35 reviews
3.91 / 5 based on 35 reviews
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Olve U
Housing
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Independently - My choice
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
Reasonably cheap, with good possibility of ending up somewhere central; independency.
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Personal comments
They have an office where you can get address lists to rooms/flats for rent. But my experience is that walking around & checking out the "to let" signs works better. Reasonably good rent/quality ratio.
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Olve U
Student life
Describe host city:
Student life dominates the city
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Activities, Nightlife, Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
- The Film Museum! Really cheap tickets, and an incredible range of movies to see - including 1-2h silent movie session with a real person playing the piano :-)
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Olve U
Academic
Course recommendations
- Early music.
- The Judaic studies also seemed interesting.
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
It's a matter of taste, but personally I found that the lecturer/student relations to be a bit too hierarchic, and with too little academic freedom.
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
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Overall
I wish I had known...
- The air pollution is quite bad.
- It's difficult to avoid cigarette smoke.
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In my opinion:
Most people loved it.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
- Check out the Belgian scholarship exchange programs in your own country.
- Stay in a youth hostel or with friends when you first arrive, go for walks in areas you like & look for for-rent-signs in the windows.
- Second-hand bookshops are abundant and mostly quite cheap.
- The Film Museum!!!!!!!
- If you have asthma or other respiratory problems, consider going somewhere else instead. The air in Brussels is NOT good for you...
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Expenses
Main source of funding:
Government assistance
Other sources of funding:
none
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
The general cost level was lower. And since I got a cheap "mini flat" near the Conservatory & near downtown, I could actually walk instead of taking public transportation a lot of the time.
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Telephone:
was the same price as at home.
Food, Housing, Nightlife, Travel, Overall:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
Get a flat near campus and/or downtown. It's not necessarily expensive, it's convenient, and you get a reasonable (but not excessive) amount of exercise through walking...
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Olve U
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
How much did you improve your English?
My level before: No problems in any areas (including slang)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
The Flemish(Dutch)/Vallonian(French) language and culture divide is very noticeable. In my experience, knowing French (which I didn't) is quite important in Brussels. Most of the Flemish (at least the younger ones) seem to speak English quite fluently, though. The Early Music courses in the Conservatory were in Dutch - in principle. But in practice, English seemed to be the default language in this highly international course.
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