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ACADEMICS > Programs > Study Abroad > Experience Report

Experience Report

University College Utrecht (UIC-exclusive Exchange Program) : Spring 2018

1. Host school’s size, its physical location, climate and etc.

University College Utrecht is the international campus of Utrecht University. I think you can say that it is similar to UIC under Yonsei University. The school campus is about the size of Songdo International Campus, however students of UCU are also considered as students of Utrecht University, so it is possible to use the facilities of Utrecht University or Hogeschool Utrecht.

Utrecht is located in the center of the Netherlands, which was one of the reasons that I chose UCU as my exchange destination. You can easily reach the school by train from Amsterdam Schipol Airport, which takes only 30min approximately. The school campus is also reachable by bus, and is located near the residential areas of the city.

The Netherlands has a similar climate to that of London. In the winter it rains quite often and the weather changes very easily. It starts getting warmer from April-ish, so if you are going in the spring semester, I think it is important that you pack more winter/fall clothing than you would normally think.

2. Host school’s periphery environment

Almost all facilities that you need are within the campus, so there is not so much need to leave the campus. However, if there is anything that you need you can reach most places within 20 minuutes on bike. The school is located near the residential area, therefore it is surrounded by a quiet environment. There are restaurants, cafes, parks, and supermarkets near the campus. One thing the campus doesn’t have is a library. However, students of UCU are also allowed to use the library facilities of Utrecht University. There are two libraries in UU: one in the center of town, and one in Uithof, near the Hogeschool Utrecht campus.

3. Living style/condition, food/meal

UCU is also a residential college, therefore it is mandatory for students to live on campus until they become second year students. (UCU is a three year university.) The same goes for the exchange students, so you are assigned to a room as you are admitted to UCU. Since the dorm units are all located on the campus, it was very convenient to go to class.

There is a cafeteria on campus so you can also apply for a meal plan and eat in the cafeteria, but most students just cook food for themselves.

4. Course curriculum, library

The classes of UCU are very similar to that of UIC. They are both liberal arts and science colleges that put priority on discussion based classes and interdisciplinary learning. The size of the classes are approximately 25 students and the classes are a good mix between discussion and lecture.

The UCU campus does not have a library, but only a study lounge. But I was more used to studying in the library so I often went to the library in the Uithof campus. The Uithof library is very modern, well furbished, ad also a nice place to study!

5. Host school’s administrative support

UCU is an international campus that boasts its diverse student population from more than 60 different nationalities. Because it has so many international students in the first place, the international office is also very quick in responding and also very kind. In terms of administration or overall exchange life in general, the international office will give you a lot of help.

Apart from the international office, all students of UCU are assigned a tutor. The tutor is there to help you with any problems you have while dealing with your academics at UCU. The tutor is the person who will help you enroll into classes.

Make sure your plane arrives a week before the semester begins because that is when Intro week takes place. During intro week you are assigned to a “family” with existing senior students as your “parents” and other new students as your intro week “siblings.” During intro week, your family goes out together to buy bikes, the “parents” show you around Utrecht, and help you get used to the UCU environment overall. I personally felt that Intro week helped me a lot in adjusting to the Netherlands and also in meeting friends on campus.

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