A Blog about Education Abroad

Tag: The Netherlands

  • Carla at Leiden University

    Carla at Leiden University

    Pre-departure:

    Having a South African passport doesn’t make travelling abroad very easy – it requires a lot of emails back and forth and many forms to be filled in. Although this takes a lot of time it definitely makes you excited for what’s to come as it keeps your upcoming exchange on your mind constantly. With regard to the visa application the Netherlands will only grant you a 3 month Visa, from the date of your application for it, and upon your arrival you have to go to Town Hall for an appointment after which a few weeks later you will receive a residence permit (MVV). You only receive this about 3 weeks into your stay therefore it is crucial not to apply for your VISA too early as it may expire before you receive your residence permit.

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  • Samantha at Leiden University

    Samantha at Leiden University

    When I was planning to leave for exchange, there were the normal ‘admin’ tasks that I knew all about. However, some of the most burdensome tasks popped up that I hadn’t even considered before, and these are the ones I would like to point out to anyone who may be leaving on exchange sometime soon!

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  • Rebecca at the University of Amsterdam

    Rebecca at the University of Amsterdam

    Pre-departure:

    As I am lucky enough to have a British passport, I cannot give much advice regarding the visa application and so forth but I can definitely provide tips regarding other pre-departure planning.

     Create a budget for yourself: 

    Creating a budget for yourself and doing the relevant investigation on the cost of living is important. There are a lot of websites that give an accurate idea on how much you may need a month on living expenses, but you need to decide for yourself whether you are also going to want to do some traveling. Ask students that previously went on exchange (such as myself) and I will be happy to explain to you how I sorted out my finances. You just do not want to be in a situation where you underestimated the cost of living and now your experience is constricted because of finances (which can easily happen).

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