UU Study Abroad Report Form

Faculty/college: Geesteswetenschappen; Departement Geschiedenis en Kunstgeschiedenis

Level: x bachelor master PhD other

Name degree programme: History

Destination city & country Taipei, Taiwan

Name host institution National Taiwan University and/or company/organisation

Purpose of exchange x study/courses work placement field work other

Departure date 20/08/2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)

Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 30/01/2016

Preparation Exchange/placement application process: This is mostly filling out a lot of forms (after acceptance by Utrecht). It can take quite some time and I received NTU’s official admission papers only in July, so this can be stressful to arrange everything in the last minute, but everything turned out just fine! Counselling/support at home university: The International Office was quick to help me when I had questions or problems, and reminded me on time to arrange certain forms. This part of the exchange went very smooth. Academic preparation: I didn’t really need any academic preparation for this exchange. Most of the courses offered in English take into account that exchange students come from all places and subject backgrounds, so preparation is not necessary. Taking courses in Chinese however, could be very different. Language preparation: I took Chinese classes before I left for Taiwan, as learning Mandarin was the main reason for me to go, but if that is not your interest, you definitely don’t need to. You can get around with just English, but knowing a few basics could make your exchange a bit easier (and more fun), I think. Finances: I saved up a little before leaving, but the cost of living is relatively cheaper in Taiwan, so I ended up getting around all right with my monthly stufi and public transportation fund (ov vergoeding). I didn’t travel much outside Taiwan (just one trip), so you might need to save up more when you plan to travel abroad a lot. The ShuiYuan dorms in which I stayed do require a two months worth deposit that you only get back when moving out, so that could hurt your bank account balance in the beginning. This is something to keep in mind, maybe. Study/placement abroad period

Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): The course selection system can be quite confusing, and the information offered by OIA (international office of NTU) is few and confusing, too. This gave me quite some stress, as I didn’t get into any courses during the first selection round. In the end, this selection system turned out to be not that important (for some courses you can’t even sign up through it – something I didn’t know during selection period) and during the first week of classes you just go by the courses you want to take, and try to obtain the green slip with which you register online. In total, I took 12 NTU credits, which I think translates to 24 ECTS in Utrecht. As I really wanted to learn some Mandarin, I took both the Chinese courses offered (General Chinese Course & Enhancing Chinese Course). They consist of 6 and 4 hours per week (10h in total), which can be quite tiring, but at the end of the semester I noticed I really learned some Chinese and that I could actually get around with it in daily life situations, which is quite cool! As NTU works with a semester system instead of Utrecht’s blocks system, you take courses for a longer period of time and more of them at the same time. I needed to adapt to this a little in the beginning, but you get the gist of it quite fast. Academic quality of education/placement activities: I thought that the courses in English in NTU are less demanding in academic level than in Utrecht, probably also because they are aimed at exchange students from different backgrounds and are thus mostly introductory. However I did think that at NTU, the way they organise their courses is different from what I was used to in Utrecht. They work a lot more with graded or mandatory weekly assignments, so the courses can take a lot of your time doing all these. I didn’t take full load (just 24 ects). In addition, most courses meet just once a week and don’t have a clear divide between seminar and lecture, which in my case resulted in most classes being lectures of either 2 or 3 hours, without much of a seminar/discussion component in them. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: I didn’t really have contact with any directors from the international office or NTU, but if I needed to I think they are easy to reach and very willing to help. Transfer of credits: I just arrived home, and I’m told transfer of credits from NTU to my home university can take up to two months, so I can’t say much about this. After deregistration at NTU (you have to collect a few stamps), NTU sends the list of transcripts straight to the International Office in Utrecht, so you don’t need to arrange this transfer yourself. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: NTU’s orientation programme isn’t very extensive; there is a campus tour, an opening speech/ceremony and a little welcome party/mixer. There is a student volunteer programme that you can choose to apply for in the application for NTU. In my case, my student volunteer wasn’t very helpful and didn’t really respond though, but I guess you just need to be lucky with who you get assigned. Accommodation: The ShuiYuan dorm is nice, as it is affordable and you can have your personal room and bathroom,

and most exchange/international students live here. They do have some rules and they can be quite strict – very different from living in Utrecht - so if you really insist having your freedoms or plan to have people/friends and family staying over, you might want to consider looking for rental apartments/rooms in Taipei, but from what I’ve heard these are way more expensive than staying in the dorm. Leisure/culture: Taipei is huge city, there’s plenty to do so you definitely won’t be bored. There’s a big sports centre on campus that you can sign up for cheap as a NTU student. The NTU international students club often organises special culture nights on Taiwan or other cultures. NTU has hundreds of student clubs on all kinds of topics, from juggling to make-up and from MUN to sports, so if you’re interested in these, there is a big showcase market at the beginning of the year/semester and you can sign up for any of them. Of course there are also plenty of travelling options around Taipei and Taiwan that you can explore on your own or with NTU club organised trips. Suggestions/tips: Buying a bike can be useful if you have classes at different parts of the campus, as the campus quite big (it will take you a lot of time walking around). If you don’t only want to meet/get to know international students but want to meet Taiwanese or local students, this can be quite hard when staying in the ShuiYuan dorms and taking courses in English. Joining one of the NTU student clubs is probably the best way to meet local students! Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: I would definitely recommend! Taiwan is a beautiful country and as NTU is its best university it is widely respected in Taiwan. I think staying my semester abroad in Taiwan offered me more than just a good time, as it is a rather unknown country to most people back home, so I feel I learned a lot about this special place and Taiwan’s languages and cultures and its place in the world, something I feel adds so much more to my experience that I wouldn’t have achieved if I had stayed somewhere close to home. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Don’t worry too much about the place of your exchange, I think I worried about this too much myself. In the end I think it’s all about the amazing people you meet, the friends you make and the great experiences you have – and they are found everywhere!

UU Report form - 2015-2016 faculty/college Law destination city & country Taipei, Taiwan

preparation exchange/placement application process

The application process takes quite a lot of time, but it is not very difficult to get accepted into NTU. The process of registering for classes is harder; the NTU website is often not very clear, and on top of that, almost no one ends up with the classes they chose initially (there are several rounds, and it is common not to get any classes assigned that you registered for in the first round). counselling/support at home university

I haven’t had too much contact with the UU about my exchange, but they arrange things like pre-departure meetings. academic preparation

I didn’t do any, and I don’t think anything is necessary in general. If you already know some Chinese and plan on taking courses in it in Taiwan, you might want to revise a little, since NTU will test your level before placing you in a group. language preparation

The only language you will really need is English. Chinese is optional but highly recommended; see above. finances

Taiwan is not very expensive. My accommodation, in the dorms, cost me 7400 NTD/month, which is about 210 euros. It’s easy to find meals for under 100 NTD (2,80 euros). Going out to clubs is very cheap; often free (including alcohol) for girls and usually no more than about 10 euros for guys. The flight is obviously very expensive at around 700 euros. Also, keep in mind that the first month will be expensive, as you have to pay for books, a health exam and furniture, and make the deposit for your room. Upon arriving, they require you to take out 30.000 NTD (830 euros) for things like this.

study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)

I felt like the level of the courses at NTU was quite a bit lower than at UU, but it’s at least as much work. You have more courses (I had 5), and homework is checked regularly. There are also a lot of readings. Especially Chinese is a lot of work, if you want to get decent grades.

page 1 of 3

The organisation can be a lot of paperwork, but the Office of International Affairs (OIA) is very helpful if you have any problems. academic quality of education/placement activities

counselling/support at host institution/organisation

transfer of credits

I haven’t transferred my credits yet.

student life welcome/orientation programme

There is quite a good orientation programme, including welcome parties and a campus tour. However, although these are useful activities, they’re not necessary; it’s very easy to meet people, especially if you are staying in the dorms. accommodation

As I mentioned, I stayed in the dorms, which is highly recommended. Private housing in Taipei can be quite expensive, but my room (private with a bathroom ensuite) only cost me 7400 NTD or 210 euros a month. It’s in 5 minute walking distance from campus. You can opt for a room with a kitchen, but you probably won’t be cooking a lot even if you do. Buying prepared food is cheap and fast (buffets are everywhere), but groceries can be expensive, so eating out is generally the more economical option. leisure/culture

Taiwan is a beautiful country with very nice people. Travelling around is a fun way to spend your weekends. The main things to do are cycling and hiking. It also has decent surf. suggestions/tips

Taipei is a connection point for flights throughout Asia, which means that flying to other countries is affordable. Countries that are popular with exchange students are Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, Korea and Hong Kong. Flights to these locations can usually be found for around 120 euros for a round trip. I highly recommend travelling around.

