quarter. I had to show a bank transcript as confirmation that I had that amount of money. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) I followed three courses and had classes six times a week. Two classes per week, per course. A class lasted about two hours. I had more contact hours at UC Davis than I have at UU. I had heard some people say that the level of education was lower at American Universities than at Dutch universities, or that the workload was lighter. I found that the workload, with three classes, was about the same as at UU, if not more. For every course we had to a lot of reading (papers and books) and writing (in common papers, but as well in the form of blogs). However, although the workload may look heavy in the beginning, it is very doable, and I still had a lot of spare time for leisure activities. Keep up with the reading is the most important tip I can give. Just make sure you have enough time to keep up with the literature (and make sure you really
page 2 of 5 understand the topics) and you will be fine. academic quality of education/placement activities I was really impressed with the quality of the education at UC Davis. Classes were very different from those at UU. The biggest class I had consisted of max 30 students. Classes weren’t just lectures where a teacher told a story and students listened like zombies. Instead, all classes were very interactive, with students asking a lot of questions. Class was more a discussion than a lecture. Part of my grade was based on participation, so I had to join these discussion. Although students could be ‘active participants’ in many ways (see: attend office hours) it was expected of them to join the discussion. As an international student, I found that other students were very interested and wanted to compare the social situations to those in the Netherlands. I learned a lot during these discussions, with students relating a lot of the subjects to their own experiences. The teachers were very interesting as well. They told a lot about themselves, which they always related to the topics discussed in class. They clearly knew a lot about their area of study. Tests weren’t very difficult. They mostly consisted of topics discussed during class, and weren’t filled with detail questions or trick questions. I actually liked studying for class meetings, because the subjects were very interesting and the teachers very enthusiastic. Of course, I can’t say this for all classes or teachers, as I followed just three. But the courses I took at UC Davis were definitely some of the best courses I have ever taken. counselling/support at host institution/organisation Teachers at UC Davis were really enthusiastic, and really made an effort to make sure you understand the subjects. I had heard this before about American teachers. I could mail them and almost always got a quick response. All teachers also had office hours, were you can just walk in and ask questions. These were fun and informal, as one time the office hours weren’t in an office, but in a local bar. Contact with the international office at Davis was good as well. However, After the orientation programme I barely had contact with them. I mailed them, and they responded quickly. I didn’t have a lot of questions, because most of the information was provided online or via email. transfer of credits Some time after I returned to the Netherlands, I received an official transcript containing the UC units I earned for the courses. I had to deliver this to the international office, where the board of examiners (examencommissie) decided how much UU ‘study points’ I would receive for the units. I think I received 25 study points for the three courses (8, 8 and 9). Important tip: for the three courses I received 25 units, in a time span of two UU ‘blocks’ where I could have followed 4 UU courses for 30 study points (average 7.5 per uu course). I only knew how many points I would get after my exchange. If the points are important to you, contact your board of examiners before the exchange, and let them know which courses you want to take. If I took 4 courses I would have received more than 30 points of course. The points weren’t important to me, as I wanted to take on a 4th year of bachelor anyway. But keep this in mind. student life welcome/orientation programme The orientation programme wasn’t anything special, other than it is the first time you get to meet the other international students! Some of the orientation program consisted of information I already knew about, such as visa information. But the people were really friendly and wanted to answer all questions. The official orientation lasted for a day, but there were programmes, such as a BBQ, during the week. It was a good time to get in touch with other international students. Making friends is not that hard, everybody is in the same situation and probably doesn’t know anybody accommodation
page 3 of 5 At UC Davis, it was very rare and uncommon for students other than freshman staying at the dorms on campus. However, the university has a list of living recommendations for international students. Davis (the town) is filled with apartment complexes where mostly students live. These apartments differ in size and price. I lived at Glacier Point, which was recommended by UC Davis. Because of this, a lot of other international students also stayed there. I shared an apartment with two other international students (one was Japanese and the other Dutch!). It had a very big living room and three relatively small bedrooms, but they were big enough. Rent was $650 per month. The apartment had furniture, a fridge, a washing machine and a laundry, but that was it! We had to but everything else, from dining equipment to pillows to a TV (which we didn’t buy). That was a surprise. The apartment complex had a swimming pool and a small gym. Ashley, the manager, was really nice and helpful. I