Semester Exchange in the First Semester, 2024 at Leiden University
Pre-departure:
My experience during this exchange program was very pleasant and easily one of the best decisions I have ever made. The exposure to a different learning environment as well as culture has been fascinating and eye-opening. The Netherlands was also a good choice because there was no language barrier and navigating the country is quite straightforward once you get used to it.
During the pre-departure process I felt very supported by the exchange office as they assisted me with multiple situations, including clarifying a housing and visa requirement mishap. My host university was also very responsive to my queries on different topics, and I got adequate information on what was required of me as soon as I landed. My flights ended up being scheduled after the introduction week but this had a minimal impact on my overall experience due to the helpfulness of my host university.
Experience at the Host University:
My experience at the host university was an interesting one. I enjoyed the way they presented their classes, with some of them being recorded and streamed. The semester is also divided into blocks (or terms) and certain courses were presented for the duration of one block. This presented some pressure for me as I had to contend with having some exams in the middle of April, as opposed to having all my exams at the end of the semester like I am used to. I made friends very easily with other international students and they are the ones that made my experience very pleasant as they were quick to guide me on navigating issues that were new to me.
Wongani in Amsterdam
I received the Nelson Mandela Scholarship and I managed to find DUWO housing that was affordable. Hence, while there was a need for a top-up on my side to cover other living expenses , it was a huge relief having my rent and utilities covered.
Return to Stellenbosch:
I am yet to return to SU but I am sure the transition back will be seamless. I will be able to appreciate certain aspects of how my degree is presented while implementing some skills I have picked up at my host university.
Semester Exchange in the First Semester, 2024 at Tilburg University
Pre-departure:
The admin involved during the pre-departure process was a lot of stressful work, but both Stellenbosch University and Tilburg University were super helpful throughout. More specifically, Angelo McKerry was always available to answer my emails or to meet with me personally. He always clarified any confusions and answered my questions with patience and kindness. The services of Tilburg University were also satisfactory. The Online Mobility student portal made it very easy to keep track of everything I needed to complete and needed to submit. This helped me to stay up to date and organised throughout my exchange. Tilburg University also applied for my visa on my behalf after I sent them all the necessary documentation. The systems they have in place for exchange students are excellent, and the Study Abroad Team were so helpful and organised. They answered my emails in a timely manner and clearly explained all the processes to me. The pre-departure processes would have felt impossible without the help from Stellenbosch University and Tilburg University.
On a personal level, I had never travelled outside of South Africa and so the thought of me being so far away from home on another continent was terrifying. I felt all sorts of emotions when I got nominated for the exchange. I was excited, but scared. I was exhausted, but also somehow energized. I was anxious, but also calm. But I think most of all, I was just grateful for this opportunity to experience the world and another side of living.
In addition, I had to move house and so I found myself not only packing two big suitcases for the exchange, but also packing my whole life away into boxes. The thought of me not coming back to the home I knew after the exchange was also emotionally taxing on me. My kitten I adopted in 2022 was hit by a car and sadly passed away two days before my departure. Losing her was the most traumatic and heartbreaking experience I had ever felt. I no longer felt excited for the exchange. I felt numb. I came close to cancelling the exchange, but my family helped me and pushed me to continue onwards to pursue the exchange and to make my dreams of seeing the world come true.
Experience at the Host University:
When I arrived in The Netherlands on 19 January at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, I was greeted by student volunteers who helped me to get a train to Tilburg. This was a godsend as I was not familiar with public transport. However, even with the help from Tilburg University students, I still hopped onto the wrong train and got lost. This was fun, however, and all a part of the journey. When I arrived at the Tilburg University train station, student volunteers picked me up and drove me to the campus where they held a welcoming orientation program. Here, we could meet and talk to the various partners of the university such as the insurance partner, the bank partner and various student organizations. We received a welcome pack that included pamphlets of the partners and all the information we would need. The Study Abroad team also made themselves available if we needed help with any admin related issues, such as making our academic timetables. Tilburg University was very welcoming.
