Mobility specification

Country:Netherlands

Institution:Saxion University of Applied Sciences

City:Deventer

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2021/2022

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Economics and Administration

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?no

Are your credits converted?no

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?Compared to MUNI, teaching was in smaller groups, there were no lectures at all and everything was covered in seminars (including theory and practice). There was a lot of emphasis on practice, working with real companies on the courses and it was a great experience. The teachers were friendly, they were addressed by name and were very helpful. It was a smaller school in general, so the more personal approach was provided because of that.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?Since it was right after covid, there weren't many extracurricular activities. However, I did have a school buddy who was there for me in the beginning and I could always turn to him for help.

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:20000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?The colleges were quite expensive, most of the scholarship fell on them and I was left with more or less a few thousand. On the other hand, they were nice, well furnished and there was a good community.
I was also surprised by the relatively expensive public transportation. The fare was (in 2022) around 20 euros per trip, no matter where you went. However, it was possible to travel cheaper with various "fare" tickets or cheaper travel after opening an account.
In general, living in the Netherlands is not cheap and should be taken into account.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?In the Netherlands everything is quite expensive, as far as supermarkets are concerned, Aldi or Lidl was the best. I don't have any other tips.

🗺 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?runs like clockwork

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Preferably the NS app (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) or the 9292 app.

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

How do you rate the availability of healthcare?I've seen better

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Sunset by the river (absolutely breathtaking).
Saturday market in the square! And have a stroopwafel at the market - a warm caramel wafer, typical of the Netherlands. The best ones are like this only at the markets, no overpriced ones... For food then Kibbeling - it's fish that is prepared with some spices and is delicious.
Just walking around the streets.
And! riding a bike, because it's much more comfortable compared to other cities, because there are less bikes.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?To various cities in the Netherlands. Smaller ones like Nijmegen, Arnhem. The bigger ones definitely Rotterdam because it's different compared to other Dutch cities, Den Haag and the local beach but also the centre. Amsterdam is a must too, next to Amsterdam is Uttrecht, that's definitely worth it too and if the weather is nice, rent a boat and go on the canal in Uttrecht. Groningen is also beautiful, but it's further away.

Share your best experience:Sunsets by the river in Deventer and Kings day - the celebration of the King's birthday - currently falls on 26 April. There are small markets where people sell their stuff and then there are parties everywhere.

💅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
Car

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?The airport is near Amsterdam and it's about an hour to an hour and a half from Deventer, but there is a direct connection.

Can you pay by card?sometimes

What not to forget when packing?For a raincoat or waterproof jacket :). It really rains a lot.
I would take some Czech food, drinks and alcohol (slivovice, Becherovka etc). They used to do various tastings of local food and drink on campus.

🥳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?It was an indescribable experience that was the best of my life, both because of the environment (school, place) and because of my friends there.