had email contact with her about the apartment, and everything went smoothly. leisure/culture Davis is a relatively small town, but mostly students live there. You can compare it with Wageningen: both universities also started as agriculture universities. Although the town was small, there were plenty of leisure activities. There were student clubs for every sport, outdoor activities or hobbies (for example gaming or fantasy). Student life was very active. All these clubs organised an activity at least once a week. However, You have to search out these clubs and activities yourself. On first sight, Davis might seem a bit boring. But it is really what you make of it, I never found myself feeling bored. You should really attend the American Football games in the Aggie stadium. The ‘aggies’ play once a week, beginning in October if I recall correctly. There are also plenty of bars in Davis. Tip: you should really re-consider an exchange to the US if you are not 21 and you are into drinking/going to bars. I was 20 when I arrived in Davis, but celebrated my 21th birthday there in November. Although I’m certainly not somebody that parties every weekend, I do like to have a drink occasionally. It’s really frustrating that time I was 20: you can’t enter any bar or order any alcoholic drink! You have to show your ID everywhere. At the supermarket, the entrance and at the bar. They are really strict! The only time I could drink was when somebody else bought the booze and we drank it at home. Davis is a two hour drive from San Francisco or you can take the train. You definitely have to go to there! There are plenty of student trips organised to San Francisco, or you can go there for a weekend with your friends. 20 minutes from Davis lies Sacramento. It has a professional basketball team: the sacramento kings. You should definitely go to a game! suggestions/tips All tips and suggestions are stated throughout the text! conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain I would definitely recommend Davis to other students considering an exchange to California. Although it is a cliché, it was one of the best experiences of my life. Davis is an underrated university. For me it was the perfect combination of education and activities. The campus is beautiful, and everybody travels by bike! I think I have said most things already throughout this text. do you have any additional advice or comments? Once you submit to an exchange you will receive a lot of information at once, regarding a visa, looking for accommodation, registering for courses etc. You have to sit down for an afternoon and organise all this information. Do it however you feel like is efficient, but make sure you can easily find the information you are looking for. For example: I made several maps for e-mails and letters, but also a ‘source document’ containing links to websites that were helpful. Buy a Bike! Davis is the ‘biking capital’ of California. Of course, if you’re Dutch you could probably ride a bike before you could walk. But there are bike roads everywhere, and busses do not ride often.
page 4 of 5 UU Study Abroad Report Form
Every UU student going abroad is expected to submit a report, as stated in the conditions of the UU Study Abroad Contract. Please send it as an e-mail attachment to [email protected]. Please state your destination country (e.g. Costa Rica) as subject. The deadline to return this report is July 1, 2013, even if you are still abroad at that time!
Your report will be made available to UU students preparing an exchange, placement or research period abroad. We will take out your name and student number. Not all of them are Dutch-speaking, therefore we prefer to receive reports written in English.
Thank you in advance!
Please use Tab to go to the next (text) box. faculty/college Humanities level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Taal en Cultuurstudies
destination city & country Santa Barbara, California, USA name host institution and/or University of California, Santa Barbara company/organization purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 28 / 12 / 2012 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 12 / 07 / 2013
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process This part of the exchange was by far the worst part of the whole process. I had to start preparing a long time before the actual start of the exchange, causing a lot of waiting time and even more forms to fill in for different reasons. In the end I can say, like everyone else I think, this was definitely worth it. After the early application date in December, the waiting process start in which various forms need to be filled in. counselling/support at home university Utrecht University did probably everything they could to make the application process as easy as possible. But because there are so many things to do, it is almost impossible to not have questions about all the forms etc. Ingrid Dijkstra was always available for questions about the application process, which could be helpful and comforting. After being accepted and actually sent abroad, I did not hear anything about Utrecht University. I did not have questions myself but they would probably have been available for help. academic preparation When I decided to apply my grade in Holland was only a 6.8 which meant that I had to get it up to a 7 before applying. Also after applying they stressed the fact that your grade needs to be as high as a 7. This was basically all the preparation I did in an academic way. language preparation After I got the news of being accepted by the UU I decided to do the TOEFL test to get accepted by UC. This test was expensive, but fairly easy in my opinion. I had most of my courses at UU in English before I went abroad, which made it relatively easy. Do not stress about this too much, since it is not worth it having to do to this test more than once.
