weitere Erfahrungsberichte für Niederlande
Land:
Niederlande
Universität:
Hogeschool Rotterdam
Semester und Studiengang:
5. Semester Bachelor International Management
Aufenthalt:
Wintersemester 2015
Über die Universität:
The Hogeschool Rotterdam has a very good reputation in the Netherlands. The courses (in the programme IBEX) vary a lot and about half the students are Dutch whereas the others are from all over the world. This international environment adds great value to the programme and it is really nice to work in international teams. The first part of the studies includes courses which require a written exam at the end of period 1, whereas in period 2 most exams are in the form of assignments and presentations. Between the two periods one week is off and this gives students the chance to travel and I highly recommend that. The infrastructure in Rotterdam is really good so travelling is very easy and relatively cheap for the Netherlands.
The electives range from languages to accounting. As the IBEX programme is part of the financial faculty most electives are finance or accounting related. Nevertheless it is relatively easy to make it even without a lot of financial knowledge. All other courses are mandatory and include a lot of team work and presentations. Also many subjects require participation during lectures and this is also graded.
Furthermore each student has a coach. This coach will approach you during your studies and check on you. You can always get back to him or her when problems arise.
Betreuung vor Ort:
The IFM (international office) is a great help with most of the organisational things (university related). Every student can ask for help with almost everything related to their studies. The people are all really nice and helpful.
Housing can be arranged online at SSH. This is an agency letting rooms. Housing is quite expensive in the Netherlands so I recommend choosing a dorm over SSH as most dorms are in quite good locations (Erasmus International House quite close to university, Robert Baeldestraat close to the city centre) and more or less cheap. Nevertheless a huge pre-payment is needed in advance including the first and last rent as well as a booking fee of around 200€, which will not be given back to you. This is all organised by yourself and should be done early enough as the free rooms are limited to a small number. At SSH you can book a bedding and kitchen set, which is great if you arrive by plane. It is possible to rent a parking space if you come by car but it is expensive and most cars are parked close to bike racks. Many cars have been damaged over night from what I heard so I would not recommend to park your car close to the dorms.
On Facebook there are many groups in Rotterdam, which are really helpful and can also be used for finding a flat (i.e.,commodities Rotterdam).
Tipps:
Definitely buy a bike! Even if you come in the winter term I highly recommend it but I also recommend two locks as bikes are stolen a lot. The minimum price for a rather bad used bike is around 60€, which is considered cheap in the Netherlands.
Also, if you choose to live in a dorm make sure to join the Facebook group. It is so helpful as many students sell used equipment, bikes and practical things like racks just before they leave at a very low price. There is also a Facebook group for your study programme, which you should like. Last minute cancelled lectures, for example, will be announced there.
Attending classes is mandatory and one can only miss one class per course per period. Even if you are sick you can only miss once and always need to notify the professors that you will be missing. Not attending enough classes will lead to extra assignments and not being allowed to sit the final exams.