Mobility specification

Country:Belgium

Institution:KU Leuven

City:Leuven

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2023/2024

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Arts / Department of Czech Language

Study level abroad:Doctoral

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?no

Does the university offer enough courses in English?manageable

Are your credits converted?no

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?I can't judge this because I went as a PhD student and didn't take any courses. I primarily worked on my research for my dissertation and consulted with my advisor at a foreign university.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?I haven’t noticed

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:32800 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?no

Do you have any tips on how to find private accommodation?There are a lot of scams in Facebook groups in Brussels. I finally found accommodation through Bed&Brussels.

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?The amount of rent, I paid 670 EUR per month.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?There is a good canteen at the university (Campus Brussels), which is good price-wise for students. Students up to 26 have discounts on public transport and trains in general. Plus, there is a 50% discount on trains for everyone on weekends.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?neutral

How does public transport work in the city?mostly fine

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?You can buy tickets for Brussels via the STIB-MIVB app (for metro, trams and buses) and search for connections there. For trains in Belgium, there's the SNCB app.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?In general, I recommend to explore the historical centre (Grand Place, St. Michael & St. Gudula Cathedral, Manneken Pis, Palace of Justice, Royal Palace of Brussels, etc.), and outside the centre - Parc du Cinquantenaire, Atomium, Mini-Europe or Bois de la Cambre.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Nearby (about 30 minutes by train) is the very nice city of Leuven, where the university also has a campus with a nice library, but I also recommend the cities of Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp or go to the seaside (by train, for example, to Ostend, along the coast there is a tram).

Share your best experience:I liked the atmosphere at the university. During my stay, I was able to sit in the office of PhD students across the Faculty of Arts, who took me in and with whom I could spend time outside of school.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Plane
Bus

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?Brussels Charleroi airport is not exactly close to Brussels and the bus to Brussels costs about 20 EUR. I definitely recommend looking for flights also to Brussels airport, which is closer.

Can you pay by card?everywhere

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?A great time to work on your own dissertation research in an excellent university environment and a cultural city.