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Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije University, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 Hv Amsterdam, THE Netherlands
3.86 / 5 based on 174 reviews.

Reviews
International Partners
Programmes
Accreditations
89% of students recommend
174 reviews
Housing
3.5/5
 All experiences (174)
Student life
4.4/5
 5 stars (30)
Academic
4.0/5
 4 stars (90)
Languages
4.1/5
 3 stars (48)
Expenses
3.1/5
 2 stars (6)
Overall
4.4/5
 1 star (0)
“be prepared that you will need a lot of money (to go out, to shop clothes, to travel,...) but it's absolutely worth it.” Read Review
h0051022, Austria

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam review by Silke

Review by Silke, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Erasmus
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: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: On campus
Why? it was the right decision.
Personal comments:
it was fun. it was really easy to get contact to many other exchange students (200 live in the student house). the room was equipped with nice furniture. you had to share the kitchen and the showers with 13 people, but you get used to this really quickly!
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
Activities, Travel: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Nightlife: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Personal comments:
a nightlife-MUST is Paradiso (near Leidsplein). other good clubs are Club 11, Melkweg or Escape. a nice place for a picknick or a walk is the Vondelpark. best shopping places are Kalverstraat and the markets at Waterlooplein and Albert Cuyp Straat.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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ACADEMIC       5.0 / 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:
they are very good but not easy. every course combines theoretical knowledge with practical experiences (projects, company presentations, etc).



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:
no, I was very impressed by this university.

This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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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?
Yes, I wanted to improve my English
Was learning the local language a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my knowledge
How much did you improve your English?
My level before: At ease in most situations
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
How much did you improve your local language?
My level before: Did not speak it
My level after: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
Personal comments:
In Amsterdam, everybody (old as well as young people) speaks English VERY well.
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:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings
Government assistance
An ERASMUS grant
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits:
one reason is that Amsterdam is slightly more expensive than Vienna, I would say. and the other reason is that you spend a lot more money on activities than you would do at home, because you travel more, etc
Food, Travel, Nightlife, Overall: was more expensive than at home.
Housing: was the same price as at home.
Telephone: was less expensive than at home.
Personal comments:
you were not able to pay by cash card everywhere.
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...
not really.
In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!



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:
if you have the opportunity to do it, do it!



FINAL COMMENTS

be prepared that you will need a lot of money (to go out, to shop clothes, to travel,...) but it's absolutely worth it.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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