Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

They don't accept Visa-cards in any of the groceries in the Netherlands!! It's wise to open a local bank account and transfer all your money at once, if possible, since the transfer costs are quite high.

Almost everyone speaks English, which actually makes learning Dutch quite difficult: as soon as they hear you don't speak Dutch fluently, they switch to English... The intensive beginner's course is very useful, even if you don't want to learn Dutch properly. The only place where I had difficulties because I didn't understand Dutch at all in the beginning was the railways, since the announcements in trains and at railway stations were in Dutch only.

If you're planing to travel a lot, it's worth while to buy a special discount card for the railways. It costs about 100 fl, but you get a 40% discount of the ticket prises with it, so it pays off quickly. Check out the extremely cheap bus trips to, for example, London and Spain!!! And don't mind the rain - you'll get used to it...

There are plenty of nice cafes and pubs in Groningen! Sally O'Briens is a place to go for the exchange students on Mondays. Don't forget to check out De Spiegel and the little Irish Pub opposite the Casino is also definately worth a visit! Many pubs serve really nice (and cheap!) food, check out especially De Kleine Kasteleine and De Pakhuis. Lunch at the Newscafe is a must and don't forget the delicious cakes at Roroo's (both in the new buildings next to the Grotemarkt)... Newscafe also has the best hot chocolade of the town! Check out also the little cafe next to the Martini Church! In the summertime the terraces around Grotemarkt and Poolestraat are the places to go day and night, and don't forget to check out the lake near-by, where you can for example rent a rowing boat or try out sailing.

It was arranged well. If you didn't get a room in a dorm, the staff helped you to find a room from the private sector. The accommodation situation in Groningen is overall pretty good.