Reviews of Universiteit Maastricht (UM) | Netherlands

Useful | 0

Joseph S

Université Panthéon-Sorbonne: Paris I, Paris, France
Financial Management, Undergraduate, Erasmus

Overall

I wish I had known...

Not really, everything was well explained on the University/GuestHouse website or through former exchange students from my Home University.

In my opinion:

Everybody loved it, you will too!

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

Academic reasons

4

Culture

4

Costs

3

Activities

4

Campus life

4

Party / people

4

Weather / location

2

Personal recommendation

Maastricht University is a great University and is very International. It's one of the best, if not the best University in The Netherlands and beside studies there is still room to have lot of fun!

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

Became familiar with another culture

4

Traveled

4

Improved language skills

4

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

-Travel advice: don't take a taxi from Amsterdam airport to Maasticht!!!(some people did), it will be dreadfully expensive. Think first about the train. There are also Maastricht Airport and Brussels airport that are quite close. -Don't be shy and you will meet so many nice people and have a great experience.

Useful | 0

Joseph S

Université Panthéon-Sorbonne: Paris I, Paris, France
Financial Management, Undergraduate, Erasmus

Academic

Course recommendations

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

none

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 | 2

Joseph S

Université Panthéon-Sorbonne: Paris I, Paris, France
Financial Management, Undergraduate, Erasmus

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: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)

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

All the courses were thaught in english and an important personal work was required every week including readings, papers, projects and presentations. This was a good way to really improve my english and to make it more practical than the english learnt in France or during occasional travels. About the local language, it's not essential the speak Ducth to live in Maastricht, at least for the University. In addition, most of the Ducth people are bilingual which makes evereday live easier for exchange students. For instance many German students study there as regular students but most of them don't speak Dutch. Nevertheless it's always pleasant to learn some words and basic phrases.

Useful | 0

Joseph S

Université Panthéon-Sorbonne: Paris I, Paris, France
Financial Management, Undergraduate, Erasmus

Expenses

Main source of funding:

An ERASMUS grant

Other sources of funding:

none

Work opportunities:

I didn't explore any work options

Personal spending habits

Overall, Housing, Travel:

was more expensive than at home.

Nightlife:

was the same price as at home.

Telephone, Food:

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

none

Useful | 0

Joseph S

Université Panthéon-Sorbonne: Paris I, Paris, France
Financial Management, Undergraduate, Erasmus

Housing

Type of housing: GuestHouse

Arranged by: Host university

If returning, I would choose: GuestHouse

Why?

The guesthouse is a kind of campus close to the University. Almost all exchange students live ther and it's a good way to meet people from all over the world.

Personal assessment

Cost

Facilities

Location

Cleanliness

Space

Personal comments

Everything was arrangged before my arrival and this was a great advantage as I know that in some other cities you have to find housing by yourself. The facilities were also satisfactory and the reception was very welcoming and helpful to settle in the city.

Useful | 0