Where did you study?
I studied at Roskilde University in Roskilde, Denmark.

When did you study there? What year?
I studied there during the second semester of my third year as a bachelor. That was in the Spring of 2016 and lasted from January until June.

Was the university you studied at your first choice?
Roskilde University was my first choice

Why did you want to go there?
I always wanted to visit Scandinavia and the education in Scandinavia is known to be good. I have looked at the courses in different Scandinavian countries and the ones at Roskilde University were the most appealing to me.

Did you get some sort of grant (Erasmus or Study Abroad Allowance) to finance your time abroad?
Yes, I got the Erasmus Grant.

Were you travelling with an organization like Aiesec or ISEP?
I went on exchange with the Erasmus program.

When did you start preparing for your trip?
I had to apply one year before actually going on exchange, so I started over a year before, by looking into different universities and deciding which ones I found most interesting.

How much money did you spend each month abroad? Where there a lot of unexpected costs?
I spent about €750 to €800 per month. I thought the price of my room was very high, and everything else is also more expensive in Denmark than in The Netherlands.

Did you have a hard time meeting people there? Did you make friends you still talk to?
I did not find it hard to get to know new people, because I applied for the introduction week for international students. Apart from that, I had to do group assignments for almost all my courses, so I got to know new people there as well. I still speak to some of the friends I made there. I went to visit three friends that live in Crete at the end of the summer holidays, for example.

How was your housing arranged?
The University took care of my housing. I had three types of rooms to choose from:

– My own room with a bathroom that I had to share with one roommate, and a kitchen that I had to share with three roommates
– My own room with own bathroom and a kitchen that I had to share with thirteen roommates
– My own room with own bathroom, own minikitchen and a shared larger kitchen

I chose the second option and I am very satisfied with that choice. I also had the choice of arranging my own housing in Roskilde or Copenhagen, but I heard that it would be very hard to find something by myself. All exchange students lived on campus as well, so it was a lot of fun.

Do you feel like your exchange has added something to your study, finding a job, personal growth etcetera?
I think my exchange definitely added value to many aspects of my life. I found it very interesting to see how research is conducted at another university and to see how people with different cultural backgrounds think about all kinds of subjects. I also improved my English speaking skills, because of the fact that I was the only Dutch speaking exchange student at Roskilde University. Apart from that, I broadened my knowledge by choosing more practical courses and by following a Danish language course.

Would you advise others to study abroad? Do you have any tips for the people who are either still doubting or that are definitely planning on doing it
I would definitely advise anyone to study abroad! I was very nervous and I even doubted whether I would have the guts to go. But looking back, I just had a great time! My advice is to really do a lot of research on where you want to go and what kind of courses you would like to take. When you are really in doubt, I would advise you to choose for a destination within Europe. This makes it a lot easier to see your family and friends during your time abroad.