Amazing and beautiful city with so much to do! Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/24/2016 to 05/28/2016 with

CIEE: Amsterdam - Business + Culture

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned that it's okay to go somewhere new without knowing anyone, and learn to make new friends and have conversations with people you don't know very well.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The CIEE Amsterdam staff are amazing! So caring, and willing to help their students with anything. And they are so organized that by the time you arrive in Amsterdam, they basically have everything arranged for you.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

CIEE Amsterdam is such a great program - great staff, great city, great school! and the city of Amsterdam is so great. It's beautiful, the food is awesome, and everyone bikes everywhere and just seems so happy.

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

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

How much money you spend is entirely dependent on what you choose to buy! If you go out for food and drinks every night, the cost will add up. Same with if you take lots of trips to other countries. But if you are just buying groceries, cooking your own meals, and grabbing the occasional cup of coffee or croissant at a local bakery, you will be just fine.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? maybe ~$100 (more or less depending on the week)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Don't be afraid to spend money, because you're studying abroad and this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity! But also make conscious decisions on what you want to put your money towards. This could be for vacations, food, partying, etc. but its best to really think about where your money is going.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Dutch is a tough language, but we learned what we needed to get around Amsterdam

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? High level spanish
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • the staff
  • bikes and canals in Amsterdam
  • so much to do in the city!
* What could be improved?
  • housing (my dorm was far from school)
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I had known that the friends you make at the beginning are not permanent, and its okay to shift around and meet new people

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Labor Economics

Course Department: Faculty of Economics and Business
Instructor: Erik Plug
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The material was challenging, but the lectures were clearly delivered and all the information was online and available to students. We had 3 weeks of lecture then a midterm exam, then another 3 weeks then a final exam.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Behavioral Economics

Course Department: Faculty of Economics and Business
Instructor: Theo Offerman
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The course was not terribly difficult, but it did involve mainly group work! Group presentations, group experiments, group papers. Lectures were not mandatory, but lab experiments were. The professor was incredibly knowledgeable and also very nice!
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Transition Economics

Course Department: Faculty of Economics and Business
Instructor: Sweder van Wijnbergen
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I found this class pretty boring! It was history about banking reform in Eastern Europe in the past 50 years...so if that is your thing then by all means take this class! It just wasn't really up my alley
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Beginning Dutch

Course Department: CIEE
Instructor: Bonny
Instruction Language: English/Dutch
Comments: Bonny is awesome! He used a great combination of teaching us the Dutch language and teaching us about Dutch culture. We had quizzes, tests, and projects. But mostly during class time we just practiced speaking to each other in Dutch.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Dutch Public Health

Course Department: CIEE
Instructor: Nicole
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Really cool and fun to learn about the Dutch public health system. We took field trips to a retirement home, a General Practitioner's office, to a museum.
Credit Transfer Issues: