Victoria Abroad Evaluation Form PLEASE TYPE THIS EVALUATION FORM & EMAIL IT TO VICTORIA ABROAD AS A WORD DOCUMENT A: Student Information VUW degree(s) LLB / BCom Major(s) Law, Accounting Exchange Institution VUW Tri & Year of Exchange RuG (University of Groningen) 1, 2015 B: Finances Please detail your basic costs in New Zealand dollars. This will help future students plan their own budgets. (Enter your number rounded to the nearest dollar.) Books 50 Accommodation 4,000 Return Airfare 2,000 Local Transportation 100 Meals 1,000 Visa 700 Health & Insurance 700 Personal Spending 3,000 Communications (phone, etc.) Other fees (specify) What unexpected costs did you encounter? What items were more or less than expected? 0 n/a none How did your financial expenses compare to what you originally expected to spend? About the same By what means did you maintain your finances? What would you recommend? (Credit card, foreign bank account, travelers checks, etc)? Dutch bank account (ING) recommended as quickly set up, and useful to have whilst travelling within the EU. What financial advice would you give students attending the same university as you? Depending on how much you would like to travel, always bring as much EURO as possible.
What was the average cost of a can of coke or coffee in your host country? Coffee was about $2.50 at the University C: Visas & Insurance *Please note this information is recommended by VUW students & current at the time of their exchange. For all up-to-date visa information you must check with the embassy/consulate of your host university. Did you have to apply for a visa? If so, was it difficult? What was the process, how long did it take and how much did it cost? University applied on behalf. All necessary information is given by RuG, thus just need to follow instructions. Took about a month in total. Do you have any advice for future students when applying for visas to your host country? Follow instructions given by RuG. Did your host university have a mandatory insurance? Or a particular insurance they recommended? If Yes, what was it and how much did it cost? Yes. Southern Cross insurance, online about $700. What insurance company did you use and would you recommend it to future students? Not claimed D: Academics at Host University Which courses did you take while on exchange? Please rate the difficulty of each course (1-5, 1 = Very Easy & 5 = Extremely Difficult) and leave any comments you may have. Course Title Language of VUW course VUW Rating (1-5) Comments Instruction equivalent or points/credits elective value VUW Trimester 1/YEAR Administrative English n/a 20 3 Not recommended. Assumed much knowledge of EU, as all students had taken EU for 1.5 years. Also, most of the lecturers were incoherent and had terrible lecturing styles. The course co-ordinator was also most unhelpful at and unwilling to give advice. International English International 20 2 Content was very
and European straight-forward. Lecturing was mixed (amazing International component, but very strange European lecturing which many non-english speakers in the class had difficulty understanding). International Investment Social Security English n/a 12 4 Large self-directed reading outside seminar time. Paper at the end of the course (75%) largely focused on research. Amazing lecturer (Prof. Brus) who was very passionate and knowledgeable in the field. English Welfare 12 2 Content was straightforward. Large emphasis on comparisons between different jurisdictions (social security s and policy). Very manageable workload. VUW Trimester 2/YEAR Course Registration/Enrolment Please describe the registration process at your host university. What kind of help was available?
All completed at Victoria, thus easy to follow. After approval from both universities, enrolling online is very similar to at Victoria (called Progress). How successful were you in registering/enrolling for classes you wanted? What advice would you offer to next year's exchange students about registration at your host university? Very straight forward. Successful in first attempt. Do you have any advice for future students when choosing and applying for courses? No. Follow instructions. Academic Experience How did your academic experience differ from your time spend at Victoria? Did the academic experience meet your expectations? Fell below expectations, with the exception of the Masters courses (International Investment and Social security ). How did the style of teaching at your host university compare with that at VUW? How did the workload compare to what you would expect at VUW? Varied, on opposite ends of the spectrum. Workload is considerably less than at Victoria. What would you recommend as an appropriate course load for other VUW students visiting your partner university? What specific courses would you recommend to visiting VUW students? Why? I was enrolled in the equivalent of 64 VUW points. Would recommend the Masters courses, because of better lecturers and more self-directed study (similar to 300 level VUW). Not recommending the Bachelors courses the Dutch frequently fail students. Closed book exams 100% relied on at the end of the block (similar to 100 or 200 level VUW). What advice would you give VUW students about succeeding academically at your host university? See above, especially courses. Try to approach lecturers (although some were unhelpful and unwilling to help). What was your impression of the computer facilities, library, and internet access at your host university? Good If you went to a country where English is not the native language, how did you prepare for this? Were there any intensive language courses provided by the host university? The Dutch speak perfect English.