Another thing is that Taiwan is very hot in summer and quite cold in winter. I had an exceptionally cold one, where we actually got snow in Taipei, but expect temperatures around 5-10 degrees Celsius. There is no indoor heating anywhere, so bring some warm sweaters. You’re probably going to be sleeping in them as well.

conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain

page 2 of 3

I had a great time in Taiwan, and would therefore definitely recommend it. It is obviously very different from the Netherlands, so if you like learning about different cultures, it’s a nice country to go to. It also has a good nightlife, with very fancy clubs for nothing or almost nothing, and it is one of the best destinations if you want to travel around. do you have any additional advice or comments?

page 3 of 3

UU Study Abroad Report Form

Faculty/college: Sociale wetenschappen

Level: X bachelor master PhD other

Name degree programme: Clinical & Health psychology and neuropsychology

Destination city & country Taipei, Taiwan

Name host institution National Taiwan University and/or company/organisation

Purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other

Departure date 08-09-2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)

Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 29-01-2016

Preparation Exchange/placement application process: It wasn’t really hard, but I had to prepare a few forms during, for me, a busy period, so make sure you start early enough. I think everyone who wanted to go to Taiwan was accepted. The NTU sent the admission letter later than most other universities, so don’t worry when everyone already got news and you didn’t. Counselling/support at home university: It was very good. When I needed information they would send it to me. Academic preparation: This wasn’t needed. Language preparation: This is not necessary. Most Taiwanese speak at least a little bit of English, so you don’t need to learn Chinese in advance. Finances: I had already saved some money and together with the study finances from the government it was enough. (If you also want to go to other countries, you might need to save some extra money.) Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): You already have to select some courses in advance online. But during the first 2 weeks you can add and drop courses, so you can always change courses if you would like to. In those first 2 weeks, you can attend courses and ask the teachers if you can join the course (most of the time you can, it’s only when there are too many students who want the course that it might be a problem). I really recommend the general Chinese course! But I do know some other students who dropped the course because they didn’t like their teacher, so if that’s the case you can always drop

it before the deadline! Academic quality of education/placement activities: I think the level of most English taught courses was lower than in Utrecht. This might be because of the level of English of the Taiwanese students. It probably also depends on which department you choose. The courses I chose in the language department were less scientific than the one in the health department. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: My student volunteer helped whenever I needed to know something. The international office also gave great support when it really mattered. Furthermore there was a counsellor who could speak English and who was there for students when necessary. Transfer of credits: At the moment, the credits haven’t been transferred yet. But I’m able to see them on Ceiba, the system they use at NTU (a little bit like Blackboard). Student life Welcome/orientation programme: During the first week of the semester there are a lot of activities. They give a lot of information, which might be a little bit too much at first. Luckily, they also give a guidebook with all the information in it. (But you can also just ask other students.) Accommodation: I stayed at the Prince House NTU ShuiYuan Dorms. It was a really nice place to live! I had a single room with my own bathroom. I didn’t have a kitchen, but if I would have needed it, I could have used the one at the first floor. But I liked it better to just go out with friends to get something to eat. And you can get food everywhere, so it’s easier and maybe even cheaper. And on the really lazy days, there is a 7-11 around the corner (and in every other street) where you can get food which they will heat for you! A nice thing about the dorms is that all the other international students also live there, so you will meet a lot of people and there is always someone to chat with. Furthermore, it is really close to the university. To the main gate it takes about 5-10 minutes and to the buildings where my courses were taught about 20 minutes. Also, living in the dorms is cheap, compared to Utrecht, and it is close to the MRT station (Gonguan). Leisure/culture: The culture in Taiwan is of course totally different. But that’s one of the nice things about a semester abroad. You get to learn to eat with chopsticks, stand in a straight line before entering the MRT train and you don’t have to worry about shops closing early. You’ll notice all the difference in the beginning, but after a while you’ll get used to most things. Suggestions/tips: - On the day of your arrival, go to the IKEA (MRT Taipei arena station I think) and buy your mattress there. The once you can buy at the dorms are very thin so you can better buy a good one. - Use the airport shuttle service arranged by NTU! (There also is a bus you can take easily, 1819, but when you’re arriving after a long flight, it’s nice if you don’t have to worry about this.)

- Get a simcard for 5 months at the airport. - Travel as much as you can! - Take pictures! - Eat dumplings. - Go to the nightmarkets. - Drink bubble tea (especially the fruit teas from Coco with bubbles). - Don’t study too much 

Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: Yes! It is a really nice country, it is not too expensive, the weather is great (most of the time) and it is nice to experience a different culture. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: When choosing your courses, keep in mind that if you want to travel, it is nice if you’re free on Friday.

UU Study Abroad Report Form

Faculty/college: Social Sciences

Level: X bachelor master PhD other

Name degree programme: Cultural Anthropology & Development Sociology

Destination city & country Kaohsiung, Taiwan (Republic of China, ROC)

Name host institution National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung and/or company/organisation

Purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other

Departure date 03/02/2016 (dd/mm/yyyy)

Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 27/06/2016

Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The placement starts at the UU and you need to hand in 3 optional destinations. After you've been selected for NSYSU you will get an email from the International Office at NSYSU with all the clear instructions you need to follow, it goes without saying. Do not forget that, unless you will leave Taiwan every month and already booked your next flight when you would like to come back into the country again, you need a visitors VISA for Taiwan. It is really convenient to just have a VISA. You can apply for it in The Hague at the Representative Office of Taiwan (there is no Embassy of Taiwan/ROC) after you received your official application letter of NSYSU. Counselling/support at home university: If you have any questions about your exchange, just email your contactperson at the International Office of the UU and they will help you with it. Academic preparation: Because I followed courses for the free part of my bachelor I didn’t need any academic preparation. Language preparation: If there is one thing I didn’t expact to be that bad in Taiwan, it's the level of English of the people. The average Taiwanese person does not speak English; not even a word. At the university itself people do speak English (especially all the teachers and the people of the International Office of course), but a lot of students are very shy about their English and it can be a little bit hard sometimes to talk to them and understand them. So actually, for exchange students it's not a problem at all if your English level isnt that high, because its still high enough to understand all the teachers, where the Taiwanese students sometimes do not. And, on the other hand, if you follow the Mandarine for beginners course the school offers you, you really learn a lot of basic Mandarine which you immidiately can use in daily life. So, please be aware of the fact that it can be hard and

frustrating sometimes that people really do not understand you in Taiwan (on the University itself there are not that many communicationproblems) and know that its very useful to follow the Mandarine course! Finances: Taiwan is a cheap country and I could easily live for like 300 - 400 euro's per month. At the end you maybe spend more money because of all the trips you probably made. You can easily book cheap flights to for example Tokyo, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Vietnam, etc. because of Taiwan's central position in Asia. When you arrive, you need to pay for your accomodation in the dorms and during the semester that's all you need to pay for school. I paid 17320 NTD for the dorms in total. Oh, and you need to pay once an electronicalbill for your room, but that's only a few euro's (around 10 euro's maybe), so do not worry about that one. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues): When I applied for NSYSU I thought I found a list online with at least 20 courses I would have liked to follow, but when I arrived at NSYSU, this wasn’t the case. There were actually no courses for sociology/social sciences bachelorstudents available in English this semester, so it turned out that I followed courses of the International Masterprogram Asia-Pacific Affairs (IMAPA). It were not the courses I expacted to follow from the beginning, but they were really really intresting and actually I'm very happy I followed courses about Taiwan's democracy and Taiwan's and China's role in international organizations for example instead of courses that are similair to Anthropology courses in Utrecht. Academic quality of education/placement activities: The level of education at NSYSU is a bit lower than at the UU. The fact that I could easily follow mastercourses says enough. Mostly you need to give some presentations or need to hand in papers (at least for me this was the case). There is a system whereby you can follow a first lecture of all different courses and after this first lecture you can choose if you want to follow the course or not. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: If you have any questions, you can always email the International Office or just walk there. They are very friendly and really willing to help you with everything. Transfer of credits: At the moment of writing this report, I'm still in Taiwan and did not even got all my grades yet, but I received an email of the International Office of the UU that NSYSU will send my grades to them, I believe, and I need to sign them when I'm back in Utrecht. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: NSYSU organised an orientation day for us with a tour around the campus and a sort of traditional foodmarket afterwards. They also organised the International Cultural Festival especially for international students and you can become a member of the Dragon Boat team, which is also especially for us (although you also have a local team). They also have a buddy system. I think maybe one month before you leave to Taiwan, you will receive an email from your buddy who can