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finances Preparing finances was relative hard to do since I had no idea how expensive life was going to be in California. In the end I believe that living is about the same as it is to live in Utrecht in a student house. Living in private housing is fairly cheaper than the university owned residence halls or apartments, saving me hundreds of dollars over six months. If you keep track of the estimates they provide on the University website you are absolutely fine to live comfortably for the period of time you're abroad. Preparing everything was most work, but when done carefully and in time, you will not have to worry about these things when you're abroad! study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) For me, as a Taal en Cultuurstudies student (Liberal Arts & Sciences), it was hard to actually find good classes to fit in my program back home. My major in Holland is Political History & International Relations, therefore I applied for the Political Science major at UCSB. In the end I ended up not doing one single course in this particular major, which is not a problem at all. You can apply for different classes and I don't think I did any class which was in my work plan. I ended up doing mostly sociology and history classes which added up well to my program at home.t academic quality of education/placement activities To be honest, the academic quality disappointed me at UCSB. I only did upper division classes which are designed for third and fourth year students. Because of big classrooms, classes become general and impersonal very easily. This means that individual initiative is necessary to get detailed explanations from professors or teaching assistants, who do most of the work in the classes. counselling/support at host institution/organisation At UCSB there was an office or institution for every single kind of problem you might have, from health problems to academic difficulties. So when you need assistance or help, it is very accessible. I personally did not really use these various institutions besides the obligatory introductions in the beginning of the quarter. transfer of credits I am still abroad now writing this report, meaning that I have not a single idea of how many credits I am going to receive for my work abroad. Hopefully I can fit my classes into my programme back home, since I tried to choose classes with the same kind of focus as back home. student life welcome/orientation programme The mandatory introduction programme was pretty useless, telling us about how to enroll in classes which we already did long before we were sitting in that classroom. It was however very easy to meet international students there and during the first few weeks of studying. I did not meet that many people in my classes, but since student life is so closed and accessible it was very easy to meet people in Isla Vista (IV) and on campus. accommodation I decided not to apply for university housing, because of the costs and stories I read myself. It was easy to apply for, but I wanted to live in the little student town of Isla Vista, right next to the campus. I found my house on Craigslist which was scary in the beginning, but turned out to be the best decision I made. I found a relatively cheap double room with international students. From various students I heard that the residence halls are definitely not the best option for exchange students. These are mostly designed for 18 year old American freshmen. I would suggest applying for university apartments or find a room on Craigslist. I went to the US with no housing arranged, but if you save some time to do this over there you'll be fine! leisure/culture Student life in Isla Vista was probably the best part of my experience at UCSB. There are always things to do, meaning parties, sports (including surfing) and various other activities. I really suggest joining the excursion club,
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which is an organization funded by the university organizing fun hiking, camping, surfing and other trips. This club made it very easy to meet both American and international students and be active at the same time. For the rest I tried to go on weekend trips with friends and explore California. suggestions/tips - Join the excursion club! - Don't worry too much about finding housing before you go. - Go on weekend trips to places like San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Big Sur etc. - Use the free recreation centre for sports. Join an intramural sports team! - Take initiative in class to make it more interesting, go to office hours etc. I did not do this enough... conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain I recommend this place to everyone who wants to go abroad for not only an academic, but also a social experience! I met amazing people in Santa Barbara from all over the world and did things I never thought I would do before I went. I gained so much experience about life during this exchange that I will carry with me forever. Be open-minded and don't be afraid to say yes to new things. do you have any additional advice or comments? No :)
Contact details:
Student Services / International Office Postal address: P.O. Box 80125, NL-3508 TC Utrecht Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 8, Utrecht T: +31-(0)30-253 7000 F: +31-(0)30-253 2627 E: [email protected] (information) [email protected] (report) I: www.uu.nl/students/exchange
page 3 of 3 UU Study Abroad Report Form
Every UU student going abroad is expected to submit a report, as stated in the conditions of the UU Study Abroad Contract. Please send it as an e-mail attachment to [email protected]. Please state your destination country (e.g. Costa Rica) as subject. The deadline to return this report is July 1, 2013, even if you are still abroad at that time!
