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author
Francesco Zamiri
Francesco
Zamiri
faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences
academic year of the stay
2024/2025
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author
Francesco
faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences
academic year of the stay
2024/2025
Leiden University
traineeship
study stay
short-term mobility
other
How does Francesco rate their stay?
university
city
accommodation
financial demands
about university
What made your university special? What were the facilities where you studied and the university equipment like?
Leiden University requires lots of work. To be honest, I was quite surprised by the amoun of psychological support services they offer, and by the end of the semester I unerstood why those are on offer. On the other hand, the city is beautiful, and if you can manage your time right, there are plenty of activities to do. For example, the sports center offers tons of sports, and once you pay the card, you have access to all of them
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about your "adoptive" university? What made it special? What were the premises where you studied and the university facilities like?
Work is very intenes, with multiple readings per class and a focus on writing papers and presentations. Like at Charles Uni, classes are small, but there's more interaction between students and teachers.
What is student life like at university?
There are many, but I didn't have time to participate in any.
Did you study in English or in the language of the host country? What language requirements does the university have?
Just Englsih, and you feel very little of a need for Dutch when everyone speaks great English
about the city
What was your impression of the city? How would you describe it? What is interesting to see here?
Brautiful and small, so many people end up living in the Hague, like me. It has great services and public transport. More in general about the weather in the Netherlands, it's damp year round, and during winter many days have no sun due to heavy and widespread clouds. You can do it, but you should be aware of it. Also it rains a lot
about finances
In your experience, how far does the scholarship go? What percentage of your expenses did it cover? What is your opinion on prices in the country in general?
The scholarship is not enough. Unless you are extremely lucky, it will barely cover rent. Therefore, make sure you have at least another 400€/10.000CZK montly you have access to. A great opportunity, if you have the time, is to work part time. If, as an EU citizen, you work at least 8 hours a week while studying full time, you are eligible for the same funding that Dutch nationals get, which can be very helpful. Check duo.nl/particulier/student-finance/ for more information.
Please advise your classmates on how to save money—Where to shop? What services can be used to save money?
Shop at Aldi or Volmar, use a bike and/or use the NS calculator to find the train card that suits you best.
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about accommodation
What type of accommodation did you choose? Would you recommend it to others? If not, what type of accommodation do you think is best based on your experience (dormitory, private apartment, private dormitory, shared room, etc.)?
I shared a detatched house with some classmates. It's great, and it feels like an actual home, but it's expensive.
about experiences
Did you use Erasmus stay to travel around your country/Europe? What are your best travel experiences? What would you not recommend?
Definitely use the rail network to explore the rest of the Netherlands, as well as Belgium and maybe Northern France. Also, in the city, buy a bike or use swapfiets to move around independent of public transport schedules.
Language and culture: what cultural differences did you notice? How did you cope with the national language? Was it also the language of your studies? Do you feel that your language skills improved during your stay?
You don't really need Dutch for university or for going about your life, basically everyone speaks good English. However, you do need at least some Dutch to make some Dutch friends. Also, it's nice to learn the basic words like please, thank you and goodbye.
final rating
Why here? What makes this location special? Why would you send your friends to your country/city?
If they can afford it and don't mind lots of days without the sun
live-saving tips
If I went again, I would definitely remember to pack...
A good raincoat
Before leaving, I would like to know that...
What surprised me most was that...
Stropwaffel
The hardest thing for me was...
The weeks without seeing the sun
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