already help you with some questions about NSYSU or Taiwan. All the buddies speak English and are really willing to help you out with everything. Accommodation: The international dormbuilding you live in is "okay". You share a room with another student. You share a kitchen, bathroom and living room with nine other students (if all the rooms are full). You also have air conditioning in the room which is very useful with the temperature and humidity here. The total costs of the dorms were 17320 NT for me (that's around 480 euro). In the kitchen, they do not have any material to cook, so you should go out for dinner almost every day (or you can buy a microwave meal at the convenient store because you do have a microwave) or you can go to the Carrefour to buy some stuff. Really close to the dorms, you have "Milo's", a nice and cheap foodcourt which is open every day. There is also a washing machine and a dryer you can use for 10 NT per serve. When you arrive, you can buy (in total it cost me something around 3000 NT) your matrass, blanket and pillow at the convenient store. But, you can also go to IKEA and buy a better matrass there for the same money. The matrasses of the university are not that nice. Also, please be aware of the fact that you have a lot of dogs and monkeys living on campus too and you should always close your doors and windows to prevent you for monkeys inside. The campus is built on a mountain which gives you an amazing view every morning when you look out of your window. You also have a beach at the campus, but you are actually not allowed to swim there. Leisure/culture: Because you have more than enough time to spend on other things than school, you can visit a lot in Taiwan during the semester. Taiwan has big cities like Taipei, but you can also camp in the mountains or visit an Island to swim with turtles. You have nice beaches in the south, in Kenting National Park and you can make daytrips to waterfalls in Pingtung for example. You see temples everywhere and it's interesting to learn about them during your stay. Another typical thing are all the nightmarkets you should definitely visit to try all the different kinds of food Taiwanese people like. Suggestions/tips: I would recommend others to follow the Mandarine Course, become a member of the International Dragon Boat team and to join the Voluntary Teaching Project. I did them all and really liked them. I met a lot of new people during the Dragon Boat practices (and the races itself were an amazing experience too!) and experienced an important part of the Taiwanese culture. During the Voluntary Teaching Project, you teach about your European home country and the EU to children of different ages on local schools in Kaohsiung - amazing to see this children so happy when you walk into the classroom! Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: I would definitely recommend NSYSU to others, because Taiwan is an amazing country and NSYSU itself has a lot to offer you. You can be a member of every kind of sportteam (the International Dragon Boat team!) or club you can imagine and they organize projects like the Voluntary Teaching Project, an International Cultural Festival or a monkeytour. The campus is nice, Taiwan is beautiful and you can easily travel a lot during the semester because you have a lot of free time to spend.

UU Study Abroad Report Form

Faculty/college: Betawetenschappen/Geesteswetenschappen

Level: bachelor master PhD other

Name degree programme: Wiskunde/Wijsbegeerte

Destination city & country Taipei , Taiwan

Name host institution National Taiwan University and/or company/organisation

Purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other

Departure date 01-08-2014 (dd/mm/yyyy)

Return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 01-02-2015

Preparation Exchange/placement application process: The application process was very easy. For more competitive locations make sure you write a good motivational letter in which you explain why you want to go to that specific university. Counselling/support at home university: The UU international office organizes things like the pre-departure meeting. Don't expect too much help from them with things that don't fall under their regular services. Academic preparation: If you want to take master courses, or tough bachelor courses, you should prepare for them with introductory courses at home. If you didn't do that you can still take plenty of courses that don't have any prerequisites. Language preparation: If you prepare some Chinese, you can make a test and get selected for a higher lever of the Chinese course. If you don't, you get placed in the lowest level (only if you want to take Chinese of course). Learning Chinese to take courses is not necessary (and practically undoable if you start as a beginner), since there are lots of courses that you can follow that are given in English. Finances The rent for the dorm rooms are about 160-240 euro's a month, depending on which room you take. Food is also really cheap of course. Travelling is expensive though, so prepare some money for that. Study/placement abroad period Study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues):

Academic quality of education/placement activities:

Some international students complained about the low level of their courses. In my opinion the courses that almost only get picked by exchange students are of a lower level. Exchange students generally work less hard than local students and there's always a few local students in the English courses which have a hard time due too the language barrier. As a math major I avoided this problem by choosing some master courses. The lectures were in Chinese, but everything else (powerpoint sheets, books, tests) was in English. I'm not sure how this is for other majors though. I also did the most basic level of Chinese course which also was of good quality and had a sufficient workload. Counselling/support at host institution/organisation: The NTU international office is great. Their replies to my questions were always really fast. They even helped me take an exam from a course back home. I made the exam in the international office and they scanned it, and send it back to Utrecht. Transfer of credits: Haven't transferred my credits yet. Student life Welcome/orientation programme: The welcome program is nice. You get to meet a lot of new people in a short amount of time. I recommend the buddy program, since your buddy will be someone you can go to with problems for the whole duration of your stay. Accommodation: If you choose to stay at the dorms (which I recommend), there's three options: 1. A 2-person shared room without kitchen. 2. A 1-person room without kitchen. 3. A 1-person room with a communal kitchen and living room which you share with 4 other people.

I went for option 2. In hindsight I recommend option 3. Even though you generally don't need a kitchen, it would've been nice to have been able to bake an egg in the morning sometimes. Also it's nice to have a living room were you can hangout with friends. Leisure/culture: Taiwenese culture is great. People are very friendly, as you can read in other exchange reports. It's very interesting how Taipei is a mix between traditional Chinese culture and Western modernization. It's not uncommon to see a small shop with an old lady selling traditional xiao long bao (sort of fried dumplings) with a Starbucks on the left side of the shop and a McDonalds on the right side. When you go to more remote places in Taiwan you get to see more of the traditional Taiwanese culture, and less of the Western influence. Suggestions/tips: One thing that I did that I would suggest to anyone who is at least a little physically active is cycling. Taiwan is a perfect country to go cycling. It has beautiful roads along the coast as well as trough the mountains. The most obvious route is Hualien – Taitung. If you want to do that, you can rent bikes at the Giant shop in Hualien and return them 3 days later at the Giant shop in Taitung. I myself took it a step further and bought a Giant racing bicycle in Taipei. Giant is a great brand, and

since it is Taiwanese, the bikes are a lot cheaper than back home. I even took the bike home with me on the plane. That way, I got to enjoy cycling in Taiwan, and have a great bike for a cheaper- than-normal price back home.

Travelling through Taiwan is great, but if you have some spare money I also recommend you to fly to Japan (Vanilla Air) and Vietnam (Vietjet Air). Even though the flights are pretty long, the prices with these airlines are not that high.

I really recommend taking the Chinese course. Even though you will probably not use it later in life, it is fun to get a small understanding of how the Chinese language works. Conclusions Would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? Please explain: I most certainly recommend going to Taipei. It's a great city with a lot of nice people, Taiwan is a great country to travel in, and from, there's a nice community of exchange students and the university has great facilities and some very interesting courses. Do you have any additional advice or comments?: Just go! It will be amazing!

UU Study Abroad Report Form faculty/college Humanities level x bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Language- and Culture Studies destination city & country Taipei, Taiwan name host institution and/or National Taiwan University company/organization purpose of exchange x study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 06 / 02 / 2014 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 08 / 07 / 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 was not that hard. The hardest part was to be accepted by UU and if you got through that selection, you are (almost) sure of your spot in NTU. NTU required a medical exam (they want to know a lot) but this was done pretty quickly. A negative side is that NTU is really late with sending the admission letters. So, just be patient, everything will be fine. counselling/support at home university The International Office was really helpful. I didn’t need them so much because I didn’t have any problems. But they gave me a lot of useful information. academic preparation Academic preparation is not necessary language preparation Language preparation not necessary. Some students took Chinese classes before they got here but I didn’t. This was no problem at all since a lot of people in Taipei speak some English. finances Before I went to Taiwan, I saved some money. I didn’t need extra money than what I received (studiefinanciering) because living expenses are not that high. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) We had to select some courses beforehand, but it turned out that just a few of the interesting courses were in English. The coursewebsite was easy to use. Also, my student volunteer was really helpful with the selection of courses. I took just 4 courses, less than average (which is around 5/6). One of these courses was Chinese. I would definitely recommend you to take Chinese course since it is fun and it makes your life in Taiwan somewhat easier. academic quality of education/placement activities Academic quality differs per course. Two courses were pretty similar to the ones in UU, but another course gave way higher grades (A++) for projects which on same level would be graded a 6 or 7 in UU. counselling/support at host institution/organisation NTU’s website is very clear about the exchange semester, especially the handbook. We could choose to get a