Your report will be made available to UU students preparing an exchange, placement or research period abroad. We will take out your name and student number. Not all of them are Dutch-speaking, therefore we prefer to receive reports written in English.
Thank you in advance!
Please use Tab to go to the next (text) box. faculty/college University College Roosevelt level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Liberal Arts & Sciences
destination city & country Los Angeles, United States of America name host institution and/or University of California Los Angeles company/organization purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 19 / 08 / 2012 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 14 / 01 / 2013
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process Filling out forms. counselling/support at home university One person who gave advice, big mistake made on her part concerning the amount of credits. Therefore, make sure to ask at least two people about how many credits and how to calculate and transfer credits! academic preparation None. language preparation None. finances Studiefinanciering (government gift for studying), parental contribution, work study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) It was fine. academic quality of education/placement activities Pretty good, nice to see difference in bigger class sizes and university at UCLA compared to UCR. counselling/support at host institution/organisation Did not need any councelling, but I am sure if needed it would have been good. transfer of credits See above comment, due to a mistake on behalf of the person at UCR I came back with not enough credits,
page 1 of 2 because she told me that I needed a wrong amount of UCLA credits. Make sure you check this with at least 2 people, preferably more! student life welcome/orientation programme One day program with some games, kind of boring but nice to meet some new people. However, expensive. accommodation I lived in a very nice off-campus apartment with 2 roommates that I found on craigslist. It turned out great and was MUCH cheaper than living on campus. Definitely recommended. leisure/culture A lot to see and do, Los Angeles is a gigantic city and especially the diversity is fascinating. suggestions/tips - conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Yes, definitely. Especially if you are interested in the many cultural things LA has to offer, like music, food, and just a great diversity of people. do you have any additional advice or comments? Make sure you take enough courses, check twice, but preferably more!
Contact details:
Student Services / International Office Postal address: P.O. Box 80125, NL-3508 TC Utrecht Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 8, Utrecht T: +31-(0)30-253 7000 F: +31-(0)30-253 2627 E: [email protected] (information) [email protected] (report) I: www.uu.nl/students/exchange
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UU Study Abroad Report Form faculty/college Roosevelt Academy University College level X bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Arts and Humanities destination city & country Riverside, California, U.S.A. name host institution and/or University of California Riverside, EAP Program company/organization purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 05 / 09 / 2011 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 22 /12 / 2011
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process To apply for my exchange I firstly had to get approval from my own university to be eligible to apply for an exchange place. This was based on my GPA and the amount of credits I had received so far. After getting approval I filled in the forms to apply for exchange at the University of Utrecht. It was a lot of work and I needed quite some signatures from the exchange officer at my own university so I was glad I started this process in time (about a year before I was expecting to go on exchange, thus September 2010. I decided to go to the U.S.A. and my three main choices for universities were: (1) University of California (has 12 campuses), (2) University of Florida, (3) University of New Hampshire. Ultimately I was accepted to the University of California, however it took quite some time to hear at what campus I would be studying, which was in Riverside! counselling/support at home university To prepare for my exchange I did not receive a lot of counselling from my home university, mostly they were there to supply me with the necessary signatures, but I did not have any meetings in which my choices of going on exchange were discussed with regard to my studies on the whole. I did go to an exchange information session in Utrecht as preparation, this was mostly focused at getting information on how to obtain a Visum, picking courses and other practical information. It was a nice meeting, however unfortunately they did not have any contact info on a student that had been in Riverside before me, thus I had to find out mostly everything about how this amazing campus works on my own. academic preparation To prepare myself academically for my exchange I tried to take all my remaining prerequisite courses for my graduation in the semesters before my exchange, so that I was completely free to pick all the fun courses they had to offer at my exchange university. This did not completely work out due to technical issues, however I can strongly recommend anyone to do this, since you want to be free to fill up on interesting courses outside of you major while being abroad, or of course take lots of courses within your major that are not offered at your home university, anyhow it is smart to finish your prerequisite courses, such as language tracks and major requirements, before departure, since your cannot always be certain courses on exchange will be valued the same. language preparation I did not have to do much language preparation since I studied at an international university already and my English was fluent. Therefore I did not encounter any language difficulties on exchange. Though it has to be said that mastering the Spanish language is certainly an advantage in Southern California.
