PREPARATION. None. Eventhough the Irish have a sometimes difficult accent, the medium was English.

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1 UU Report form - Erasmus faculty/college Sociale Wetenschappen level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Psychology - Cognitive Neurobiology Psychology destination city & country name university abroad start date end date Limerick, Ireland University of Limerick 28 / 08 / 2016 (dd/mm/yyyy) 16 / 12 / 2016 (dd/mm/yyyy) exchange application process PREPARATION The exchange application is very easy. The hardest part is mostly picking a University abroad since UU has so many connections. The main thing that you have to keep in mind while applying is that you are sure that you can afford to go on exchange in relationship to your study. And keep in mind that not all Universities respond as quickly as UU when collecting signatures. UL was pretty quickly though. counselling & support at Utrecht University UU was very helpful about basically any question. The only hard part is that you have to check yourself if you are allowed to take certain subjects. Because the timetable of UL changes every year, and the modules are not clear before arriving, this can be a little bit of a hassle. academic preparation I didn t have any academic preparation. Once I was excepted I could follow almost every modules except for the ones only available to Irish students. language preparation None. Eventhough the Irish have a sometimes difficult accent, the medium was English. finances I saved up some money from my parttime job but I payed mostly from study finance and savings. Keep in mind that you don't get your grant straightaway and not fully until you return. Be sure to have some sort of buffer because you shouldn't miss out on any trips or other fun activities. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD Since I had complete freedom in which modules I should take I chose to take some random modules. You have the first 2 weeks to try different modules before having to sign up officially. As an international this was very pleasant since I had no idea if I would like the subjects I was interested in which I chose back home. The downside is that the first few weeks are very uncertain. You need to hurry as well to check with your home university if you are allowed to take the subjects. A big problem for me and other Psychology students was that most psychology modules had to much overlap with my courses at home. academic quality of education activities The academic quality is lower than UU. I took 4 modules but looking back at it now, I could have easily done 5. Their system is different resulting students from many different studies in one course. I found that the page 1 of 22

2 academic level of most 4 year students had about the same level as a second year psychology student. I wish I was challenged more academically, but again I should have taking 5 courses instead of 4. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The support of UL was amazing. They have something they call 'the first 7 weeks' in which every week has a theme such as 'welcome week' and 'getting around' etc. This helps a lot when trying to find your way around college. They also had an organisation called the Hub whom had a room at student court. Whenever you had a question you could just pop in. Also, when I had to go back home (twice) for family reasons they helped me and were really understanding. transfer of credits They use the grading system from A1 to F. A1 being the highest and F the lowest. The % you needed to pass was not that high. Most subjects had an assignment during the semester and exam at the end but I had 2 modules which had 2 assignments (or more) and no exam. So the grading differs from the module. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE As said before, the first weeks they are really helpful. All internationals arrive 1 week before the rest of the students and you can get some extra 'international' attention since it's harder for us to figure out everything. Also, it was amazing to talk to all the different people from all over the world and to learn about all the different cultures, UL creates a great medium for that. accommodation I stayed in Troy. I think we had one of the most modern accommodation. I lived with 6 other: 1 German, 2 Dutch and 3 Spanish. We all had our own bathroom expect for 2 guys who had to share one. Troy is a 25 minute walk away from the library (I came in that area the most). This is quite far but you wil get used to the walk or you can buy a bike like some did. They did tend to be a little bit strict. For example, you were not allowed to have a party or get together after 10. When you did they would come and warn you which is ok. Keep in mind that you will have upstairs or downstairs neighbours, they can hear anything you do. It does feel save in Troy though. Every night they have security and there is a big gate. leisure & culture I tried to do as much as I could next to studying. What I enjoyed most was that I joined the International Society and joined the Committee. This was a gateway in many trips around Ireland and fun parties. Be sure to go on as many trips as you can. Limerick is not the prettiest city so check out the cute towns around and mostly enjoy the nature. Be sure to check out some castles and cliffs! But, the biggest cultural highlight is mostly at night. Irish Pubs with live music and a pint are the most enjoyable. I loved to just go in town and watch the Irish dancing and folksmusic. Limerick it self has some great pubs. UL has a very broad range of clubs and societies so be sure to join as many as possible. suggestions/tips If you are thinking about studying in Limerick, then don't go for the academic level. I made that mistake because I thought the Univeristy was quite good. For me personally it was just not challenging and some other Dutch people I spoke thought the same. But Limerick is cheap(er), the Irish people are amazing and you will always have a great 'craic'. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes and no. Yes: Ireland is amazing, I feel like it doesn't really matter where you go, but who you meet. So for page 2 of 22