page 1 of 3 student volunteer, what I really recommend. My student volunteer was really helpful, with schoolstuff but also with medical problems or joining me to the hairdresser to make sure I get the haircut I want. Unfortunately, not all studentvolunteers are that helpful as mine, but perhaps you are lucky. transfer of credits I didn’t do this yet. student life welcome/orientation programme I arrived 4 days before the orientation day, what gave me some time to get used to the new situation and to rest after the long flight (recommended). On the orientation day we got a campus tour and information about selection of courses and other school-related stuff. The campus tour was not so usefull, since we started at the back of the campus and I couldn’t remember the route we took. (no worries, maps or helpful people everywhere). Also in the dorm, there was a welcome party organized where we could meet a lot of other students accommodation I would recommend you to stay in Prince House, ShuiYuan dorms. These are really close to the campus and there is supermarket and restaurants around the corner. Other dorms might still be close to the campus but are further away from restaurants or supermarket. Some people chose to live in an apartment, which was usually more expensive and made them a little isolated from the international student community. Some did this to have some personal space, but one still has this in the dorm. So, shuiyuan is really convenient. Only, when you arrive, there is no mattress or something like that provided. I would recommend you to go to ikea instead of buying the ones from the dorm (these are reaaaaally thin). leisure/culture Since you will be living in the capital of Taiwan, there is a lot to see and to do. If you like hiking in the nature, you will love Taiwan. Close to Taipei, you can find a lot of hiking trails (some easy, some not) and you will definitely not be able to do them all. If you like shopping, Taipei is also the place to be. There are several more expensive areas, but also a lot of cheap huge shopping areas. There is a lot of food to find in Taipei, some even cheaper than others. Also a lot of western food is available here, somewhat more expensive that Taiwanese food (think of 4-7 euros for a good meal for western food). Taipei is also a good place for clubbing. Ladies are lucky because these have on several days free entrance before 11 or 12 and most clubs have all-you-can-drink. So, free entrance and free drinks!. Travelling in Taiwan is cheap and recommended. There are some beaches in the north, which are great for the summer but not so beautiful as the ones you find in Thailand. Better beaches can be find in the south. Then there is KTV (karaoke), nightmarkets and a lot more… suggestions/tips I already gave some recommendations. These include: take a student volunteer, go to ikea, take Chinese course. Buy dehumidifier to avoid mold on for example shoes (yes, I had this). Get a visitor visa with multiple entry (this allows you to go abroad). Buy a bicycle (there will be an auction for bicycles, where you can buy them for extremely low prices). Don’t bring to much stuff with you. Bring some warm clothes for winter/autumn (temperature may not be as low as in Holland in winter, but there are not heaters indoors) Conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain I will definitely recommend NTU. You might be disappointed if you see that you are not selected for Thailand for example but for Taiwan, as was in my case. Now, I am really happy that this happened. I was disappointed in the beginning because I didn’t know anything about Taiwan but since I arrived I fell in love with this country. There are several reasons for this: Taipei is really safe, really beautiful, cheap, and most important, the people. The people in Taiwan are extremely friendly, and you don’t have to worry about scams (which is not the same in Thailand).

page 2 of 3 From Taipei you can easily travel through Taiwan but also to other countries. Lots of international students went during the spring break to Thailand, hong kong, Vietnam, Malaysia or the Philippines. In short, Taiwan is really worth it and is definitely not ‘less’ than the usual destinations in Asia like Thailand or Singapore do you have any additional advice or comments?

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 faculty/college Sociale Wetenschappen level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Cognitieve en neurobiolgische psychologie destination city & country Taipei , Taiwan name host institution and/or National Taiwan Univerity company/organization purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 22 / 08 / 2013 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 01 / 02 / 2014

You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process We had to choose 3 universities around february. We would receive the university we were chosen for a few months later, but all the important dates are on the UU website (this can differ per uni). I wasnt chosen for any of my first 3 choises, but I could go to Taiwan. I agreed because I really wanted to go to Asia, had actually never really looked into Taiwan and once I did, I discovered that it is an amazing and interesting country. counselling/support at home university The support from UU was good especially with choosing the University abroad, but when it came to arranging my visa and insurances I sometimes felt kind of lost. We had to do so much work and I had no idea. Especially because they speak Chinese in Taiwan, and the website of NTU was sometimes confusing.. academic preparation For me I didnt really need any academic preparation, because I was just going to follow courses in Taipei. I did read into the courses they had last year, but that didnt really apply for this year. Last year they had 3 courses for psychology tought in english, but when I arrived in taipei only 1 was left. It was nice to follow some other courses though (I did history, management and Chinese) language preparation This was pretty much impossible. Chinese is amazingly difficult and very hard to learn on you own. Once we got in Taipei though, we were arranged a Chinese class and things actually worked out. I had a very nice class (and teacher, please ask for Pharaoh if you have the chance!) and at the end of the semester I could do some small talk in Chinese finances I had expected Taiwan to be cheaper.. Food was actually quite expensive because you always have to eat out somewhere, you cant really cook for yourself. And ofcourse, once you are in an amazing country like Taiwan you want to travel. It is not to expensive to take the bus (Taipei-Kaohsiung is like 12 euros) but it you do so almost every weekend you see the results on your bankaccount.. I saved a lot of money and worked in the holidays, so that helped. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) I made a studyplan but as I already said that didnt really help. Once I got in taipei, I had 2 weeks to choose my

page 1 of 3 courses. In those 2 weeks you could go to every class you wanted to see if you liked it or not. It is a nice system but you dont really know if they have your courses until you get there. academic quality of education/placement activities My courses were a lot easier than the courses I followed in Utrecht. I took only introductory courses so that could be it, but I think the level of english in Taipei is lower than ours in Utrecht, so education gets more difficult. counselling/support at host institution/organisation You always have a counselor in the University, but I only met her once. I didnt really need it so it was no problem. There also are some groups of students who can help you. Next to that, everybody gets a volunteer, who can help you with problems you have at the university. I never really met my volunteer but when I had to choose courses she helped me via facebook and email. transfer of credits student life welcome/orientation programme We had a welcome week at the campus, with a fair and some performances. It was all kind of overwhelming, along with the continuous heat and people who are staring at you. Though, once the courses started it already felt like home a bit. accommodation The Shi Yuan dorms are great! Ofcourse there are some rules you dont really want to follow but they are dorms so there have to be rules, but the girls at the front desk are amazing and they can help you with so many things. Grace, who is the contact person of the building is amazing too, she rememberes everything and is always so nice (also when you have your music waaaay to loud..) leisure/culture The culture of Taiwan is so different from the culture in Holland. I had never been to Asia before, only 2 weeks in the Philipenes before taiwan (and I reccomand that..) so it was kind of a culture shock for me but it was a nice one. People are SO nice, almost too nice sometimes. People treat you like you are a celebrity when you look european. In gonguan, where the dorms and uni are, it is not so bad but if you go to toursity places like Chang Kai Check or Sun Yat Sen, you have to look camera ready ;). The food in Taiwan is amazing, I already miss the night markets with al their little snacks and the amazing fried rice (and fried everything actually). suggestions/tips Make sure you eat dumplings, waffles at the waffle stand on campus and korean bbq in the place near the dorms. There are also all you can eat hotpot places, supercheap and beer is included! For going out, babe 18 is the place to be on sunday (free admission and free drinks.. guys pay 4 euros or st to get in). On wednesday it is ladies night, free entrance and sometimes free drinks almost everywhere. Taipei has some really amazing clubs, check out Luxy, Myst, Korner (for more underground/techno music) and Lava. For shopping, go to nightmarkets! They have everything and it is all so cheap. I was too tall for the clothes they are selling but the jewellery and shoes fit ;) Road trips trough taiwan are also nice, because you cant go everywhere with the public transport (although the PT is amazing, so comfortable and cheap). There are so many nice hikes around taipei (http://hikingtaiwan.wordpress.com/). conclusionshe would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain YES. I didnt expect anything from taiwan before I got there, but it was so amazing. Taiwan has everyting that asia has to offer. The north is more like East Asia and China, the south more like South East Asia. Kenting has

page 2 of 3 amazing white beaches and a really nice national park (rent a scooter), Taroko George is one of the most amazing places I have ever seen (rent a scooter, go though taroko one day and one day down along the highway 11, AMAZING), Taipei is a city like ive never seen before, all chaos and it all seems to work. Kaohsiung is really nice too, its more like a big city with biiiiig buildings, and it has a nice beach! Make sure you also visit one of the islands. do you have any additional advice or comments?

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 faculty/college Utrecht University; Psychology level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Clinical and health psychology destination city & country Taipei, Taiwan name host institution and/or NTU company/organization purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 20 / 08 / 13 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 04 / 01 / 14

You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process Process went smoothly since I started on time. However; it is a lot of work so be prepared counselling/support at home university Counselling was not entirely complete. However there was a possibility to email the counsellor; always answered quite fast academic preparation Figuring out exactly which subjects to take does not make that much sense, since it will change when you arrive there anyway. So the approval you will get from your exam commission may not apply for the subjects you are going to take. language preparation No preparation, however; a really good Chinese course at NTU. finances Easy form to fill in; really good preparation study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) Only one subject of my degree (psychology) was offered in English; so I followed some other random courses. Really nice to gain knowledge in different degrees; however may not be as useful to other students with more requirements of their degree. academic quality of education/placement activities Quality a bit lower than in Utrecht, probably because the English was at a lower degree. counselling/support at host institution/organisation Very good. Everybody was really helpful! transfer of credits A lot lower. For example; I finished Chinese with an A+ (meaning; zero mistakes were made). Which got transferred to a 9. (90% out of 100%) student life welcome/orientation programme OK programme, however; it was really hot and we were not used to this temperature yet. The entire day we had to

page 1 of 2 walk outside and do games. accommodation Perfect. Big room, own bathroom, perfect location. leisure/culture The kindest people I have ever met. Hardly anyone speaks English though, and everybody is quite shy. But it is amazing to experience living in this country. suggestions/tips Don’t just stay in Taipei; Taiwan is a beautiful country and has a lot to offer! conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Definitely. Taiwan is the most diverse country of Asia (from white beaches to jungle and mountains, skyscrapers, rice terraces, etc.). NTU is a very good university, and lastly the people are really kind and helpful. Oh and also; going out is amazing. You don’t pay more then 3 euros entry fee, and its open bar all night. do you have any additional advice or comments? Try to have addresses of places you want to go in Chinese characters; cab drivers don’t speak any English.