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finances To prepare myself financially for my exchange I saved a lot of money in the foregoing months, because I knew I wanted to go on exchange for a long time already I luckily had already saved quite some money to fulfil this dream and this was definitely necessary, because living in the U.S.A. is not cheap, plus a plane ticket and Visa costs have to be accounted for as well, next to all kinds of other expenses that have to do with organizing such a big trip. It helped me a lot to fill in the Financial Plan Form of the UU, because if you take it seriously you can calculate quite well what kind of expenses you can expect. My parents also supported me financially when I needed this, though by planning well I managed to pay for most of my exchange myself. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) The study programme on the Riverside campus was well organized and had a very broad content. There were so many different courses to choose that it was hard to pick just four to take in my time being here. Interesting to note is that the first two weeks of classes count as the enrolment period, for you can just go to courses you are not enrolled in and try to talk to the teacher and get permission to enrol. Also you can still drop courses. I did this myself and it worked very well. academic quality of education/placement activities The education at Riverside was of good quality and there are some really amazing teachers at this campus! To be honest compared to RA (Roosevelt Academy) the courses were not as challenging, but I still learned a lot, it depends more on what kind of student you are. The science course I did was most disappointing though on the level of difficulty, for it was more comparable to the Dutch high school level of biology than the college level. On the contrary the history and creative writing courses I took were very well planned and content wise interesting and inspiring. counselling/support at host institution/organisation The orientation day was very useful to resolve remaining questions concerning enrolment and other practical arrangements, and also to meet the exchange officer. She was always available through e-mail or for a meeting to answer any questions by exchange students. transfer of credits My transfer of credits did not at all go well for when I came back I discovered after multiple inquiries that I had a credit shortage. I will explain how this happened. Upon arrival at UCR, I was able to enrol in 4 wonderful courses, these 4 courses counted as 16 course units. In my contact with RA about the approval of my learning agreement, my proposal of these courses was accepted by both my tutor and the Educational Affairs Officer. Despite this, upon return I was told my, in total, 16 UCR units are only worth 8 RA units, which gave me a shortage of two full RA courses. This problem occurred with regard to the UCR quarter semester system, in which units are counted as quarter units and thus have a different value than course units of my home university. However, I already had worries about the fact that I was going to a quarter semester system, and only for one quarter of approximately ten weeks, therefore I asked for extra confirmation on whether my course enrolment at UCR would suffice for RA. I received only confirmations to my study plan for my exchange. Still, I had to use the credits of a summercourse and an extra wintercourse to solve the alleged credit shortage problem, which was very frustrating in the last semester of my bachelor education. What would have been better is if I would have been advised to take two quarter semesters in Riverside, taking 3 courses in each semester, this would have worked out perfectly. For taking 4 courses ( as I did) in one quarter is already the maximum study load, so I could not have done this any other way. I would have rather gone in the winter and spring semester (two quarter semesters straight after each other from January to mid-June). This way I could have stayed longer (for 4 months sounds long but actually is really short when it comes down to it) and I would not have had a problem with my credits.