3 the experience definitely go. No: Because I think there are other better universities available and you can meet greet people there as well, it just isn't Ireland. do you have any additional advice or comments? Be sure to have plenty of money. page 3 of 22

4 UU Report form - Erasmus faculty/college UU Psychology level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Cognitive and Neurobiological Psychology destination city & country name university abroad start date end date Ireland, Limerick University of Limerick (UL) 29 / 08 / 2016 (dd/mm/yyyy) 16 / 12 / 2016 (dd/mm/yyyy) exchange application process PREPARATION This was pretty easy. You have to fill in some general forms and write a motivation letter and pick a top 3. Believe it or not Limerick was my first choice and I was very happy I got chosen to go there. You get an from UL telling you that you are accepted and how to further apply for a semester at their University. The UL website is a bit different than the UU one so it was a bit of a hassle to find the right information and courses but in the end the application was actually quite easy. counselling & support at Utrecht University s to the International Office in Utrecht are replied to very quickly. I found their help very useful. You can them with all the questions you have and they will really try and help you with your question. academic preparation non needed. language preparation In Ireland they speak English so I didn't think more preparation was needed. However the Irish accent did need some getting used to;) finances It is a good idea to save as much money as possible beforehand. Especially accomodation was more expensive than I expected it to be and there are so many trips and places you will want to go to and explore so saving enough money to do all those things will be a good idea. Ireland isn't necessarily more expensive than the Netherlands but on Erasmus you spend a lot more than you would when staying in your home country. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD Before leaving for Ireland I had to hand in a Learning Agreement with the courses I wanted to take. Like I mentioned before the UL website isn't the clearest site you'll ever see but eventually I was able to choose 5 courses (6 ECTS each). From my faculty here at UU I was meant to take a minumum of 3 courses within the psychology faculty in Limerick but I ed the UU International Office and they arranged with UL that I could take less. So in the end I took only one psychology course and 4 others that had nothing to do with it. At UL, the first two weeks you are allowed to try out the courses you were initially planning on taking (and other courses aswell). After these two weeks you have to register for these courses. UL doesn't make a timetable for you with the courses you've picked, you have to use the website to see if the times of your lectures don't clash. page 4 of 22

5 academic quality of education activities Most courses at UL will say they are level 3 of 4 courses but UU will consider them to be first or second year courses. Or at least, this was the case with all the psychology courses they offered. Overall, I would say that the academic level at UL is lower than at the UU. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The International Office in Limerick is very good. They are very friendly and helpful. transfer of credits Credits haven't been transferred yet so I can't say anything about this yet. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE UL had a very full and welcoming orientation week. You get a huge amount of information on the stuff you can do in Ireland and all the useful places on campus. In the beginning it all seems a bit overwhelming but you quickly find your way around the beautiful campus. accommodation Accomodation in Limerick is quite difficult to find. At the moment they have a huge housing shortage so I would recommend you apply for on campus quickly or start your off campus search. I was too late applying for on campus accomodation and finding another place was very difficult. Eventually I made a friend via Facebook and we were able to find a place together at Groody Student Park. Our house was quite basic for the money we paid but we were very happy we had found a place to stay and we had very nice housemates. Most of our friends stayed at Troy Village which is just next door to our house. Troy Village is a bit more expensive but very nice to live in. From our house it was aprox. a minute walk to campus. leisure & culture UL has about 70 different clubs and societies that you can join which are a lot of fun and a good opportunity to meet new people, both Erasmus and locals. One is the International Society which onrganises trips to a good variety of must-see places across Ireland for about euros. I would definitly recommend joining! Also, the city centre of Limerick has some very nice Irish pubs if you want to go out for a drink. suggestions/tips Definitely join the International Society, have a pint at Stables or The Locke and party at Icon. The taxi back home is cheap! CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes I would recommend UL. They have a beautiful campus and the University has a lot to offer and the huge amount of societies and clubs result in a lot of parties and fun experiences. TGIF party is every Friday in the on campus bar (Stables). However the city itself isn't that exciting. do you have any additional advice or comments? Ireland is amazingly beautiful and the people are very friendly. Definitely go on Erasmus! It's a great experience and you'll have so much fun exploring your new environment and making new friends. page 5 of 22