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 Geosciences Level X bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Human Geography and Planning destination city & country Taipei, Taiwan name host institution and/or National Taiwan University company/organization purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 02 / 08 / 2013 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 23 / 01 / 2014

You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. Preparation exchange/placement application process After you finished the application process of the University of Utrecht in 1.5month you’ll hear if you will be able to go to the university of your choice. Then you have to start with the application process for NTU. There are a few things you have to provide which includes a motivation letter, all your personal and study information and a document which declares that you’re insured during your stay abroad. Next to that you have to do a medical check for NTU. You can do this in the Netherlands but also in the first 2 weeks that you are in Taipei. My advice is to do it in Taipei because it is way cheaper than doing it back home. In Taipei I only paid around €20,- while the medical check would have cost at least €100,- in the Netherlands. counselling/support at home university The university provides an exchange coordinator for questions before and during your stay abroad. Besides that you can apply for a student volunteer that can help you with all kinds of things before and during your stay in Taipei. I often had lunch with my volunteer and during these lunches we talked about the differences between our cultures. I thought this was very interesting and gave me more insight in the Taiwanese culture. academic preparation I don’t know exactly what is meant by academic preparation, I just finished my courses last year and during the summer I searched on the NTU site for information about the campus and courses. At a certain point I decided to take 6 courses which will be somehow comparable with the amount of school work you have at the University of Utrecht. In my third week in Taipei however I decided to drop 1 of these courses because it was not what I expected and because it totally didn’t match my major. During the whole semester I was enrolled in 5 courses which was fine to handle and not too hard to pass. language preparation For language preparation you shouldn’t be too worried. NTU doesn’t oblige you to pass an English-language test (such as a TOEFL-test). In general Dutch people are pretty good in English and when arriving at NTU, you’ll soon find out that your English is way better than that of other international students. With English you can manage around campus because most people do speak (a little bit of) English. If, on the other hand, you want to go out, take a cab or do anything which doesn’t have anything to do with NTU, the change is high that people don’t speak English. Taiwanese people are really friendly and helpful so although it might be hard to communicate, in general you’ll always get where you want to be. By being a little bit creative you can manage in Taipei without speaking

page 1 of 4 any Chinese. I didn’t take a Chinese course in advance but during my semester I was enrolled in a Chinese course. This included 6 hours a week of Chinese education and was a lot of fun because almost all the international students are taking these course. Especially when you don’t know any Chinese you’ll enrol in the easiest course and you’ll start with practicing different tones which is a lot of fun. I would strongly recommend to do this course, also because it’s really nice when you start to recognize and understand some of the Chinese characters that you’ll see everywhere around you. Finances For the application procedure at the University of Utrecht you have to make a financial plan. Don’t underestimate the costs of a stay abroad! To get visas, plane tickets and other requirements such as the medical check you’ll already need between €1250-1500,- (depending on when you book your flight). During my stay abroad I’ve spent another €1250,- a month, including my monthly rent and all other expenses. This is mainly because I did a lot of travelling. At least 2 weekends a month I was on a trip and this just cost a lot of money, but is totally worth it and will make your experience abroad even better! Besides that, in Taipei you always go out to have dinner or get some food. Cooking is not really possible because you don’t have a kitchen and it’s also very expensive to buy food in a supermarket. You have to consider that you’ll spend at least €10,- a day on food. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) Around one month before your semester at NTU starts you can subscribe for courses. My experience was that the website of NTU is very unclear and it’s not easy to subscribe correctly for the courses you want to take. When I arrived in Taipei I found out that I did something wrong and wasn’t enrolled in any course. You can ask your student volunteer for help when subscribing for your courses back home. On the other hand you shouldn’t be too worried about getting enrolled in certain courses because the first 3 weeks at NTU you are able to go to any class you want and subscribe and withdraw all courses. I really liked the fact that you could do that because you can really see if a course is what you expect it to be. academic quality of education/placement activities The academic quality at NTU is high though sometimes teachers don’t speak well English. Teachers and students seem to know the words but speak with a specific accent. During presentations it was sometimes a bit complicated because not all students spoke sufficient English to take part in the presentations. Moreover, papers for the courses taught in English had certain requirements that don’t match the requirements of the University of Utrecht. This is due to the lower level of English that the Taiwanese students possess. The Chinese course was a lot harder, also in terms of requirements. These Chinese courses were especially for exchange students and these teachers spoke very good English. This course took a lot of time and effort to put in but I’m now happy I can say that I know the basics of the Chinese language. During my exchange it became very helpful to speak a little Chinese because most people outside of NTU didn’t spoke English at all. counselling/support at host institution/organisation There is an international office at NTU which takes care of the campus tour and an orientation day. After that you are able to email your contact to help with all things concerning life in Taipei. I have to say I didn’t really utilized this possibility. In the first week I had to submit my health report from the hospital but didn’t hear anything from the office. After a lot of emails from my part during at least 4 weeks I finally heard that it was ‘okay’. In my opinion the support at NTU was there for a bit unclear. Besides that, I also got a student volunteer who would help me out when I needed something and didn’t know how. My student volunteer was a Taiwanese girl that I saw once every 3 weeks and had a great time with. She helped me with information about NTU and we had interesting conversations about the differences between Taiwan and the Netherlands. It was a great way to meet another Taiwanese student at NTU and exchange cultures.

page 2 of 4 transfer of credits At NTU you receive grades from A-F which have to be transferred to grades from 1-10 at the UU. The NTU will sent the grades to the UU and after supplying all the information needed (course information, course levels, the grades) you’ll receive the grades at UU in a few weeks. student life welcome/orientation programme The orientation was very helpful! We had one orientation day and a campus tour to get to know the way NTU works. During this orientation I met a lot of other exchange students from all over the world which was great. Accommodation The accommodation was next to campus and in a nice area full with nice restaurants. The accommodation was great, with air-conditioning and a private bath room! The only disadvantage was the moist. During the last 1.5 month it became colder and due to the high humidity everything became moist. The moist caused mold on my shoes. This could be easily solved when the windows would be better isolated and if there would be a heating system. I decided to buy a heater but other exchange students had a few really cold moist weeks in their rooms. leisure/culture The Taiwanese culture is great! I’ve never met people so nice and open. They are really helpful which I really had to get used to. The first 2 weeks it looked a bit suspicious but after that time I noticed that people really are nice. There are major differences between the Dutch and Taiwanese culture. The history and religions are totally different which, in my opinion, makes it very interesting. Furthermore I think it’s a great experience to live in a country where the majority doesn’t speak a language in which you can communicate with each other. This also gave an additional booze in my desire to learn Chinese. In general, I think the exchange taught me a lot about a culture which is so distinctive and different than mine but also gave me a new perspective about the Dutch culture and myself. suggestions/tips I stayed in ShuiYuan (Prince’s) dorms at NTU. There are different locations and I would recommend to stay in this one. This is the only dorm which is in the middle of a vibrant neighbourhood with great places to eat and shop. Next to that I would recommend to choose courses dependent on the days and times in the week that they take place. You can take part in the Chinese course in the morning hours or in the evening. I chose for the evening hours which was really a lot of fun. Every week a group of exchange students would meet after Chinese class to go clubbing together. Conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain I would definitely recommend the NTU and Taipei. It’s a great experience to meet so many friendly people and discover a different culture. Next to that Taiwan has so much to offer from surfing to diving to hiking in the mountains and jungle. Almost every weekend I went on a trip to see another part of Taiwan and now, after 5 months I have to say I still haven’t seen all there is to see. I definitely plan on going back to Taiwan one day to climb the Yushan mountain and hike the Walami Trail. do you have any additional advice or comments? I would advice to do a lot of hikes near Taipei. The nature is amazing and during maybe 4 hours you won’t see anyone else during the trail. There are amazing views over the jungle and surroundings of the city that will blow your mind. Next to that I would go there the first semester. The temperature is very high when you arrive but slowly will become a bit colder which made it (for me) a lot easier to do a lot of things and my study work. Also, if you visit Taiwan the first semester, you’ll be able to celebrate new year’s eve and gasp at the fireworks from the Taipei 101. It’s the second largest celebration of new year in the world and a spectacular experience.

page 3 of 4 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 Geesteswetenschappen/ humanities level X bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Theatre- Film- and Television Studies destination city & country Taipei, Taiwan name host institution and/or National Taiwan University company/organization purpose of exchange X study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 06 / 02 / 2014 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 01 / 09 / 2014

You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process Easy afterwards. But to look up about all the possibilities of universities and courses takes a lot of time. counselling/support at home university good academic preparation 2,5 year bachelor language preparation English finances Workingsummer+ ‘studiefinanciering’+ OV study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) I choose courses in political science department academic quality of education/placement activities Good. counselling/support at host institution/organisation Good. everything clear transfer of credits Still not hundred percent sure how this process works. I have to see after my traveling this summer. student life welcome/orientation programme Was fun, make sure you invest a lot of time in getting to know people the first weeks! accommodation Shui Yuan Prince House Dormitory, close to the campus (5min walk) and in fantastic student neighbourhood. Dorms are clean, but feels like and empty cell. Friendly people and a good place to meet people. leisure/culture - KTV! - clubbing

page 1 of 2 - hiking - joining trips of ISIS (international student organization) - eat! suggestions/tips This was a quick report, since my airplane is leaving in a couple of hours. But feel free to ask for more information! I was really glad that I could ask the girls who studied in Taiwan the semester before me for help, so please ask anything you want! conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain YES!! fantastic country! Easy traveling, cheap, friendly people, good food! Developed but still original Taiwanese influences. do you have any additional advice or comments? - Book a flexible ticket. - Go with an open mind, explore everything! - hangout with both exchange students and locals

