Mobility specification

Country:Belgium

Institution:Catholic University of Louvain

City:Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2024/2025

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Social Studies / Department of International Relations and European Studies

Study level abroad:Bachelor

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

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?neutral

Are your credits converted?no

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?Teaching is very similar to that at MUNI - two-hour lectures, seminars, and team projects. The student has only 1 attempt at the exam here in the regular exam period, the next one is in August, and the exam dates cannot be chosen by the student. In my case, I ended up having three exams within four days, but it's manageable. All of the teachers I met while teaching have a huge outlook and a lot of experience from foreign universities, international companies, government, or non-profit organizations. At the same time, they are very kind and willing to help with anything.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?The University offers French conversations in the morning and social events for Erasmus students in the afternoon in the week before the semester starts. For example, we went on a trip to Leuven or a waffle-making workshop. There is also a very active ESN which organises parties, karaoke, international dinners or even day trips.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?Psychological counseling
Barrier-free access to classrooms and dormitories
Crisis intervention
Support for LGBTQ+ students (e.g., safe spaces, counseling services)

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:24000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?Not surprised, most things are more expensive in Belgium than in the Czech Republic, but I expected that.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?Buy food at Lidl or Aldi, the university runs a weekly food market where students pay 5€ and can pick up a bag full of food. It works similarly to Zlevněnka, offering unsold items from supermarkets just before their sell-by date and EU-subsidised food.
I would also recommend the second-hand shops, there are a huge number of them in Brussels and all over Belgium, and they have great deals, my favourite chain is ThinkTwice, which often has discount promotions like -50% or everything for 1€. They have 2 shops in Brussels and many more all over Belgium and the Netherlands.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?perfectly

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?In Brussels, 99% of the time, you can get by with a STIB-MIVB card, which costs €6, and a student subscription costs €12 per year. The card can be bought both at the KIOSK and online. For further outskirts of Brussels, you need a different ticket which costs 3€ per trip. I used it once in 5 months.
Then for travel in Belgium I would recommend the SNCB, which is the Belgian railways, a student ticket anywhere in Belgium costs 7,7€. On weekends, there is a 50% discount on a return ticket. On holidays, like Easter for example, you can get an unlimited weekly ticket for 19€ and travel all over Belgium very cheaply.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?yes

How do you rate the availability of healthcare?mostly fine

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Brussels is not a city for classic tourism, you can see everything in 1 day, and there are no breathtaking attractions or buildings. But if I had to recommend something, it would be the local parks Parc du Cinquantenaire and Parc de Bruxelles, which often host festivals or other cultural events, but even when nothing special is happening, they are great places to relax or run.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?My favourite was Ghent, where I have been several times. It's a much smaller and quieter city than Brussels, all interwoven with canals with lots of cool bars and pubs around. Ghent has a similar vibe to Brno. The university plays a vital role in the life of the city, and there is no shortage of music and art events thanks to the large number of students. It's also a great advantage that you can get everywhere by bike or on foot.

Share your best experience:It's hard to choose just one experience, but the one that sticks in my mind the most is the week-long internship at the European Parliament. I got there because I had already been to Brussels. I got the opportunity to see the functioning of the MEP's office, the negotiations between the Commission and the Europarliament and to take part in a lot of discussions. I met a lot of interesting Czechs who work in the European institutions. For me it was an intense week and a lot of unforgettable experiences.

💅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

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?There is nothing special to look out for, I would just recommend making sure that the landlord of your accommodation knows when you are arriving.

Can you pay by card?everywhere

What not to forget when packing?Take some Czech specialties, it's a good icebreaker. I brought slivovice and Hašlerky.

🥳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?An experience that helped me to clarify the direction I want to take in life.