6 UU Report form - Erasmus faculty/college level name study programme SOCIAL SCIENCES bachelor s PSYCHOLOGY destination city & country name university abroad start date end date LIMERICK, IRELAND UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK 01 / 09 / 2016 (dd/mm/yyyy) 16 / 12 / 2016 (dd/mm/yyyy) exchange application process PREPARATION For me it was a bit disappointing, because I didn t really understand how hard it was to get into some universities and it was also unclear that some universities had restrictions. So I ended up at my fourth choice. But I don t regret anything. I still had the best time of my life (I even think I liked Ireland more than my first choices!) counselling & support at Utrecht University Enough counselling & support! The lectures and meetings are really covering most of what you need to know. Moreover they give you fast and extensive answers per . Other than that I didn t really use much counselling. academic preparation I didn t have to do much preparation. Just make sure your English is okay, which you can check with the OLS test. Or bring a dictionary. And take some time to really figure out what courses you want to follow. language preparation The Irish accent is difficult to understand, but all the teacher speak proper English. The lectures are really easy to follow since the lecturer speaks clear and understandable English. You do need a certain level of writing skills in English in order to write papers and others written assignments. finances The cost of living in Ireland is a bit higher than in the Netherlands. The food is about the same price or cheaper (fish and nuts for example), a beer in a pub is about 5,- but you do get half a liter. The accommodation price is pretty high! I paid approximately 500,- per month. And always save some extra for trips, parties, activities, etc. STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) The study programme was quite good. There were a lot of courses to choose from. Although you need a certain amount of courses within your own field of expertise, there is also room for trying new subjects, languages or topics. academic quality of education activities For psychology the quality of education was a bit lower, since you already learned all the basics at the University of Utrecht. But there are subjects like Political psychology and Psychology at work that are new and very interesting. But you do need to check the book of modules really thoroughly to see if there are challenges and interesting topics for your study. counselling & support at receiving university abroad page 6 of 22

7 The counselling and support at the University of Limerick is the best. They have this first seven week program in which they take one universal topic like physical & mental health care or sexuality and learn you everything about it. They show you where to go with problems and how to find support. It really is a university for and with students. They are really committed to all their students and they really make you feel at home. transfer of credits As far as I know the transfer of credits at my home university is done with all fairness. You do need to take into account that some levels are rewarded lower in Utrecht. For example most psychology courses in Ireland are granted a level 2 in Utrecht. The grading system in Ireland is a bit different since they work with alphabetical grades (A1 to F) but the grading system is fair and good. STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme The welcome and orientation programme couldn t be better. They have this first seven week program, in which they show you EVERYTHING. Your way around the campus, the best pubs, the library system but also were to go with (mental) problems, cheap docters, sport activities, etc. accommodation Accommodation is really nice but expensive. You have all kinds of villages across the university or in the neighborhood. I was placed in Troy village, it was a bit further from the university (+/- 20 minutes by bike) but that made it a lot cheaper. I liked it a lot, since there were mostly internationals so you easily made friends. And because it was a bit further away, you could have house parties without noise complaints! But all the villages contained mostly international students, the houses were in real good quality, I had my own shower and toilet in my room, it was perfect! leisure & culture The Irish culture is amazing! I had low expectations about Ireland, but the landscape is amazing, the people are super friendly, the pubs are the best and the music is just wonderful! suggestions/tips Watch the movie PS. I love you, it is largely shot in Ireland so you get a nice image of the culture and the landscape. Furthermore, make sure to book accommodation on time! It is expensive, but it you re early you can get the cheaper ones. And make sure to save some money because somewhere in the first weeks you can join all kinds of societies for approximately 5,- and you really want to join! They have sport clubs, but also hiking tours, the international society plans the coolest trips to all the must sees in Ireland, the outdoor pursuit club takes you hiking, climbing and caving and it s all really awesome! So save some money and just join as many clubs as possible! CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Definitely! The university is ruled by students so they have different parties, activities and games every week. They make you feel part of their community. You learn a lot about the culture! You meet a lot of internationals, even when you re not trying, just because the international society organises a lot of activities and parties for just the internationals. There are all kinds of societies and sport clubs you can join (they even have a tea appreciation society), places to visit and fun things to do. In the first week they had a freaking bouncing castle! do you have any additional advice or comments? At the beginning it looks like a lot of work to arrange everything, so start early. Especially for the Erasmus grant you need to read and sign a lot of paperwork. But as soon as you have finished that part, you can start looking forward to the best time of your life! Make sure you have your accommodation arranged before arrival. Check things like what kind of bedsheets to bring (saves you money). And furthermore, don t worry. In the first week page 7 of 22

8 they explain everything to you; how their Sulis system works, were to go, etc. So you just have to participate in some kind of events in order to make some friends and enjoy your time there! page 8 of 22