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 Law level bachelor name degree programme Law destination city & country Taipei, Taiwan name host institution and/or National Taiwan University (NTU) company/organization purpose of exchange study/courses departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 10 / 02 / 2014 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 07 / 07 / 2014

You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process My first option as a country was Malaysia, however I had to fill in a second option and I picked Taiwan as a country. Taiwan is a small country; therefore it might sound weird as an exchange country. However for me the most important thing about my exchange was, going to an Asian country. The application process is easy, the website you use to apply is simple. At the first look it might be a little bit overwhelming, because they need a lot of documents, but you shouldn’t worry about it. Once you get through the applying process, the only thing you have to do is wait. If your home university approves your exchange, the host university will be easy. counselling/support at home university Whenever you have questions you can contact them and get the relevant information, they will help you during your stay abroad as well. Before you leave they will organize a pre-departure meeting and provide you with information and tips on your stay. You also might meet people from the same host university. academic preparation After getting the approval of NTU, you will get a volunteer student. Most of them are very helpful. Mine helped me with explaining how to register for courses, because it is different from UU. There are different rounds where you can add courses, but adding them doesn’t necessarily mean that you did enrol in it. My volunteer student advised me to pick as many as possible, and drop courses afterwards. language preparation The spoken languages in Taiwan are Mandarin (Chinese) and Taiwanese. In Taipei they use Chinese. Even though the majority is not able to speak English very well, it is easy to figure your way out with English alone. The people are very nice and will always try to help you. But I would advise you to learn some basic Chinese, because the people really appreciate it whenever you try to speak to them in Chinese. finances Staying and travelling around Taiwan is not expensive. The food is very cheap as well. However I would advise you to look further away and go to different countries nearby, such as Philippines, Japan, South-Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, etc. It is very easy to travel to these countries and most of the time it is possible if you plan your schedule with some days off. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)

page 1 of 3 I only selected courses which sounded interesting to me, so they were not all Law related. The quality of the courses really depends on the teachers. Some professors are not that fluent in English, so the class can become inefficient. The amount of courses, which are given in English, is little. Most of the classes I had were lectures, so you don’t have to make homework. Apart from the reading materials there are some essays and tests you have to make. I think a lot of students who are coming to Taiwan are focussing on their Chinese, so they don’t really want to spend time on other courses. academic quality of education/placement activities As I mentioned before the quality of the courses depends on the professors. Most of them are able to explain well in English, however I had a professor who was not understandable. They are not that strict with exchange students, because most of them agree that you have to travel around and see the Taiwan and it’s culture. counselling/support at host institution/organisation The support in NTU is great, they have a lot of activities to try to make you feel welcomed and at ease. Like every single student has a volunteer student, they are willing to help you with all kind of stuff. Also outside NTU, for example I had to go to the dentist and my volunteer student helped me with getting an appointment and she even went all the way with me to the place. You can also get a language exchange partner, however most of the locals are very shy, so you have to be the one who goes up to them. transfer of credits I haven’t transferred my credits yet, so I can’t say anything about this. student life welcome/orientation programme NTU has a introduction day, on this day you have to chance of meeting other exchange students as well as local students, they give you a tour around the campus (which is huge) and a presentation about the rules and procedures of NTU. accommodation If you want to stay in a dorm and let them know while applying, you will have a room guaranteed. Those rooms are very nice, clean and convenient. I stayed at a single room in prince dorm Shuiyuan, The campus, mrt, 7-11 (convenient store) and riverside are very close. You can choose between single rooms, single room with shared kitchen or a shared room. leisure/culture Taipei is the capital of Taiwan, so it’s a big city with a lot of activities. You can go to nightmarkets, clubs, shopping malls, parks, KTV, etc. And just outside of Taipei you can go sightseeing and hiking everywhere. Use your time well in the beginning and go to many different places, because whenever the end gets near, you will figure out there are still so many places you want to see. suggestions/tips  Get into a chinese class and try to order things in chinese  Get a bike, it is so much easier going around on it  Travel! In Taiwan and outside Taiwan (multiple entries visa)  Don’t expect too much sunshine in Taipei  Meet lots of new people with different backgrounds, but also locals  Don’t waste a single day, there are so many things to do  Try lots of new food on the nightmarkets. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Yes! With its people, culture and nature Taiwan is definitely worth having your exchange at. I came with zero

page 2 of 3 expectations of such a small country, but I am about to leave with tears. The local and exchange students will change your life in many ways. You won’t regret it 

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 Geosciences Level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Human Geography & Planning

destination city & country Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China) name host institution and/or National Taiwan University (NTU) company/organization purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 03/09/2012 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 23/06/2013

You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process There weren’t enough UU applicants to fill all the vacant spots for NTU so getting the international office to accept the exchange was a breeze. A bit peculiar as Taiwan is a wonderful country and NTU is one of the best universities in East-Asia. Anyway, the process at NTU itself is not too hard either: you follow the registration procedure on their exchange student registration system – a link of which they will send to you by e-mail – and if everything is correct they will send you an acceptance letter which you can bring to the Taiwanese diplomatic mission in The Hague to apply for you visa. I talked to the NTU exchange office and they told me that they basically accept anybody who is put forward by the UU exchange office, no need to worry about getting in or not once you get through the home selection. counselling/support at home university Support from the home university – the international exchange office – was always done in a quick and helpful manner. I requested to extend my stay in Taiwan with one more semester and the international exchange office agreed to that on the condition of my faculty agreeing. academic preparation Academic preparation for a bachelor exchange is generally not required. I didn’t prepare anything before arriving in Taiwan. language preparation Taiwan doesn’t require a TOEFL certificate or the like, they expect students from Dutch universities to have sufficient English proficiency. If you don’t have this you probably don’t have any business going on exchange anyway unless you are proficient in Mandarin Chinese. Which brings me to the second part. NTU provides

page 1 of 4

excellent Mandarin learning classes for anybody who’s interested. If you plan to study some Mandarin in Taiwan it might be useful to spend half a year taking additional classes in Holland so you start your classes in Taiwan on a higher level and achieve more progress faster. finances Taiwan is in some ways cheaper and in some ways similar to Holland. Rent will set you back around 200 euros a month if you live in the dorms and maybe 250 a month when you live outside the dorms. In Asian cultures, except to some extent Japan and Korea, eating outside is common practice. Eating outside is – provided that you exercise some thrift – most of the time cheaper than buying and cooking your own food. I’d say for 10 euro’s a day you have enough to eat without giving in on quality. In days of money scarcity you’d probably be able to survive on 5 euro a day without reaching a state of malnutrition. Furthermore: you need to buy a return plane ticket (~700- 1000 euro), some money for phone credit, health and traveller’s insurance in Holland, partying money and money for leisure trips (please please do this) study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) Basically you sign up for courses before you start, or when you start, your semester. As an exchange student you can basically sign up for any course you want and since there are probably not enough English-taught courses in your specific department you will find yourself doing some courses from multiple departments. Personally, I did some economic and political science course. The sign-up system is interesting because you can add or drop courses in the first 2 weeks of the semester so you can try a lot of courses to see whether you like them or not. Personally I focussed more on learning Mandarin because of the added value in that relative to other courses. If you don’t plan to become fluent however, there’s not much more added value than being the cool guy who speaks Chinese on a party where there are some people with Chinese heritage who are equally bad in Mandarin as you. If you plan to come to Taiwan for this really specific course they only have in NTU, which they probably won’t have in English, awesome. But otherwise the English-taught courses probably will not give you more than widening your academic perspective. academic quality of education/placement activities The quality of the courses varies a lot. You might end up in a challenging class with an inspiring teacher or you might up in a course of such terrible quality that it’d make you cry. I had both experiences and I would recommend you asking peers (like previous exchange students in your field) about certain courses and professors. I have heard, if you are capable, that classes taught in Mandarin are generally of excellent quality at NTU. counselling/support at host institution/organisation Support at NTU is awesome, the exchange office can help you if you need it. Since NTU has a very high status in Taiwan university facilities are fantastic, both off and online. For online use this website to do different things once you are accepted: https://my.ntu.edu.tw/?lang=eng&block=5,6 transfer of credits No experience as my credits haven’t been sent over yet. student life welcome/orientation programme Once you arrive in Taiwan you are very confused and there will be some stuff you need to take care off. Don’t worry it will be okay and everybody around you will feel the same way. The welcome programme is basically a guided tour and a speech and a lot of forms and some locals helping out. They’re all very nice and welcoming and you can ask them anything. They definitely made the difference the first week! accommodation You can either live in the dorms (~200 euro) or outside (~250 euro for a cheap room around the university area).

