Mobility specification

Country:Netherlands

Institution:Utrecht University

City:Utrecht

Program:Freemover long-term mobility

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2024/2025

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Social Studies / Department of Psychology

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?they have tons

Are your credits converted?no

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?Teachers prepare extensive materials for each seminar, which are first prepared by the students themselves, then they all go through them together in the seminar and after the seminar the solutions are available in the information system. Overall, there is a strong emphasis on practice.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?Yes, the university offers a range of student events and societies, involvement in various study and research groups and volunteering activities. Overall, I noticed that the university is very community oriented and I felt throughout the whole time that they were trying to include me as much as possible.

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
Interpretation services
Special aids and technologies (e.g., text-to-speech software, hearing aids)
Special examination conditions (e.g., extended time, quiet rooms)
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:28500 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?no

Do you have any tips on how to find private accommodation?Unfortunately, there are no railways at all in the Netherlands. At the same time, the country is facing an extreme housing crisis. First of all, I recommend not to get tied down to a university town. Most students commute. Next, I recommend checking out the Hospi Housing platform. This is a service that arranges accommodation with verified landlords. You will most likely be living in a house directly with the owners. At the same time you have to pay a brokerage fee (€295). However, you can be sure that it will not be a scam, which is also common in the Netherlands. Prices are also much more affordable than elsewhere (e.g. when looking for accommodation via Airbnb or the Dutch Kamernet).

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?Ask the owners for the exact room/apartment amenities. It is often the case that basic utensils (e.g. plate), bed linen etc. are missing. All of the above caused me additional expenses at the beginning. Public transport has also become significantly more expensive in the Netherlands. Furthermore, drugstores are extremely expensive in the Netherlands.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?If you live relatively close to the university, it's a good idea to get a bike. As a result, a second-hand bike is cheaper than public transport and you can sell it at the end of your stay. Make sure you get NS Flex for the discount on trains.

Get loyalty cards at all the shops.

The most expensive supermarket is Albert, the cheapest Lidl (or others, but it depends on the city). Keep an eye on bonus promotions in the app.

If you find that you're missing a lot in your accommodation, mail the essentials to the address just before you leave. If you do have to buy something, I recommend Action or Xenos.

Beware that drugstores are extremely expensive in the Netherlands. Try to take as much stuff from the Czech Republic as possible. I recommend buying basic stuff (like toothpaste) at Albert in the drugstore section, not Krudivat. Other stuff at Normal.

The Dutch also love quantity discounts, so the better prices are only available in 2+2 deals, for example. However, that's not much of a bargain if you're only buying for yourself for max half a year.

🗺 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?runs like clockwork

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?In the Netherlands, NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) is the only train operator with a monopoly in the country. I recommend downloading the app to see which discounts you are entitled to/can get.

There is also a regional bus and tram service in the Utrecht region, based on OV Pay.

Ideally you should get an OV chipcard, which will upload all the discounts and your journeys. At the end of the month you will receive an invoice with a bill which you pay. You can also travel everywhere on a traditional credit card, but you can't load discounts onto it.

You can also search for connections using Google. In the Netherlands, this works great.

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?St. Martin of Tours Cathedral, Utrecht canals, Janskerkhof flower market

What are the must-visit trip destinations?The Hague, Zaanse Schans, Amsterdam, Keukenhof (tulips). The Netherlands is overall an absolutely beautiful country, so I definitely recommend trying to see as much of it as possible.

Share your best experience:The whole department - from the management to the PhD students in their first years - went on a teambuilding trip to the largest beach in The Hague, where we worked in small groups to create sand sculptures and play games about the struggle for survival on a desert island. At the end we had a great BBQ on the beach. I loved how any hierarchy completely disappeared - it didn't matter if you were a student or a professor. At least when it came to who got to pick up a shovel and throw sand. At the same time, we laughed extremely hard.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Bus

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?If you take the bus, I recommend using RegioJet rather than Flixbus, which stops directly in Utrecht but takes significantly longer. However, don't go all the way to Amsterdam, but get off in Rotterdam, where you can easily change trains to Utrecht. Count on the bus not stopping once for a break on the whole journey.

I recommend arranging Revolut. You can pay everywhere with your card, but for arranging things like accommodation or public transport cards, this can be a problem. For a long time the Dutch only accepted their banks. But now they accept Revolut everywhere.

Also, remember that if you are going to be in the Netherlands for more than 4 months, you must register with City Hall within 5 days of arrival. Also ask your accommodation owner about the possibility of registering. Some may have problems with this, so don't find out until you get there.

Can you pay by card?everywhere

What not to forget when packing?Waterproof clothing of all kinds - Dutch rain and wind are no fun.

If you're going in winter, count on the fact that the Dutch hardly melt at all, even when it's freezing. So be sure to pack plenty of warm clothing.

If you have too much stuff, send it by post.

🥳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?Nee heb je, yeah kan je krijgen. No, you're sure. Yes you can get it.