9 UU Report form - Erasmus faculty/college Social Sciences level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Psychology destination city & country name university abroad start date end date Limerick, Ireland University of Limerick 01 / 09 / 2016 (dd/mm/yyyy) 16 / 12 / 2016 (dd/mm/yyyy) exchange application process PREPARATION I enrolled in the second round of the application process, as my friend notified that it was still possible to enroll. I thought I was too late. Sometimes I somewhat lost the overview of the process. There were a lot of forms to be filled, signed and sent/oploaded. This resulted in sometimes having multiple versions of a form, one signed by me and the sending institution and another only signed by the receiving institution. Signing the forms sometimes gave me stress to get it all done on time. counselling & support at Utrecht University As stated above I experienced some stressful moments during the application process but the staff of the International Office from Utrecht University were very quick in signing the forms as well as elaborately answering questions. academic preparation This exchange was a part of the fourth year of my Bachelor in Psychology. So I had already three years of preexisting knowledge. language preparation The language spoken at the receiving institution is English. My English was already fluent upon application so I did not need language preparation. finances Due to unsufficient Erasmus funds for my sending institution it was a bit insecure if, when and how much funding we would receive. In the end we received funding but unfortunately not sufficient. I had to use money from my own savings to reach the total amount of the accomodation at the receiving institution. STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) The available courses for my study were quite limited compared to my own university and a lot of the available courses had the same content as the courses I have been following for the past three years. Nevertheless the way of teaching and the organisation of the courses was very pleasant. academic quality of education activities The quality of education was good,the teachers were passionate about teaching their subjects and thoroughly handled the subjects, in an interactive way, starting debates in class. counselling & support at receiving university abroad It was a pleasant surprise to see the amount of counselling and support the receiving university offered. I was not used to this from my sending university, at least, my sending institution might have a good counselling system as well, but they don't show it as much as the receiving university. In my opinion a very nice plus. page 9 of 22

10 transfer of credits This is still in progress welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE The welcome at our student village was very nice, we were received by the village office with thee, coffee and cookies. We had a nice chat and they were very helpful in answering our questions, giving us route maps and even helping us with our luggage. The introduction was nothing less then great. Filled with many nice activities, a tour on campus and useful information, we were set to start the semester. The First Seven Weeks support programme was the cherry on top. Every week a different theme to offer support to the newcomers and let them adjust to the UL life easily. accommodation The house was wonderful, it was big, bright and clean. We had a balcony which was an absolute plus. We were off campus in Troy Student Village and the vibe in our village was very pleasant, the reception was kind and helpful, and sufficient services in the village such as laundry room and cleaning supplies. leisure & culture The University of Limerick offers a wide range of activities and clubs to join. From cultural clubs to sports and artistic clubs, they have it all and even the opportunity to start your own! suggestions/tips No suggestions CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes! I would definitely recommend this university, it was the best experience of my student life and the whole vibe at UL was good. A friendly and happy community of students, many nice activities and parties, good education and good support. do you have any additional advice or comments? No page 10 of 22

11 UU Report form - Erasmus faculty/college Social Sciences level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Psychology destination city & country name university abroad start date end date Limerick, Ireland University of Limerick 01 / 09 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) 18 / 12 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) exchange application process PREPARATION I did not go through the normal method of applying for my exchange as I missed the first deadline in January. This meant that I had less time to prepare for my exchange than most people. However, that was not much of a problem. The paperwork takes some time and it really is more convenient to do it ahead of time but with the help of the international office you can fix almost anything. Having applied (allthough a bit late) I started receiving s from the University of Limerick (UL). They sent me a ton of information, all I would need for my further preparation. The only reason I mentioned I was late with my application is because it prevented me from getting on-campus accomodation right away. I ended up flying to Ireland a few days in advance of my studies, only having booked a bed & breakfast for 2 days, so as to try and find a room there. Looking back, it all went very smooth but I remember it being quite stressing. Admittedly, I ended up in this situation because I did very little to try and secure housing in the weeks/months before my exchange. Still, I ended up in a nice room with other international students. One more thing I want to mention is that I was hesitant to mail the international office of UL. That was my biggest mistake. The people working there are wonderful. They're extremely nice and helpful. If I had mailed them with questions I could have made the whole process that much easier. counselling & support at Utrecht University The international office at the time was very helpful and concerned with the students going on exchange but again, I didn't notice that until the very end. They'll answer any question you might have and give tips, so a big props to them. They go through the process of application a hundred times every year so they know what's going on. There really is no need to figure everything out yourself and if you have a question, please give them a call because they're doing a great job. academic preparation I did not do any specific preparation. I did a third year and fourth year's course (bachelors are 4 years there) and those were quite hard, but I passed them with fairly good grades. language preparation As they speak English in Ireland I did not do any extra language preparation. finances I did some rough guessing as to how much my spendings would be and it turned out to be comparable to the Netherlands. Rooms are usually more expensive and you'll have to account for your flight and all the trips that you'll hopefully do throughout the semester, but the Erasmus grant and the settlement for our free public transport pass help a great deal in covering those expenses. page 11 of 22