E: Accommodation What form of accommodation did you stay in? International Student House (Blekerslaan 4). What were the pros and cons of this form of accommodation? Pros meet other international students, from around the EU particularly Cons expensive What accommodation would you recommend to future students? International Student House How early can you move into accommodation? Dates provided. February for us. What options were available for meal plans or cooking facilities? How satisfied were you with the food? Communal kitchen, cook independently (or with other students). If you lived in off-campus housing, how easy was it to find? What should future VUW exchange students know about living off-campus? n/a Do you have any tips of advice for future students when applying for accommodation? Stick with your preference? F: Personal & Cultural Connections What was it like making friends? How successful were you at making friends with local (i.e., not international) students? Easy, especially in class (many Dutch students in Masters courses). What was it like to adjust to the culture of your exchange country/university? Fine. What, if any, cultural differences did you find particularly challenging? How would you recommend students to prepare for these differences? n/a What parts of the culture did you most appreciate?
Friendliness How were you treated by local people? By university staff and faculty? By students? Varied, but most were extremely friendly and helpful. As far as you could tell, how easy would it be for students with disabilities to study at your partner university? For students who are visible minorities in your host country? For students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered? Unsure, but the Dutch are very liberal and open-minded. Did you face any issues regarding discrimination in your host country? What were they, and what advice would you give to future students? No G: Extra-curricular/Social Activities What organized activities (clubs, sports, etc.) were available to students? What extra-curricular activities would you recommend to future exchange students? Many, including ACLO, drama club, etc. Go for your preference(s) What do you recommend other visiting students see or do on their weekends or holidays? Group tickets to Amsterdam or Den Haag (or anywhere else in The Netherlands). What opportunities were there for students to work on-campus? Off-campus? Only available to Dutch speakers. What volunteer or internship opportunities were there for students? Unsure 5 things to take to your host country or region 1 Warm clothing (jacket, raincoat, thermals, snow proof shoes, gloves) 2 Copies of important documents (Passport, Dutch permanent residency) 3 Travel hand luggage bag (or backpack) 4 Little gifts from NZ (especially near the end of the exchange, to give to EU friends) 5 Knowledge of NZ (including land size)
5 pieces of useful advice would tell a VUW student going to your host university 1 Buy a bike as soon as possible 2 Seek out the International Law faculty / student office for any questions or help 3 Student Managers at International Housing are also very helpful 4 Dutch lessons to better integrate with the Dutch local community (if desired) 5 Keep an open mind, and talk to many different people Top 5 Things to do What are your Top 5 Things To Do future VUW students at your host university or city/country? 1 Den Haag Law trip to ICC and Special Tribunal of Lebanon 2 Picnic at the park / by the lake 3 Groningen Museum (apparently good, and worth the 13 euro) 4 Martini tower 5 Canal ride (from Groningen Museum) / run around the Canal belt H: Personal Experience Please write one paragraph about your exchange experience. Plus, don t forget to submit some photos to the exchange office!! Exchange was different from what I had initially expected. When I first arrived, everything was new and exciting. Bachelor courses were surprisingly intense (in terms of lectures and seminars), but the material very easy to understand. This restricted a lot of travel. Masters courses are much preferable as it had more self-directed learning (thus a lot more readings), but also more rewarding content wise, also giving the availability to do more travel on long weekends, etc. I met some amazing people, from around the world, and was grateful for the experience overall. Particularly being able to travel around Europe for such an extended time.