Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Hi! My name is Grace and I am a second year Journalism student currently studying at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in The Netherlands. Rotterdam is the second largest city in The Netherlands, and about an hour train ride (or a 4 euro flix bus) away from Amsterdam, home to many cute thrift stores, markets and events. The city was rebuilt after WW2, hence its more modernist architecture compared to other cities in The Netherlands.

Academic life

Term 1 has just finished for the communications school, and we are all about to embark on a small break. Much unlike Australia, a two hour flight will put you in another country, rather than just up to the Gold Coast, and we all plan on exploring a few countries before the start of term 2. I thoroughly enjoyed both subjects I completed in Term 1, which were both electives, History of Western Arts and Culture and Media Campaigns. History of Western Arts and Culture greatly differs from anything I have studied in Sydney, which is typically more journalism or strategic communication based. My course at UTS involves only assignments, and no exams, so the three hour exam I had to complete for History of Western Arts and Culture was definitely a shock, since the last time I experienced a three hour exam was for the HSC. Next term I am studying three subjects, Feeling Orange, World Politics After Empire and Globalisation, Culture and Place. Feeling orange is a subject surrounding perspectives on Dutch culture and will offer a more in depth approach, and a greater chance to fully immerse within The Netherlands.

At Erasmus, the tutorials are 2 hours and 45 minutes, but they do give you a few ten minute breaks in between. However, next term I only have lectures, which will definitely be interesting to experience. The campus is of a similar size to UTS, but all the buildings are much closer together, and you will not have to walk around aimlessly looking for that pesky building 5! The campus is now covered in red leaves as the trees quickly shed their leaves for winter. It is already around as cold as it gets in Sydney, so I am preparing to brave the even colder weather that is soon to arrive. The campus also has a student bar that many of us accidentally stumble upon after a long study day but much to everyone’s despair is closing down over winter for renovations.

Despite being in a non-English speaking country, practically everyone speaks perfect English, with so many people being multilingual it definitely makes you feel underachieved! All classes for exchange students are taught in English, which is beneficial as the only Dutch words I know are the ones that are very similar to English, such as Hello (Hallo) and Sorry (Sorry).

Culture shock

One culture shock about the Netherlands is definitely bike riding. Unfortunately, I may be the Netherlands worst cyclist and when google maps says a 20 minute cycle I have to plan ahead for my 30 minute ride. However, cycling is definitely a must over here and The Netherlands is so cycle friendly, with completely separate lanes for bikes. Overall it is a great way to get around and many exchange students over here, including myself, picked up our rental bikes at Swapfiets within our first week here.

Unfortunately, I was not able to secure on-campus accommodation, however, I was lucky enough to have requested a co-allocation for exchange with my friend and we were able to search for off-campus accommodation together. In The Netherlands, there is currently a housing crisis, making it exceedingly hard for students to secure accommodation. Yet, we managed to find a brand new, recently built apartment around a 25 minute cycle from uni, with the building built solely for expats, including international students, who are only staying 6 months, through a platform called Holland2Stay.

Overall, going on exchange is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and all the stresses of housing, subjects and organisation before going seem so worthless now. Honestly, one of the best decisions and I am definitely in no rush to come home! For any future students contemplating coming to Rotterdam I would recommend it in a heartbeat, as it is the perfect location with plenty of little day trips to other quaint cities in The Netherlands and in proximity to many other countries. I have already done day trips to Belgium, an Oktoberfest trip to Munich and a mini euro summer beforehand, with many more tips coming up! So absolutely submit an application for exchange to experience a once in a lifetime opportunity, meet so many new people and create so many memories!

Grace Newton
Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation
Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
Global Exchange Scholarship

For more information about the UTS Global Exchange program please visit: www.uts.edu.au/thinkglobal