12 study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD There is a big difference between their first and fourth year's courses so that's something to look out for, but they'll explain how that works in due time. I myself took part in some really interesting courses. academic quality of education activities As noted above the level of the courses can be quite different dependant on the year Irish students do the course. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The Irish International office is the best. They are extremely nice and helpful. They work closely together with the International Society that will help you in all kinds of ways and arrange trips through the country in the weekends. transfer of credits You will get a proof of your credits via mail so all it takes is to sent it via to UU. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE They dedicated a full week to orientation with opportunities to get to know people, a tour over the campus, games, further practical information about studying at UL and more. They even arranged a concert with some of the world's top Irish dancers. accommodation Accomodation was hard to find last year because there were much more international students than they'd expected. Still, as I explained above, the international office will do everything to help you in your search of housing. leisure & culture The campus is beautiful and there are lots of places to go to in Limerick city. There is a cinema not too far away and multiple Irish pubs and bars in the city centre. suggestions/tips Buy a bike! It helped me a great deal as you're not reliant on public transport anymore. You can get to the store much faster and whenever you want (they organise busses to take students from the campus villages to the supermarket but that's at designated times only). It costs a bit of money but at the same time I won some of it back by not having to pay for bus tickets. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I definitely recommend UL to other students. UL cares a lot for their international students, which is one of the most important things when you go to another country on your own. Also, there is plenty to do besides studying. do you have any additional advice or comments? Please use the international offices at both UU and UL because they know so much about exchanges. They can make the whole process that much easier and less confusing. Also, just go and be amazed by what the whole experience has to offer. It's one of the greatest things I ever did. page 12 of 22

13 UU Report form - Erasmus faculty/college Social and Behavioural Sciences level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Psychology destination city & country name university abroad start date end date Limerick, Ireland University of Limerick 03 / 09 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) 18 / 12 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) exchange application process PREPARATION The application process was easy. We needed to make a CV, a Financial plan, a Study Plan and a motivation letter. You really need to put a lot of effort to write the motivation letter to go to the university you want. This year, there were some places left to go to Limerick. Limerick was my first choice so I didn't have any problems to go to Limerick. But when you want to go to a popular destination, you have to write a good motivation letter. counselling & support at Utrecht University The counselling & support at Utrecht Universtity was very good, although I didn't need it that much. When I had a question, they were very quick with answering it. academic preparation It is good to take a look at the planning for after the erasmus period. I had to take trainings in the first semester, which I couldn't do because of my stay in Ireland. I arranged to do them in the second semester, after my stay in Ireland. language preparation I didn't prepare the English language. I thought my English was well enough to speak to people in Ireland and that my English would improve during my stay. I took a language course in Ireland, which was helpful but I think I didn't really needed it. finances I used the erasmus grant, study grant and public substitute money to buy everything I needed. I had to make a financial plan for my application period but I even managed to spend less than I expected. I did some nice trips which costed me some money, but I did my grocery shopping in lidl, which saved me some money. Of course, I spended more than I would do in Utrecht, but that's what I expected. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD You have to choose your own courses in the first two weeks. In these weeks, you can go to every course you want to go. They said that you have to take three courses within the exchange programme but the coordinator of psychology at UL said that we could take every course we wanted. I had two psychology courses and three other courses. I thought the first year course and the English course were very easy, but the fourth year courses I took were a bit difficult. Some courses weren't very well organised, but the psychology courses were prepared well. page 13 of 22

