A Blog about Education Abroad

Category: Semester Exchange Postings

Blog Postings by Returning Stellenbosch University Students

  • Nina at Maastricht University

    Nina at Maastricht University

    Pre-departure:

    Maastricht University in the Netherlands was not my first choice to do an exchange abroad. It was on my list, but only as an afterthought and because we were said to give 3 options. As it happened, Maastricht was chosen for me. Seeing as I was not really interested in this university, I had done absolutely no research regarding this city and the subjects that were available here. However, I immediately had to start with the administration regarding subject choices, as well as visa applications. This process can be quite stressful and had me very flustered in the beginning. However, as soon as I started communicating with the International Relations Office (IRO) from Maastricht University I could basically sit back and relax.

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  • Victoria experiencing Norway

    Victoria experiencing Norway

    At the beginning:

    The hard part about preparing to leave home for 5 months was not putting all of my belongings into storage, the mounds of admin or packing for a winter like I’ve never before seen. Rather, it was achieving closure regarding what I was leaving behind. I was surprised by how shaken I was at the prospect of being away and it was useful to recognize that feeling overwhelmed was reasonable given the circumstances.

    I have moved around a lot so I am fairly comfortable with the shock of being thrown into a new country. Orientation and the community of international students make it a soft and fun landing but keep in mind that this cushion is also a kind of insulation making it trickier for you to access the ‘real world’ of your host country. I live and study with international students and continue to feel somehow isolated from Norwegians.

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  • Marlies at Maastricht University

    Marlies at Maastricht University

    If you’re reading this blog, it probably means that you are considering going on an exchange and you are interested in going to Maastricht: two very good life choices! It was such an amazing experience! I learnt so much about myself and got to experience such cool things! So doing an exchange is a must! And Maastricht is the place to go to. It’s a small(ish) town, similar to Stellenbosch and is beautiful with extremely friendly people! Maastricht is super central and is very well connected, so travelling is very easy. In the first 2 months of my exchange I went to England, Ireland, Czech Republic, Belgium and Germany. So be ready to go exploring! Check out Airbnb, blablacars and Ryanair for good deals.

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