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Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (UNIVERSITY OF GRONINGEN)

399 reviews
4.12 / 5 based on 399 reviews
Useful  |  0
alexa m
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Law, Undergraduate, Erasmus
Student life
Describe host city:
Student life dominates the city
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Activities, Travel, Nightlife: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Activities
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Personal comments
There is something for everyone in Groningen but my favourite places was probably Pakhuis, an intimate, dimly lit bar with different levels.
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Useful  |  0
alexa m
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Law, Undergraduate, Erasmus
Housing
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
It is enjoyable to live with other students in a social environment whilst also having your own space to study and have some privacy.
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Personal assessment
Cost
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Personal comments
It is a great experience to live in housing with international students of various nationalities, as you inevitably learn a lot about different cultures, become more tolrant as a person and most importantly, make some amazing friends for life.
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Useful  |  1
alexa m
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Law, Undergraduate, Erasmus
Academic
Course recommendations
Readers must normally be bought for every course and often there is a supplementary book also, so buying reading materials can be expensive if you are staying for the year and studying perhaps 9 or 10 courses. A good idea is to club together with your friends and share readers, which are specifically tailored to the course to not as good value as a proper book which you can use again.
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My academic experiences
Quality of courses
Variety of courses
Access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
Courses in Groningen were extremely varied as regards workload and difficulty, so it is difficult to generalise, but overall I had no real problems.
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Useful  |  0
alexa m
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Law, Undergraduate, Erasmus
Languages
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 the local language
How much did you improve your the local language?
My level before: Did not speak it
My level after: Basic phrases
Language difficulties
Social
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Personal comments
Almost everyone in the Netherlands speaks English ( and probably one or more other languages)to a very high level, which means there is little incentive to learn Dutch.
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Useful  |  14
alexa m
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Law, Undergraduate, Erasmus
Overall
I wish I had known...
No, my University provided lots of information and I was able to meet with students who had lived in Groningen the year before.
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In my opinion:
Most people loved it.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Academic reasons
4
Culture
3
Costs
3
Activities
3
Campus life
3
Party / people
4
Weather / location
3
Personal recommendation
Groningen is an excellent choice for your ERASMUS year. It is a beautiful city that is small enough to get to know it really well but large enough to have plently of life and culture. The university itself has a good reputation and courses and wide ranging and enjoyable. One thing I would strongly advise is to seek accomadation in a student house rather than a private flat, as this was probably the best part of my year away and makes meeting people very easy and non-stressful.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
3
Traveled
4
Improved language skills
2
Met people from other countries
4
Became more independent
4
Partied a lot
4
Experienced a change in life
4
Advanced my studies & career
4
Final comments
Be careful not to get ripped off by local bike shops who make a killing out of exploiting foreign students. A second hand bike should cost no more than 50 euros. Student rail cards can be bought at the station if you take your student card and a photo, which gets you a big discount if you want to go to Amsterdam, The Hague or wherever takes your fancy for the weekend.
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Useful  |  0
alexa m
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Law, Undergraduate, Erasmus
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings<br> An ERASMUS grant
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
Certain things in Holland such as rent and some foods are cheaper than in the UK. Also, bills were included in the rent which made a big difference.
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Travel, Nightlife:
was the same price as at home.
Housing, Food, Telephone, Overall:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Personal comments
Shop around for cheap phonecards to call home, and check out the local market for food.
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