14 academic quality of education activities The quality of education activities at University of Limerick is a little worse than at the University of Utrecht. I thought it was a bit difficult to write my essays and exams in English but I didn't have a lot of problems with the other parts of the courses. Be prepared that the exams are written exams and not multiple choice, which I thought was a bit difficult. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The couselling & support at the Universtiy of Limerick was very good. When I had a question, I received an answer in one day. There also was an accomodation office and International office where you could go to with questions, and they helped very well. transfer of credits Ireland also has a ECTS system so the credits don't have to be transferred. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE The welcome & orientation programme was very good. There was a welcoming week with a lot of activities to meet some people and to get to know the University. In this first week, it was very easy to meet some people because everyone is new and want to know people. accommodation This year, there wasn't a lot of accomodation. Apparently, there was a new study at the University of Limerick, with a lot of students searching for accomodation. I couldn't find a room before I came to Limerick, so I had to search a room when I arrived in Limerick. In the first days I stayed in an airbnb and after a few days I managed to stay at another airbnb, which was half an hour walking away from University. But I could only stay for one month. After that month, I found another airbnb, but it was 9 km away from the University. I couldn't find something closer because there weren't any rooms left. Luckily, I bought a bike and it took me 30 minutes cycling to the university. leisure & culture There are a lot of things you can do at the University of Limerick. There are clubs for every sport and there is even a club to go skydiving. There were also a lot of trips you could join. At those trips, I got to know the special places in Ireland and it's nice to do that with people from other countries. the culture in Ireland is very nice. They have lovely pubs and almost everyone can play an instrument. On Friday nights, there was an International party in the stables, which was a good oppurtunity to meet people and have a lot of fun. suggestions/tips You have to search early for accomodation. There were a lot of people I know that couldn't find a room in the first two weeks. I recommend the on-campus villages because it's a good way to meet people from other countries. Troy is also a nice student village, which is about 15 minutes walking to the university. I also recommend to buy a bycicle. It is very handy because you can go everywhere. But be careful in traffic, people don't pay a lot of attention to cyclists. I also recommend to join trips, because it's a good way to get to know the country. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes and no. The International office and international society will make sure you are prepared and will meet new people. The campus is beautiful and I really liked to go there. I also loved to travel through Ireland, it is a very beautiful country with lovely people. But Limerick isn't very pretty and there isn't a lot of accomodation close to the university. page 14 of 22

15 do you have any additional advice or comments? It can rain a lot, so be prepared! Bring your raining trousers, raining jacket and umbrella with you! page 15 of 22

16 UU Report form - Erasmus faculty/college Social Sciences level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Psychology (Clinical and Health) destination city & country name university abroad start date end date Limerick, Ireland University of Limerick 03 / 09 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) 18 / 12 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) exchange application process PREPARATION This University wasn't my first, second or third choice. When I saw the list of still available places I decided that I defenitely wanted to go to Ireland so I choose Limerick. From there on it was an easy proces, I talked to a girl who went their before, talked to the University of Utrecht about going and applying and got more enthusiastic every day. counselling & support at Utrecht University The support at Utrecht University was great because I had a lot of questions and I asked a lot of things twice just to be sure, but they never got tired of me. They were very helpful and understanding. academic preparation I had already finished my bachelors so I needed to apply for an extra half year which I thankfully got. There was no minimal GPA for Limerick. language preparation English was already my second language and I did an online test to see which category I spoke. You also have to do a test for the Erasmus fund. finances I worked a lot during my last semester and with that I had some money saved. I also still got my student fund and applied for the Erasmus fund. I researched the money that I needed and made a financial plan just to be sure. Ireland is comparable to the Netherlands in costs, they also have the Euro which made it a lot easier. When I was there however it would have been easier having a creditcard for booking tickets to places and for example rugby matches. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD Upon arriving I noticed that there weren't that many new psychological courses (because I had already finished my bachelors I had done most of them) so I asked both Universities if I could do a broader programme. That was no problem. In the first week there was enough room to try out courses and in the end I went for Literature (Introduction into Literary Theory, Introduction to Creative Writing, Contemporary Women's writing), Irish Folklore and Political Psychology. academic quality of education activities The biggest difference was that we didn't have that much exams but more papers to write. It was a bit hard page 16 of 22

