Heejoo (Sem 1, 2023)

My Exchange at Utrecht University

• Accommodation:

I lived on the highest floor of one of the university housings with two roommates. The views were stunning.

• Orientation:

Utrecht University puts a lot of effort into making the exchange experience the best for students. We had two orientation weeks: one called welcome week and another called introduction week. They assign you mentors who have already been living in the city for a while that you can ask any questions to. You also get to meet new people every day and try out fun activities such as city tours, boat rides in the canals, karaoke and more.

• What the host city/country was like:

I loved living in Utrecht. It is a small city where everything is in reach within 25 minutes bike ride. It has a lot of canals. A lot of my friends would say Utrecht is like small Amsterdam with less tourists. It is very pretty. Utrecht also has many parks available and is actually known as ‘garden city’ in the Netherlands. On my free days I travelled within the Netherlands. I’ve been to kuekenhof (tulip garden), kinderdiljk & zaanse schans (windmills), giethoorn (Venice of the Netherlands) and more! The Netherlands is the best country to travel if you like exploring.

• The cost of living:

The cost of living is definitely very high compared to Auckland. Once I got on a call with my friend in Auckland and compared our groceries costs. Hers was almost half of mine even though I plan out my groceries and she doesn’t. Transport is expensive too. If you want to take a train from Utrecht to Amsterdam, even though it is a short ride consisting of 26 minutes it will cost you €10 one way which is about 18 NZD.

• Extracurricular:

I travelled through Europe quite a bit. During my exchange, I went to Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Sweden and Belgium. Living in Europe definitely makes it very easy to travel to other countries. As much as I loved my travels and would have never had it any other way, I would advise to not over-travel. In the second half of my semester, I barely travelled and focused more on experiencing exchange and absolutely loved it.

• Life on campus:

I loved living on campus because you could do everything with your friends. A lot of exchange students lived at my accommodation so we would always bike to things together, do groceries together, cook together and party together.

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Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

I would say my grades immensely improved at Utrecht University. I think Utrecht University just marks way less harshly than Auckland University and my grades improved a lot even though I didn’t study as hard as in Auckland.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

Utrecht University has a very active ESN (Erasmus Network) group which is a committee that plans events for exchange students. Every European universities have them but I have heard that not all of them are as active as Utrecht’s. My friend in Germany told me their ESN puts on a few events every Month whereas Utrecht ESN had a few events every week. This semester they had day/weekend trips in Netherlands, weekend trip to Belgium, bar biking, parties, karaoke, kayaking, cantus, potluck etc… I would definitely recommend going to their events.

What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

1. Exchange is what you make of it, put yourself out there and get involved.

2. If you don’t know how to bike, please learn before you come here; it’s just crucial to the lifestyle.

3. Be prepared for Dutch people’s bluntness!

How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?

I budgeted about $10,000 for exchange only. If you want to travel, budget more. Shop at cheaper grocery stores, bike instead of taking the bus/tram.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

That you can actually build your life the way you want. Before coming to the Netherladns, I was quite tunnel-visioned without even realising that I was. Even though I would always say there is no answer in life, I was following the footstep of what I thought life at my age had to look like – graduate high school, go to unveristy, do internships and land a stable job. Exchange has shown me so much more potential options for me. Now, I don’t know where my life will take me; I don’t know where I would live nor what job I would have. But I am excited for so much more opportunities and experiences to come.

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