page 2 of 4

Dorms are nice with the prince house dorm being the nicest. Do note if you are a charmer or seductress it’s not allowed to bring people off the opposite sex into your room after 11pm. They are really pretty strict on that so unless you plan some nefarious tactics for sneaking in your beloved, which is perfectly possible, you won’t sleep together. Also, you can’t smoke in your room. Also, the walls are thin so you will hear and be heard. But besides that living in the dorms is an awesome experience. All your friends also live in the same building complex as you and whenever you go outside you will invariably meet some people to hang out with, it’s truly a “gezellige” experience. leisure/culture There’s a lot to be said about Taiwanese culture but I’m not going to do it, you will have to find out by yourself. I will just say that Taiwanese people are incredibly friendly, welcoming, interested in you and nice. They are so friendly that many airlines in Asia like to hire Taiwanese people as stewardesses because they are known for their good service. suggestions/tips 1. Go travel 2. Go travel 3. Go travel 4. Buy a simcard when you arrive at the airport 5. There is no matrass in the dorm room so you can either buy a cheap one at 711 (a convenience store nearby) or a slightly more expensive one but a lot more comfortable one at an Ikea which you will have to take a taxi for (matrass will cost maybe around 80 euro) 6. Taxis are cheap, around 5 euro for a 20 minute ride 7. Learn some Chinese, people really appreciate that 8. Don’t study too much, you are here for life experience, studying is a waste of time if you do anything more than the essentials. I’m talking about abroad here, in Holland it’s a different story. 9. Buy a bike 10. Buy a Bike 11. Really, buy one. 12. Biking in Taiwan is awesome and really convenient. 13. Bikes are cheap too (around 25 euro should get you one) 14. Don’t hang out with Dutch people 15. If you plan on visiting China it might be useful to get a visa beforehand as you can’t get one in Taiwan as a foreigner and you will have to go to Hong Kong to apply for it. 16. Cheap airlines in Asia (AirAsia, Tiger Air, HK airlines, peach airlines) conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain NTU is very highly acclaimed in Taiwan. It’s incredibly hard to get in for a Taiwanese high-schooler and therefore the facilities and general level of education are of a high standard. Taiwan has a very interesting political situation and has been colonized by Holland, Spain and Japan. Most of the people are of Chinese heritage but the society is very westernized. This all provides an immensely interesting cultural mix. The food is excellent, the climate is subtropical, the nature is beautiful and the people are really really nice. This all makes Taiwan a very comfortable location to study in and learn something about the world, Asia and yourself. Taipei is a very big and modern city with excellent (really excellent, I’m talking about awesome 10 euro all you drink club excellent) nightlife, a good transportation system and cheap restaurants of good quality everywhere.

page 3 of 4

do you have any additional advice or comments? Go travel. Philippines, Japan and Hong Kong are probably the closest and cheapest in terms of airplane tickets and all must-sees. If you go a bit further there’s Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, you name it. All places you need to go some time in your life and using Taiwan as a hub gives you a unique opportunity to visit them.

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

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 Science – Physics / Mathematics level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme TWIN Natuurkunde en Wiskunde

destination city & country Taipei, Taiwan National Taiwan University name host institution and/or (Department of Physics) company/organization

purpose of exchange study/courses work placement field work other departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 21 / 08 / 2012 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 15 / 01 / 2013

You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process When I started my bachelor’s, I had in mind to spend at least one semester of it in China, because I was interested by the unprecedented growth of the Chinese economy and influence. So I started looking for opportunities of attending a bachelor program in mainland China. I was delighted to find that it was very easy to apply for one of the (at the time) six partner universities in China (of which three are located in Hong Kong). However, it turned out to be difficult to find the right bachelor courses in the Chinese universities, since most bachelor programs are in Chinese. The universities in Hong Kong didn’t have this problem, so I applied for the three of them. Apart from some paperwork, it didn’t involve much effort. The three universities in Hong Kong happened to be popular destinations. In the end I had to change my application to National Taiwan University. After that I was admitted in no time and got access to the helpful information system of the university. What remained was to provide the necessary documents (motivation letter, transcript of academic records, proof of insurance, and the usual personal documents). counselling/support at home university There were but few moment in which I had to consult the International Office. The information on the website was very clear. The few moments that I asked for help, the service was quite good. It seemed however that I was the first of my department to go to Taiwan, so it was hard to get an impression of the university’s physics department beforehand. I solved this by simply mailing several departments of the Science Faculty to find the right contact persons in order to find out which courses were suitable for me. academic preparation

page 1 of 3

For me the main reason to go to this region was to get a feeling for the culture and for the mentality of the Taiwanese students. Having the right preliminary academic knowledge or taking major-specific courses was therefore not a priority for me. In the end it proved hard to integrate the physics and math courses of NTU in my own curriculum of UU, mainly because the undergraduate courses were all in Mandarin. At the physics and mathematics department only graduate courses were provided in English, so I advise physics and mathematics students that want attend NTU to take into account that you may have to prolong your bachelor’s. language preparation Chinese (Mandarin for Taiwan) is of course a hard language to learn and I decided not to put much energy in learning the language beforehand. It proved not to be necessary. National Taiwan University provides some useful language courses and exercise classes. However, many Taiwanese students seem to have difficulty speaking English (although it often turns out that they are just shy to try their English. finances The expenditures in Taiwan aren’t very high. Food is not that expensive and so is the accommodation. I estimated that I didn’t need to apply for a grant and looking back it wasn’t necessary indeed. However, I can advise anyone visiting this region to look beyond the borders and plan trips to neighbouring countries during your stay. This however, does raise the costs of your stay, but it’s definitely worth it. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) My main target for me was to get acquainted with Chinese academic life and culture, so for me, getting in touch with Taiwanese students was more important than applying for the right courses, although I put quite some energy in selecting the right courses related to my major. I did this mainly by contacting the teacher that gave the courses, after having made a selection based on the online course system. academic quality of education/placement activities I did not need to do any placement test for the courses I applied for. The Chinese language course does have a placement test, but only for people that have some experience speaking Chinese. Others are just classified in the beginner’s course. There are also many specific courses in English that are provided especially for foreign students, mainly on topics related to Asia and China/Taiwan. These are however very popular and are usually assigned to applicants that study a major related to the topic. I was very satisfied with the quality of the Chinese course. The quality of the Chinese you learn depends largely on your own efforts. Learn frequently and, most important, practice in daily life. Talking only to your fellow students in this class (foreigners only) is not sufficient. I was less satisfied with the physics and mathematics courses. Teachers are often very enthusiastic, but have to slow their pace on demand of the students, because they have difficulties comprehending the teacher’s English. When you apply for graduate science courses, you will probably be the only foreigner, so by all means, try to get in touch with your fellow students. It is enriching for both you and them. counselling/support at host institution/organisation When I asked for support related my curriculum, I often found that the administrative service of my department was very helpful. But apart from that, I didn’t really need support or counsel of NTU. The international office was also quite helpful, the few times that I had to arrange paperwork at that office. transfer of credits The transfer of credits proved a little difficult. This is mostly because it proved hard for the Board of Examiners to weigh the value of the courses and because the Taiwanese credit system is very different from the European. Nonetheless, soon after I returned home, I received the transcript of academic records by surface mail. It is than

page 2 of 3

mainly a matter of researching yourself to what degree the study credits are transferable. Suggestion: discuss with UU teacher that teach similar courses and discuss how much overlap there is. student life welcome/orientation programme NTU provides a welcome program, which you should certainly attend. Not only did I get to know the many other exchange students for that semester, but also I learned much about the large campus and its facilities and the activities that NTU has to offer. Accommodation My accommodation was arranged by the university, so I was allocated at the ShuiYuan Dorms near the campus. These dormitories are rather new and I was surprised by the quality. Most exchange students lived in single rooms, which were very affordable. These have air conditioning (which you won’t need most of the time during the first semester) and attached bath rooms. It is not possible to cook your own meals, both because there is no kitchen and because the supermarkets hardly provide any ingredients. Instead, everyone eats at restaurants, on campus, or at food stands on the street, three times a day, which is much cheaper. Sometimes the dorms can be rather noisy, because the corridors are . It is not possible to give a preference for a specific room, only for which room type you want. See suggestions/tips for more information. leisure/culture Taipei is a formidable base for exploring the island of Taiwan. The train network along both the east and west coast are excellent, so you can easily spend a weekend exploring several Taiwanese cities. But culture is not only found in the countryside. Just stroll around in Taipei and you will see temples, praying businessmen, and people practicing Taichi. suggestions/tips Do not only stay in contact with your fellow exchange students: get in touch with the Taiwanese. A good way to do this is to join activities like Chinese Chat organized by the Foreign Student Association (NTU FSA), or just to join one of the many student societies that present their activities during the welcome week. Another practical thing, don’t do the health test needed for the application in your home country. You can do it quite cheaply during the welcome week at National Taiwan University Hospital. About the accommodation: the dormitory rules are maintained rather thoroughly (e.g. no smoking, no room members during the night, and stay quiet from 11pm to 7am). It can be rather disturbing at first, but these rules are repeated endlessly on several occasions during the welcome week. But obey them, because several students were kicked out or fined when they disobeyed. Respect the difference in culture. For physics students: attend the weekly department lectures for graduate students on Tuesday afternoon. They often have interesting international speakers and this is where you will see researchers from many other countries. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain I can recommend National Taiwan University to anyone interested in getting acquainted with Chinese culture and society. It is remarkable how traditional daily life in Taipei is and how very “Chinese” the local students are. The quality of education was not that what I was used to, but it was certainly worth the experience.