17 getting used to because I did different courses and they also had different rules for their papers. I think the courses were on a same level as they are in Utrecht, maybe a bit easier. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The International Office was amazing. From arriving there until the very end they assisted you with everything. You could reach them easily or just drop by to ask some things. The first week was especially for International Students and throughout the semester there were quite a few fun activities organised like a study abroad fair which gave you the oppurtunity to tell about your home University to Irish students who wish to study abroad. transfer of credits The credits took a bit to get used to because they were so different, but with some explanation it was understandable. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE The welcome and orientation programme in the first week was really good! Every night there was a chance to meet other internationals in the pub, while watching an Irish movie or at the Irish concert (and riverdance!) they arranged for us. During the day there were guides to show you the campus, tell you about all the clubs and societies (who presented themselves at the UL Wolves Drive) and about the city of Limerick. accommodation I didn't have accommodation when I arrived which was not really a good idea because it took some stress to find one. I managed to find one pretty quickly but to secure yourself of a good spot it is easier to book accommodation while still preparing. The student villages of the University were really nice, like Troy Village for example. A lot of my international friends lived there and it was really cosy and fun. leisure & culture There were so many things to do! Even though Limerick isn't a big city, it had a few museums and the Castle, it is not hard to get to other places from there. I joined the International Society (which is a great way to meet people and see Ireland) and they organised trips almost every weekend to other cities or villages or just beautiful countryside. You can also easily take the train or bus to Dublin, Cork or Galway. Limerick has some festivals around september and of course Halloween in October and Christmas in December. But there is also a lot to do at the Campus because of the many Clubs and Societies. I joined (next to the International Society) the Literary Society, Glee society and I even went horseback riding with the Equestrian club. I was also in the committee of the Film making society where I met the most amazing Irish people who are still my friends today. These clubs and societies have meetings every week and organise parties and lock-ins. Every week at the University has a different theme and there is plenty to go see and discover. Also every Friday there is International Friday, a party at Campus where all the internationals go to. suggestions/tips To meet locals: Join a lot of clubs and/or societies and if you can do join a committee. Be up to date about the festivals in and around Limerick. Go and explore a lot of Ireland with your international friends. Also when you first arrive try to meet as many people as possible, after a month or so little groups will form but first try to meet everyone. Get a creditcard, it's just easier. Try to study new things or things you always wanted to study. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes I would recommend the University of Limerick. It is really focused on internationals and has a great Students Union filled with great clubs and societies. Also the location of Limerick within Ireland is great for exploring. page 17 of 22

18 do you have any additional advice or comments? I think going abroad helps you not only learn languages and to study better but it also helps you learn more about yourself. Next to that you make amazing friends from all over the world and you get to know so much more about differences and similarities between cultures. page 18 of 22

19 UU Report form - Erasmus faculty/college Social sciencce level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Psychology destination city & country name university abroad start date end date Limerick, Ireland University of Limerick 01 / 09 / 2014 (dd/mm/yyyy) 19 / 12 / 2014 (dd/mm/yyyy) exchange application process PREPARATION The exchange application process for the University of Limerick is relatively easy. Once UU has sent an to UL, you'll get an back on how to apply for a semester at UL. Because UU nominated me to study at UL I only needed to fill in some personal details. It is important though to make sure you write a good motivation letter as UL was not my first choice. So if you want to go to a university that was very popular the years before, make sure you excell in your motivation. counselling & support at Utrecht University When I had any questions, the international office would help me with them. They were very helpful. academic preparation No academic preparation. language preparation In Ireland everybody speaks English so there was no need for a language preparation, since my level of English was high enough. finances If you are planning to go on erasmus/exchange, I would recommend to save as much money as you can. You don't wanna be short on money while being abroad. I saved up for about a year, I worked the summer before I went to Ireland, and with some support from my parents and the erasmus grant I was able to make it to the end without having big money problems. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD At UL you will make your own timetable. Once I arrived I could go to lectures for two weeks. At the end of these two weeks I needed to register for the courses I wanted to take. It is your own responsibility that your courses don't clash. As an international from UU FSW you also needed to take three courses within your exchange faculty and you can take two courses from other faculties, but since the Eramus coördinator at UL was very friendly I could make some changes. I only had two courses within the psychology faculty and three outside of the psychology department. academic quality of education activities Most of the courses I took at UL were first or second year courses. So those courses were pretty easy for me. Overall I would say that the academic level in Limerick is lower compared to Utrecht University. page 19 of 22