Tilburg campus
After the welcoming, we were dropped off at our accommodation, where I met some of my floor mates from around the world, such as Ireland, Morrocco, Spain, Italy, Korea, Colombia and America. It was fascinating to have a floor so diverse. My neighbor was a fellow South African from Gauteng. It was nice having someone from home on the same floor as me. The accommodation offered by Tilburg University was very nice and modern with a big room with a comfortable bed, study desk and two cupboards. The accommodation was also close to campus. The campus is beautiful and easy to navigate. The campus also has a number of study areas where productivity thrives as the spaces are so neat and comfortable. In addition, the accommodation was also not too far from shops or the city center. What I loved most about studying in the Netherlands was being able to safely cycle everywhere. Cycling was so much fun and helped me to stay active.
Tilburg University also organized a campus tour and a city tour during the TOP (Tilburg Orientation Program) week, which I unfortunately could not attend as I fell ill with a bad chest and throat infection. Due to the difficulty of navigating the Dutch health system, I was sick for the first two months of the exchange. This made it difficult for me to make friends in the beginning and to settle in. The first three months were tough but I made it through.
My initial study plan included 5 courses: Families in Context; Social Cognition; Criminality, Cognition and Personality; Imagining Justice: Introduction to Law and Humanities, and Dutch 1 for International Students. However, due to a number of clashes, I had to drop 3 of the courses (Social Cognition; Criminality, Cognition and Personality, and Dutch). At the end, I only had 2 courses from my initial study plan and 2 new courses: Positive Psychology and Developmental Psychology. I enjoyed the courses as they were equally as challenging as they were interesting.
Belgium waffles
I travelled to seven countries, namely Belgium; Luxembourg; France; Ireland; Norway; Sweden, and Italy. I never thought I would ever be able to travel to these countries. The architecture, the people, the culture and ways of living were so fascinating and mind blowing to witness with my very own eyes. I got to see the Grand Place in Brussels; the Eiffel Tower in Paris; the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland; the beautiful nature in Norway; the Old Town in Stockholm, and the Colosseum in Rome. I also saw the tulip fields in The Netherlands; it was absolutely magical! Ever since Covid-19, I have struggled a lot with anxiety and travelling has helped me to realize that everything will always be okay at the end. I have learnt to live in the moment and not to worry too much. Travelling has taught me to overcome challenges and to have confidence in myself.
Tulips in the Netherlands
I am in awe of all the beautiful places and people on Earth that I was so privileged to experience. I have stayed at Stellenbosch University for five years and so I am happy that I also got to experience a different educational system. This exchange has added so much value to my life and has transformed me into a new confident person despite some setbacks and failures.
Micheala at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland
I was awarded the Zuid-Afrika Huisfonds Scholarship as well as a scholarship from Tilburg University for five months. The scholarships were very beneficial as they sustained me throughout my exchange and enabled me to travel as well. It was a bit of a challenge to open a Dutch bank account, but once that was sorted, the finances were sufficient.
Return to Stellenbosch:
I booked my return flight back to Cape Town for 31 July, and so the people on my floor with whom I formed friendships left one by one and that was a weird feeling. The end is a bittersweet feeling. I miss home and my family, but I will also miss the life I created for myself here in the Netherlands in the past seven months; it feels strange to leave it all behind.
Before departure back home, I had to return my rental bike, which was sad because I have grown attached to it. I also have to deregister myself from the Dutch system.
I arrived in the Netherlands when the trees had no leaves and the roads were painted white with snow. And I am now leaving while the sun burns my skin. I arrived here with a fearful heart of the unknown, but I am leaving as a changed person with new knowledge of the world and an ability to trust that everything will always be okay.
Semester Exchange in the Second Semester, 2022 at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Pre-departure:
There were many aspects before departure that I now know I should have done better or not have bothered with at all. Firstly, Visa applications were quite a headache for me. Although my host university, Vrije Universiteit, did make the process simpler for me by eliminating the need to make a physical appointment at the Dutch Embassy to submit my documents to the IND, I still felt extremely overwhelmed. There were just so many documents I had to sign and submit that I was unsure off. Thus, I would advise you to do research on which documents they need and the deadlines for the Visa application and to not be afraid to ask others, such as representatives from the Host University, questions.
