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Studies > Netherlands > Leiden > Universiteit Leiden > Review by tricia
 
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Universiteit Leiden

University of Leiden, Stationsweg 46 - PO Box 9500, 2300 Ra Leiden, THE Netherlands
3.67 / 5 based on 156 reviews.
Description:
The Universiteit Leiden was founded in 1575. Leiden is a picturesque town with 114,000 inhabitants, close to Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. The University has always met high standards of education and research.


Reviews
International Partners
Programmes
Accreditations
82% of students recommend
156 reviews
Housing
3.3/5
 All experiences (156)
Student life
4.1/5
 5 stars (24)
Academic
3.9/5
 4 stars (54)
Languages
3.8/5
 3 stars (72)
Expenses
3.2/5
 2 stars (6)
Overall
4.2/5
 1 star (0)
“I wanted to be completely honest so take what I say with a grain of salt. This country doesn't really believe in lifelong learning so I'm sure people under a certain age would love it here. I'm just in my 30s and had expected something else. It doesn't make this a bad university per se but just not the kind of place you should go if you are mature. Maybe I have too much life experience and am too critical but this was a MAJOR disappointment.” Read Review
girlsbestfriend, United States

Universiteit Leiden review by tricia

Review by tricia, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
Language, Independent
HOUSING    
Personal assessment
Cost
KEY:
Couldn't have asked for more.
Pretty good.
Could've been better, but didn't lessen the overall experience.
Disappointing.
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Type of housing:
Arranged by:
If returning, I would choose:
Why?
Personal comments:
none
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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STUDENT LIFE    
Personal social experience
Activities
KEY:
Amazing! Hardly had time to study.
Plenty to do when I had the time.
So-so.
Did not get involved.
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Describe host city: Students equally interact with the local and student community
Nightlife, Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Activities: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal comments:
none if you are over 22, you will be shunned like the plague
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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ACADEMIC       1.5 / 5
My academic experiences
Quality of courses
KEY:
Fantastic.
Pretty good.
Could've been a bit better.
Disappointing.
Variety of courses
Availability/access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with other international students
Interaction with local students
Course recommendations:
Shockingly poor selection of English courses! The fact that the instructors spoke stilted English and the students spoke 1/2 English and 1/2 Dutch should be addressed (especially since I wanted to study ENGLISH LITERATURE).



My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
KEY:
Liked it.
It was alright.
A bit annoying.
Didn't like it.
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course.
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Personal comments:
I thought this was a world class school. The academic program seems to have lowered itself to pander to the students. I mean, come on, several students wrote their essays in DUTCH for an ENGLISH MASTERS! That makes no sense!

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Language difficulties
Social
KEY:
No problems.
I coped pretty well.
Sometimes it was difficult.
It was a constant struggle.
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Language of instruction: English
Local language was: Different than language of instruction.
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
Was learning the local language a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my knowledge
How much did you improve your local language?
My level before: No problems in any areas (including slang)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Personal comments:
Since I am over 22, very few (if any) local students dared to interact with me. Fortunately, I interacted with the international community
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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EXPENSES    
The accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
KEY:
Very easy.
Minimal effort.
Accessible but required effort.
Almost impossible.
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Main source of funding:
Other
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings
Work opportunities:
I worked during my study abroad experience
Personal spending habits:
housing costs are astronomical (for relatively small space)
Food, Overall, Telephone, Housing: was more expensive than at home.
Travel, Nightlife: was the same price as at home.
Personal comments:
The books are VERY expensive and second-hand text books are quite difficult to arrange.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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OVERALL    
Important to choosing this university...
Academic reasons
KEY:
Very Important.
Important.
Not really important.
Unimportant.
Culture
Costs
Activities
Campus life
Party / people
Weather / Location
I wish I had known...
That the Dutch are not as tolerant as I had always dreamed, the low standards of academic performance, honors courses are unheard of, and that if you are over 25, you will be the grandpa/ma of the class and avoided at all costs. If you are a mature student, do NOT waste your time! The Dutch also don't really like Americans that much so if you feel like being accosted about everything that has happened in America as if you're responsible for it the few times they will dare to speak to you or respond to you, you'll love it. It's not the liberal, open-minded paradise I had always dreamed of (don't let the soft drugs laws fool you)
In my opinion:
Stay home.



During my experience abroad, I ...
Became familiar with another culture
KEY:
Happened all the time.
Happened quite a lot.
Happened a bit.
Didn't happen.
Traveled
Improved language skills
Met people from other countries
Became more independent
Partied a lot
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies/career
Personal recommendation:
Under 22 = wonderful1



FINAL COMMENTS

I wanted to be completely honest so take what I say with a grain of salt. This country doesn't really believe in lifelong learning so I'm sure people under a certain age would love it here. I'm just in my 30s and had expected something else. It doesn't make this a bad university per se but just not the kind of place you should go if you are mature. Maybe I have too much life experience and am too critical but this was a MAJOR disappointment.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
Was this review useful?   Yes · No


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