20 counselling & support at receiving university abroad The international office at UL is very good in my opinion. They were very friendly and would help you as good as they could in case of any troubles. transfer of credits No information about the transfer of credits at this point yet. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE The orientation week was very full but in my opinion this was very good. The orientation week was very usefull to get to know the campus at the student life at UL. They organised some information events but also some leisure activities. accommodation If you want to stay on campus I would personally recommend Dromroe village, although the on campus accomodation is quite expensive, especially compared to an off campus accomodation. I personally wanted to live on campus but I was to late to register, so I had to look for off campus accomodation. I lived in Milford Grange (20 avigon), which turned out to be pretty close to campus, in my opinion one of the best places to live off campus. In the end I think I was quite lucky with my accomodation, I was about as far away from the main building as other on campus accomodations and cheaper. Also I was really lucky with my roommates. leisure & culture Ireland is a really beautiful country. They have a lot of 'must see' places, that are indeed places that are really nice to see. I would definetely recommend to become a member of the international society. They plan trips around the county for about 10 or 15 normally. And besides the trips it s just a good way to meet new people. Besides the international society, UL has about 70 societies and clubs that you could join, which is also a good way to meet some locals. I joined the rowing club, which was besides a good workout, a really good way to meet new people. suggestions/tips Join the international society and go on as many trips as possible. Even if you think they might be expensive or you want to stay in for a weekend or day. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes I would recommend UL. I has a really beautiful campus and the parties in Stables (on campus bar) on Friday were always so much fun. If you're also looking for a nice city I would recommed another place though, because Limerick is pretty boring in my opion. Compared to the rest of Ireland the city looks pretty bad. do you have any additional advice or comments? I really do recommend UL, because it's a really nice university and recommend Ireland in general because it's a beautiful country and the people are super friendly. But if you want to live in a beautiful (and interesting) city too I would recommend to go to another country. Or maybe Dublin, but I don t know it there is an exchange program with a university in Dublin. Also I want to advice you to go on Eramus in case you weren't sure yet. page 20 of 22

21 UU Report form - Erasmus faculty/college Universiteit Utrecht level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Psychology destination city & country name university abroad start date end date Limerick, Ireland University of Limerick 01 / 09 / 2014 (dd/mm/yyyy) 21 / 12 / 2014 (dd/mm/yyyy) exchange application process PREPARATION The application process was easier than I expected. The application forms explain themselves. You should be perfectly fine if you just take your time for it. Don't try to do it all the day before the deadline. counselling & support at Utrecht University I didn't get a lot of support, but then again, I don't think I really needed it. If I was having questions I sent an e- mail, but usually it took so long to get an answer, that I already figured it out myself, or by asking other students. academic preparation I didn't really prepare anything. language preparation None. finances I saved up a little, I worked all summer and my parents gave me some money. Ireland is an expensive country and I wanted to travel around a bit, so I needed every cent. While I was in Ireland, I wanted to be able to do anything I want without having to worry about money. The Erasmus+ grand was really helpful. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD I'm studying Psychology, so I choose 3 psychology and 2 sociology modules in Limerick. I just picked the modules that I found interesting, and ended up with one first-year module, one second-year module, one thirdyear module and two fourth-year modules. Actually only the fourth-year modules were a little hard, the other ones were easier compared to the modules I've had in Utrecht. Every module consists of one or two lectures each week, and one tutorial. The lectures are in big lecture halls with a big amount of people, tutorials are in classes of about 12 people, where input is expected from each student. academic quality of education activities The academic quality of education activities is quite good in Limerick. I think it is a little less high compared to Utrecht. It was a little hard to write essays, because I struggled with writing in academic English, but my American roommates offered to check my grammar and spelling and I ended up passing all my assignments with good grades. page 21 of 22

22 counselling & support at receiving university abroad When you send them an , you usually get one back within one day. That's all the support I needed, so it was good for me. transfer of credits We got the results very late, almost 2 months after the final exams. I passed all my exams, but I don't really know if the credits will transfer automatically or that I have to do stuff now. I hope it will all work out. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE Very very good! I made a ton of friends in the first week already. accommodation It was okay. I lived on campus in Plassey Village, one of the five villages. It is extremely expensive, compared to off-campus accomodations. I lived with seven other international students, all American girls. I would have liked more of a mix of nationalities, but I couldn't choose my roommates, and in the end they were all nice girls, so I wouldn't complain about it. The big advantage of living on campus is living close to the university and to your friends. The other villages might have been better, in Dromroe, Cappavilla or Thomond, each person has their own little bathroom, and I had to share with 3 others. leisure & culture The culture in Ireland is amazing. It is an incredibly beautiful country with lots of awesome places you really have to visit. It's a good country to party too. Limerick has a few nightclubs and a lot of pubs and bars. There are two bars on campus as well, The Stables Bar, where memories were made each Friday night, and the Scholars Bar, where you sit and relax and enjoy live music. suggestions/tips Travel! Make sure you see and get to know this beautiful country: for example the Cliffs of Moher, the National Park and the Ring of Kerry, but also, wander around the campus and walk alongside the Shannon river. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I would definitely recommend studying at the University of Limerick for one semester! There are so many international students and everyone wants to be your friend. Irish people are friendly as well. The weather isn't as bad as everyone says. (I might have been lucky in my semester there, the weather was usually better compared to the Netherlands.) It's a great opportunity to live and study in another country for a few months, and share this with so many new friends. And also, at least for me, when in Ireland I really learned what I love about my life in Utrecht. do you have any additional advice or comments? page 22 of 22