page 3 of 3

UU Study Abroad Report Form

faculty/college Geesteswetenschappen level Bachelor name degree programme Undergraduate destination city & country Taipei, Taiwan name host institution and/or National Taiwan University company/organization purpose of exchange Study/courses departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 01 / 09 / 2012 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 18 / 01 / 2013

You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing. preparation exchange/placement application process Because I have been in China a couple of years ago, I knew I wanted to go back to Asia. Though I understand Taiwan does not sound as a regular place to go, I strongly recommend this place. It’s more westernized than you think, the people are wonderful everywhere (you don’t have to lock your bike or you can leave your Iphone in the Macdonalds and pick it up a couple of hours later: it’s still there. That’s really amazing and makes the whole environment really nice to live). As soon as I heard in the Netherlands that some exchange students from Hongkong went to Taiwan a couple of weeks and almost felt sad that they didn’t study in Taipei, I decided to go to Taipei. As for every destination to study abroad, you have to follow the instructions on the website of the International office and for example fill in a study plan and a financial plan. If it’s not clear enough to you, it’s no problem to contact them by e-mail or something. My note here is that most of the time you’re not doing the courses which are in your studyplan. Don’t be afraid about this, it’s gonna be fine. It’s a bit confusing that you need a studyplan etc. for your first choice with a signature and everything, but it’s no problem if you choose other courses (though it has to be a bit academic). I was placed without a problem. counselling/support at home university The help you need is always provided. You can contact them any time before you leave and during your stay abroad as well. We also had a meeting with all the exchange students who would go to Asia, so then you know if someone else is going as well and it could be nice to share questions or something. academic preparation Before you leave you choose your courses via the website of NTU (National Taiwan University). It’s clear which courses are in English (pretty much actually so that’s nice), how many credits you get for the course and which day/time the course is given. As soon as you are in Taiwan, you have two weeks of time to go to every course you want to see if you like it or not. If you decide to take it, you’ll get a code and you sign in on the internet. Sometimes a course is too crowded, but if you really need the course I’m sure they will help you to get a code. language preparation There is no kind of level required, and believe me: you don’t need it. Though Taiwanese people speak better English than I expected, you speak better English anyway. Don’t be afraid of papers or anything in English, the

page 1 of 4 professors understand that you’re not a native and most of your Taiwanese classmates are even worse. The professors are good enough in speaking English and will always try to make everything clear. finances You can make it as expensive as you want, talking about if you are planning to travel around. Taiwan itself is really beautiful, I’ve been almost everywhere just because I like it so much and it’s really convenient travelling by bus or train. This country offers really good surfplaces, hikings, mountains, views, clubs, everything. It goes from palm trees to Snow mountain. From Taiwan, Philippines, China, Cambodja, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan are the closest and most popular places to go. But if you’re not travelling it’s way cheaper of course. The life in Taiwan is not extremely cheap. It’s cheaper than the Netherlands, especially food and clothes and stuff like that. The most awesome thing is clubbing. There are a lot of open bars (!!!) and I mean: gin tonic, long island, whiskey coke, beer, whatever you want: for free. Entrance is around 5 euros for girls and 10-15 euros for guys. Girls are always getting discount everywhere. Its quite mean towards the guys but 15 euros unlimited drinks is still not expensive. But you have to keep in mind that it just costs a lot of money to study abroad. Somehow you spend money and you don’t even really know where your money went to. Without travelling outside Taiwan, be sure of 2500 euros. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) The quality of the courses really depends on the course you take. I heard different stories from the students here. Some had really a lot to do with really difficult topics, others almost did nothing. I was in between. The effort is usually less than it is in the Netherlands, but you will learn something anyway. Participation is really important here, though you will never get a low grade for it. They are really nice to exchange students. The organisation is not good and not bad. I mean, you’re not in Europe so don’t expect really strict rules or something. And again, it depends on the course or the professor. But I can say that you should not worry about your grades. And what I really recommend: Chinese. It’s so much fun to learn it and you can use it when you’re in a cab or something. We had a lot of fun trying our best Chinese... academic quality of education/placement activities Like I said above, it depends on the course. To be a little bit more specific: the financial and economic courses are more academic than the courses about Taiwan or sociology-related courses. But you can’t compare it to the Netherlands and you will have enough time to explore Taiwan or other countries. counselling/support at host institution/organisation They are really nice. You can always visit, e-mail or call them. Also when you decide to live in the dorms (which I can recommend as well: rooms are big enough, a private bathroom and everybody around you to meet, to have food or anything). They will always help you for example to write an address in Chinese that you can show to the cab driver and stuff like that. transfer of credits For each course I got 6 ECTS, which means you should take 5 courses to get 30 ECTS. student life welcome/orientation programme There is one orientation day. At that day you are divided into small groups so you meet just a few people. But you will see the whole campus which is really big and beautiful with palm trees and everything. After that, the days start where you can go to courses which you might like and that’s where you meet the most people. If you’re living in the dorms you will see everybody around the whole day. One person arranged a facebookgroup and we all met in the park next to dorms on the second night. It was great, we explored a lot of clubbing the next days. accommodation

page 2 of 4 I lived in the dorms. There are some rules, like being quite in the evening and nobody can sleep over (but if you want to do that, there are some good tricks haha). But on the average, its just the most fun when everybody is living together. Its chill to have your own apartment of course. We had some good nights at the apartment of someone who didn’t live in the dorms, but that person was quite isolated from the people who lived in the dorms during the day. So its just what you like the most. The dorms are just two years old, so its good. There is a microwave and cold/hot water. I don’t recommend the room with the kitchen: you just never use it. Buying food and preparing a meal is more expensive than having dinner outside. leisure/culture First, the people in Taiwan are extremely nice. If you leave your bag somewhere, people will say that you have to bring it instead of stealing your bag. No bikes locked. Cameras in your pocket while clubbing. The Taiwanese people will see you as a guest in their county and you have to treat guests good. They are really flattered that you are coming all the way to Taiwan and they want you to leave with a good impression of Taiwan. Its obvious that they are looking at you in the streets, especially when you’re tall or blond, but its not in an annoying way. Sometimes they want a picture, but they will ask you in nice way. I just want to make clear that you will feel safe here, you can take a cab or a walk in the middle of the night without fear. I like that a lot. Second, the university. NTU is the Harvard of Taiwan. A lot of Taiwanese are learning English at a really young age, hoping that they will be allowed on NTU. Everybody from the government studied there. When someone asks you where you study and you say Táida (NTU) they say: oh my god. I didn’t know this when I came but it seems to be a privilege to study there. Levels are generally higher than other universities in Taiwan. Taipei, the city, is great. A lot of cultural stuff, but also a lot of bars and good clubs. The city is surrounded by mountains so you can do some really nice hikes pretty close. Its crowded, but not compared to Hongkong. Taxi’s and scooters everywhere. Dogs with rainboots. Umbrella’s while the sun its not raining. Gloves while its 30 degrees. Wild dogs. The greatest food. The most awful food (we drank snakeblood). And so on. You will not be bored. Besides this, its really convenient to explore the rest of Taiwan. And you should. From beaches to mountains with snow. suggestions/tips Be sure you passport is valid for at least 6 months after you leave Taiwan. You can come in Taiwan if you’re passport is valid for 6 months from then, but if you’re planning to travel you cannot enter Taiwan anymore, even though you have a visa! And don’t take a visa if you know you will be travelling within 90 days. That will save you 70 euros then. Be aware of the weather. I was here the first semester, and in the beginning it was really hot and humid. But somehow there are days with rain the whole day. Plan trips in the beginning of the semester, because then school is not really serious yet and the weather is best.

Go to Taroko Gorge, that’s an amazing nature, and rent scooters over there. Conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain I will definitely recommend Taipei, Taiwan and NTU. As far as I know everybody had a great time here. At the time I’m writing this it’s for most of the people time to go home. And I see more sad faces than happy faces. I even know some people who extended their stay for another semester. Reunions are already planned! do you have any additional advice or comments? Don’t hesitate to study abroad, you will have a good time for sure. In no time you made friends for life, you feel like having a very long holiday. You will have a lot of experiences, most of them are fun. You learn some Chinese and you see how different the people are living.

page 3 of 4 Don’t expect to make really good friends with the Taiwanese students. They are really really really serious about their studies (it’s almost an honour for them to study at NTU) and they don’t really like going out. Still, there will be a lot of other exchange students to have fun with.

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