Reviews of Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) | Belgium

Useful | 0

anonymous

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Graduate, CEMS

Student life

Describe host city:

Student life dominates the city

Nightlife: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment

Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment

Activities: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment

Personal social experience

Activities

Nightlife

Travel

Overall

Personal comments

Best Bistro: La Galoute; Cheap & good restaurant: Le Piano; Best waffles: Waffle Factory; Best sandwiches: Stand near Train station; Best coffee: KafKaf

Useful | 0

anonymous

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Graduate, CEMS

Housing

Type of housing: Apartment/House

Arranged by: Independently - My choice

If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House

Why?

This is the main type of housing in Louvain-la-Neuve

Personal assessment

Cost

Facilities

Location

Cleanliness

Space

Personal comments

There are unfortunately less "Kots" (type of housing) than students, so it is tough to find one if you are late. Contracts have to be signed for a much longer time than the housing is needed, which is costly on the whole. Bureaucracy could be less.

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anonymous

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Graduate, CEMS

Languages

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 the local language

How much did you improve your English?

My level before: At ease in most situations
My level after: At ease in most situations

How much did you improve your the local language?

My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

It would be better to choose courses in the local language to benefit from synergies; however the challenge of mixing languages is also enriching as long as a (local) language course is pursued additionally.

Useful | 0

anonymous

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Graduate, CEMS

Academic

Course recommendations

Try also French courses, not only English ones. Ask local students about courses and teachers. Prepare for group work and oral exams.

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

More transparency in assessment; more individual assessment; better command of English of teachers (who teach in English); more info on the content of the courses prior to choosing them

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

anonymous

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Graduate, CEMS

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

At home I live with my parents who take care of housing and food. However, the prices for food are higher in Louvain than in my home country. In addition I traveled more than usually.

Food, Housing, Overall, Travel, Telephone:

was more expensive than at home.

Nightlife:

was the same price as at home.

Accessibility of student needs

Second-hand text books

Second-hand household items

Computers / Internet

Administrative

Money from home

Personal comments

Beginning: bedding, home appliances, phoning per contract Current: Food Tip: take the postal money dispenser (it´s the only one giving less than 50 euro bills); try to find sim-card that allows phoning cheaply all over the world; don´t buy too much food so that you don´t have to throw it away when it gets bad

Useful | 3

anonymous

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Graduate, CEMS

Overall

I wish I had known...

Quality of courses

In my opinion:

Most people loved it.

Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important

Academic reasons

3

Culture

4

Costs

3

Activities

2

Campus life

2

Party / people

2

Weather / location

2

Personal recommendation

If you like a small city in 70ies style, student life, group works and traveling opportunities, you are right at Louvain.

During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot

Became familiar with another culture

3

Traveled

4

Improved language skills

3

Met people from other countries

3

Became more independent

3

Partied a lot

3

Experienced a change in life

3

Advanced my studies & career

4

Final comments

My travel favorites were Bruges/Brugge, Namur and Anvers/Antwerpen and with the go-pass, traveling is cheaper. Don´t be late for trains, they might leave at another platform as foreseen.

Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL)

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