I would also recommend that on the day you receive your Visa acceptance letter that you make an appointment at the Dutch Embassy closest to you. I had trouble securing an appointment to collect my MVV at the embassy, so to ensure that you receive your visa before you need to travel to your host country, I would put this at the top of my priority list. I would also advise others to utilize student housing if they are planning on doing an exchange in the Netherlands, especially at VU Amsterdam. Student housing is by far the cheapest accommodation you will find in Amsterdam, and you will have the benefit of the housing being relatively close to campus. Additionally, you will be living with other students, so it will be easier to make new friends and build a support network in an unfamiliar country. I would also recommend packing lightly, as you will need less stuff than you think for the next six months abroad. You will also want to bring souvenirs back to your family, friends, and off course, for yourself, thus you will need some extra space in your bags. In terms of winter clothes, I would also recommend buying them while on exchange if you are travelling to Europe, as the clothes are usually better quality and are cheaper than you would find in South Africa.
Experience at the host university:
I found that the university system in the Netherlands, specifically at Vrije Universiteit, differs quite a lot from South African Universities such as Stellenbosch. A semester is divided into three periods, where periods one and two are usually two months each, and period three only one month. You would typically have two modules each period and they would start and end in the specific period that they occur in. This is a big difference from Stellenbosch, where all modules would start at the beginning of the semester and end at the end of the semester. This would effectively mean that modules are completed at a much faster pace. Furthermore, where one would have 50-minute classes at Stellenbosch, one class here is usually two and a half hours long. Consequently, this would mean that there are less classes per week than what you would be used at Stellenbosch. In my personal experience, I did prefer Vrije Universiteit’s way of working, although work had to be understood and completed at a much faster pace than what I was used to, there were never periods that I felt overwhelmed with university work, thus I felt I had a good work-life balance. The big advantage of Stellenbosch is that work is done at a slower pace, so there is usually time to catch up with work if you fall behind, but you will experience at least two big periods during the semester when all modules’ assignments and tests happen at the same time.
Amsterdam
I would recommend choosing one of the Minor programmes the university has to offer, as it has a predetermined timetable, thus you would not have to worry about your chosen modules clashing. Additionally, you can add it to your CV after you have completed it, which would benefit your work prospects. I decided to study a Minor in Risk Management for Financial Institution and I loved every module of it, especially Risk Management for Banking and Financial Institutions. It was extremely interesting for me to learn about how the banking and insurance sectors work in the European Union and what type of risks would be applied to them and what do supervisors, such as the European Central Bank, require in terms of risk management for these firms. What I found interesting about the modules I took is that there were many guest lectures who came to talk to students during lectures and they were not just any ordinary people: most worked for big banks in the Netherlands such as Dutch Central Bank, European Central Bank, Fintech companies like Adyen and various risk management companies. I loved that the university gave students exposure to experts in their field and people who are influential on a Dutch and European level. In terms of assignments and exams, most assignments were centered around group projects, so be prepared to work with many different people during your exchange semester. I did not find that there were big differences in the standards of exam questions between Vrije Universiteit and Stellenbosch University, but I would still recommend continuing to study hard and not underestimate the amount and level of work at your host university.
Return to Stellenbosch:
I would be lying if I said that I did not shed a tear as I landed in South Africa at the end of my exchange. It was wonderful for me to experience the nature and warm weather of South Africa again after being stuck in the cold for so many months. I also loved being able to see my family and friends and enjoy a lekker braai again. Living on the other side of the world for an extended period of time really gave me some perspective on various aspects in South Africa. Firstly, I realized that I appreciate the people of South Africa a lot; South Africans are extremely friendly and helpful to others, even strangers, which is not very common everywhere in the world. I have also realized that South Africa has amazing meat quality and taste, which I would now always remember to appreciate.
However, the socio-economic challenges South Africa face has become more apparent to me after I have been living in a developed and high quality of life country for so long. It has reinforced my views that no-one should ever have to live in such poverty and violence that most South Africans must endure on a daily basis. Especially as a woman, I now find it extremely sad and unacceptable that every woman I know is scared to walk alone at night or travel into certain areas alone as result of South Africa’s high crime rate. Although South Africa, like every other country in the world, has its problems, there is no other place I would rather live for the long term. My study abroad experience has not only exposed me to many new and different places, people, customs, food, and cultures, but has also made me extremely proud to be a South African and to call this country my home. However, I did love the whole experience of studying abroad, thus I would like to sometime in the next 10 years go and live in a new country for an extended period to keep on broadening my horizons and experiencing new people and places.