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student life welcome/orientation programme The orientation programme consisted of one day in which the administration was organized and there was the opportunity to meet other exchange students ( it was a day organized only for exchange/transferring students). The rest of the week there were voluntary events that you could sign up for, I did not partake in these events however they all seemed a lot of fun to do, such as climbing the C (climbing the mountain across of the university towards the big yellow C, which indicates Riverside as a University of California city). You should definitely do this at least once when being here. accommodation Finding a place to live can prove to be very difficult, so start on time! What I had to figure out for myself is that it is basically impossible to arrange on campus housing when you are not staying for a full academic year, but only for 4 months. Therefore I used the UCR Housing website to search for rooms offered by home owners, also craigslist is a good option to search for housing. Additionally to e-mailing people that offered housing I also placed an advertisement myself on the UCR website, looking for housing, this helped a lot, because even though I responded to a lot of people’s offers in the end I found a room because someone approached me. From what I heard and saw from other exchange students it is cheaper to live off-campus and possibly also more fun. Living close to the university is nice because it is a walkable distance, however renting a car is also an option as I discovered and it is very useful since with a car you are far more mobile. leisure/culture There are a lot of leisure activities to do around Riverside for it is very nicely located, one hour from L.A., 90 minutes from San Diego, close to all the beaches and about 5 hours from Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Also in Riverside itself there are things to do, such as climbing the C, swimming in your pool (virtually all houses have a pool), going to Getaway café with your friends (this is the university café next to the campus) and much more. Like I said before you are really close to L.A., so you can go and visit Hollywood, Universal Studios, Santa Monica Pier and such. Riverside is an awesome place to live in my opinion and I was never bored! suggestions/tips Try to make friends with other exchange students with whom you can discover California. I had my own group of exchange friends and we did everything together, such as planning a trip to San Francisco and Las Vegas. It is nice to have other exchange friends for they have also not seen all the beautiful places of California yet thus they are just as excited to travel as you are, plus it is nice to have some friends with whom you can discuss all the culture differences between America and your own country. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain I would definitely recommend the Riverside campus to others planning to go on exchange! Of course all the campus locations in California, especially Southern California, are amazing, but the Riverside campus has definitely charmed me. The campus itself is very green and has a nice view on the mountains. There are a myriad of courses to choose from, the teachers are great and the student life is overall very chill. There is always some student activity to join when you decide not to study for a night and in the weekends there are plenty of house parties. Riverside has amazing weather too, which is not such an academical reason to go here, but is definitely a plus. do you have any additional advice or comments? Before you make your choice of what campuses your prefer to be put in study the information per campus, look at the courses and check whether there is a campus that has a special program for your interests (such as a writing program), and base your choice on this information.
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Contact details:
Student Services / International Office Postal address: P.O. Box 80125, NL-3508 TC Utrecht Visitors’ address: Bestuursgebouw, Heidelberglaan 8, Utrecht T: +31-(0)30-253 7000 F: +31-(0)30-253 2627 E: [email protected] (information) [email protected] (report) I: www.uu.nl/students/exchange
page 4 of 4 UU Study Abroad Report Form
faculty/college Social Sciences level Bachelor name degree programme Cultural Anthropology destination city & country Los Angeles, California, USA name host institution and/or University Los Angeles California (UCLA) company/organization purpose of exchange study/courses departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 22/12/2011 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 13/07/2012
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process It was a very long process and sometimes I was thinking “Oh my, what did I get myself in to?” but in the end, of course, it is all worth it. If you choose to go to a UC university, be aware of the fact that you will have to arrange a lot of things by yourself - your housing, visa, plane tickets, finances, picking courses,... counselling/support at home university My counceler at Utrecht University was Ingrid Dijkstra, and she has been very helpful. We had a couple of meetings and she had students who have been abroad already as guest speakers and to answer our questions. Although some things remained unclear up until now: how many ECTS is a UC unit? And how long does it take for UCLA to send my grades to Utrecht University? No one can give a clear answer to these questions.. academic preparation As mentioned above, be aware of the fact that you have to arrange A LOT. The biggest thing for me was to pick courses. They will ask you to pick a list of courses, then you will have to give another list of courses you want to do as a substitute for the first and then you will have to do that a third time too. language preparation Before leaving, you will have to do an English test. I took the TOEFL test. It was not a hard test, but it just takes a very long time to pass it; you have to concentrate for a very long time (I think about 3 hours). And you only get a 10min break. finances
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