Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

very livable city! Learned to be a grownup (sort of) Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/28/2019 to 06/01/2019 with

CIEE: Amsterdam - Social Sciences + Humanities

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Learned to be respobsible for myself and figure out how to solve issues. Living fully alone for first time so if something broke my responsibility to fix it. when i lost my key i had to call the locksmith myself and couldnt just call pub safe which was very worthwhile

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* 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

Got to travel a lot and had a great time although I feel that Oxford might have been a more unique experience. Amsterdam was a bit just like living as an adult in a city which i hope to do later in my life!

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? around a hundred euros
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? cook a lot and don't shop at albert hein too much (find cheaper grocery store)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
* 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?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • city itself
  • ability to travel
* What could be improved?
  • living situation (landlords were virtually unresponsive, power went out often and there was no wifi. also very far from all of our classes and city center
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? how to cook better

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:

Screen Cultures

Course Department: Film
Instructor: Johnathan Key
Instruction Language: Englsih
Comments: Feel that I learned a lot although course was poorly organized classes were cancelled often and rescheduled inconveniently
Credit Transfer Issues: n/a
Course Name/Rating:

Beginning Dutch

Course Department: Dutch
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Dutch
Comments: Very charismatic professor but I don't feel that I learned much.
Credit Transfer Issues: I have not transferred them yet.
Course Name/Rating:

Shakespeare In Focus
Course Department:
Instructor: Steve Smith
Instruction Language: English
Comments: rigorous and interesting!
Credit Transfer Issues: no
Course Name/Rating:

Sharia and Halakha and the Modernization of Religious Law
Course Department: Middle Eastern Studies
Instructor: Maaike Voorhoeve
Instruction Language: Englsh
Comments: Extremely interesting. I felt pretty overwhelmed going into it as virtually every other student had been studying the subject for years and the first few weeks felt like I was looking up every other term the professor said. I almost tried to switch out but I'm so glad I didn't as I ended up making al of my dutch friends through it and was able to catch up (ended up getting at A!)
Credit Transfer Issues: n/a