Student Testimonials

Student Testimonials: University of Amsterdam (UvA)

amsterdam student eval

Expenses

Books (per semester): 500 Euro
Food (per week): 140 Euro
Local transportation (per week): 10 Euro
Entertainment (per week): 100 Euro
Bicycle: Often students can purchase a used bike for as little as 50 Euro, but I would recommend spending 100 Euro on the bike to ensure that it lasts the entire semester.

"I bought an unlocked phone and a SIM card for a cost of 60 Euro. Rechargeable minutes: Local 18 Euro cents; International 9 cents. I would recommend this over keeping my US phone and paying $1 per minute."

"Credit and debit cards are readily accepted as a method of payment. It is preferable to have a Dutch bank account and sign up for a Chipknip (PIN card)."

"My dorm was centrally located and it did come furnished. There was no meal plan but the dorm room was equipped with a small kitchen (stove/sink/refrigerator). It was certainly a let down from the NYU dorms."

"The University and professors were very accommodating and I settled my schedule within the first week. Courses are published for each Block approximately a month before classes begin. They can be confirmed online, or in-person if courses are added/dropped."
"My program was within the Economics and Business Faculty. One finance class, there was very large where lectures were no more than a reading of slide material and tutorials a recount of problem sets (to be fair, it was a base course). Individual work was certainly emphasized, particularly because of the weight assigned to the final exam. The other finance course was very small (only 8 students) and class time was much more intense. Both finance courses had some group work as well. Overall, the workload was much less than at NYU. Grading was equally strict. Teaching quality was roughly equivalent."

"My favorite classes were the two that I expected to enjoy the least. I enrolled in two liberal arts classes outside of the economics faculty (my major): Global Poverty, and Amsterdam History, Architecture, and City Planning. Studying abroad allowed me the opportunity to take classes I may otherwise have missed out on.”

"The most accessible extracurricular activities were held primarily within (or around) residence halls, which allowed the opportunity to meet many exchange students (the halls were strictly for exchange students). They included everything from speed dating to soccer leagues."
"I spent most of my time with other exchange students (many of whom were from European countries, but who all spoke English relatively well). However, the three closest friendships I formed from the experience were all with Americans. It was not so easy to meet students from the host country. Only one of my classes had permanent UvA students."

"Traveling was extremely easy. The only tip I have is to book inexpensive hotels, and do not use hostels. I took 7 weekend trips in total: London (2x), Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, Brussels/Antwerp, and Monte-Carlo. I would recommend London, Barcelona, Paris, and Berlin for sure."
"I traveled via train to Brussels/Antwerp and purchased airline tickets on Orbitz.com to other destinations."
"Travel with a friend. It is always nice to have someone to rely on and meet people with, especially at the beginning of the trip."