Land: Belgien
Ausländische Universität: KU Leuven
Vorlesungsbeginn und Prüfungsende im Ausland: 26/09/2016 bis 04/02/2017
Studiengang an der Viadrina: IBA
Erfahrungsbericht Auslandsstudium
According to Reuters, KU Leuven is Europe’s most innovative university. Although it’s only 800 km away from
FFO, the differences, especially in the education system, can come as a surprise. Here’s a glimpse of my
Erasmus experience in Belgium.
From the administrative point of view, preparing your semester abroad is surprisingly not that problematic.
Viadrina’s International Office sends your nomination directly to KU Leuven. After some time, you receive a
very clear email with all instructions – you basically just have to fill in the pdf with your data, scan your
passport and upload everything to a special guest profile on KU Leuven’s website. Again, as time passes, and
they review the application, you get an official Admission Letter. As a student from the EU, I also needed to
obtain the European Health Insurance Card. That was pretty much it.
The easiest way to travel to Belgium is by plane, one could find very cheap tickets from Berlin to Brussels
Zaventem. From there it only takes around 15 minutes by train to get to Leuven. If you arrive in Brussels
South Charleroi Airport, be prepared for a longer journey - around 60 minutes by bus to Brussels, and then
25 minutes to Leuven, again by train. On the other hand, finding accommodation could be a little more
complicated. I advise to start early and take a look at university’s official website: kotwijs.be. Leuven is a city
of students, so there are really many possibilities, from university residence rooms to studios available on
the private market, all varying in price and quality. The average rent is approximately €350 – €450. They say
it’s recommended to visit Belgium before the mobility and see for yourself what you want to rent, as
sometimes the standards might be too low for the given price and in this country you really can’t expect
luxury (even for a relatively high price). However, I personally found my studio online, risked signing the
contract via email (KU Leuven even provides templates) and everything went fine. The only problem one
might face is that majority of rooms/studios, even in student halls, are available for rent only for a whole
year, so it’s essential to ask about one semester contracts straightaway. Incoming Erasmus must also often
stick to private market, because most university’s student hall rooms are generally reserved for regular
students. When it comes to location, of course it could be cheaper outside the city center (outside the “Ring”)
and even from there I’d estimate it’s only a 20 – 25 minutes’ walk to every lecture hall. But as far as I know,
you could find a good place for almost the same price within the “Ring” anyways, so I guess the closer you
live, the better, especially if you’re a nightlife lover. On the other hand, again, you can always rent a bike
from university’s Velo (it’s €50 for 5 months, plus deposit of €70).
Upon arrival, it is necessary to take part in the registration session for new Erasmus students and go register
as a new resident in the City Hall. KU Leuven really makes sure you receive all needed information about
everything there is to do. Not only do they send special “info package” by email, but also organize a lot of
info sessions and welcome activities during Orientation Days, one week before the lectures start. Some of
them are really worth attending so that one could learn about living in Leuven and meet fellow students. It’s
vital to understand that KU Leuven is nothing like Viadrina when it comes to size of… well, everything. There
are thousands of new students every semester, so there are also many, many more student organizations
and possible activities. But 5 months is still not a long time and with so many students around, you might
find yourself meeting people once and never seeing their faces again. If one is used to small university like
Viadrina, KU Leuven might be a little bit overwhelming at first. What might help is their special Buddy
Programme – a buddy is a great source of advice, and there are always fun events you can attend together.
Moreover, the Faculty of Business and Economics organizes get-togethers exclusively for new Erasmus
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Land: Belgien
Ausländische Universität: KU Leuven
Vorlesungsbeginn und Prüfungsende im Ausland: 26/09/2016 bis 04/02/2017
Studiengang an der Viadrina: IBA
students making sure they feel welcome.
During the first 2 weeks, one must choose and register for courses (and exams!) on the platform similar to
our Moodle. I received the list of available courses already in May. For undergraduates, there was a choice
of around 25 of them from variety of subject areas, mainly Entrepreneurship, strategy and innovation;
Informatics or Economics and Economic Analysis; fewer from Finance or Marketing. As there is time to think
this matter through, I recommend to do it properly. Regular students take up to 5 courses for one semester,
but be careful, they are used to it. From my own experience, I would advise to take not more than 3 (even 2
is enough), if you really want to enjoy your Erasmus time. Some courses may appear harder than on the
Viadrina with much more material to cover for the exam, but with this also comes a higher quality – you can
definitely learn more. Personally, I chose Supply Chain Management, which luckily was relatively easy, and
two Finance courses, which turned out to be a real bear. I guess at that time I wasn’t really aware that
Finance subjects are the toughest you can choose at KU Leuven, and taking two at once (with one being
Master course) is not such a brilliant idea. And even if difficulty is not the case, the structure of the semester
is very different. Usually, for one course there is only one 3-hour lecture each week, and then month of
January is exam period. For me it was hard to get myself to start studying already in October, when I had in
mind that my first exam would be only on 21st of January.
It’s not obligatory to attend lectures, but it’s advisable to do so. The professors don’t expect much from the
students during the semester but to study, if anything, sometimes you are obliged to do the group
assignments, which are then taken as part of the final grade. Therefore, the studying process it is only up to
your own management and self-motivation, which can be both a blessing or rather quite the opposite. Worth
mentioning is also the fact that almost every course requires a book, sometimes they are even written by
the professors specifically for the subject. As a consequence, one must be prepared to bear the costs of
buying them - as an example I had to pay around €40 to cover books for only one course (but I’ve heard
there were people buying books for even €80 each). When it comes to exams, there are two words to
describe them: complicated and tricky (but no worries – if you study, you pass). The good thing is that you
have 3 hours, which for me was more than enough, even given the mentioned complexity. KU Leuven has
somewhat weird but easily understandable grading system – a scale from 0 to 20 is used, 10 being the passing
grade. To give a better picture: a typical exam has 4 exercises each worth 5 points, your grade is simply the
amount of points you earn. The average usually lies between 12–13 points. I’ve heard many times that
receiving more than 16 or 17 points is almost impossible, or at least it really doesn’t happen often.
KU Leuven is a very modern university with a positive vintage feeling. I loved the modern interiors of the
lecture halls and libraries locked within beautiful somewhat old-fashioned outside architecture. Speaking of
libraries, if you’re a fan of studying in such places, you won’t be disappointed – there is not one but couple
very well equipped libraries, plus a special learning center Agora. Further, the university really is a studentfriendly institution. First, they have an awesome sports center where they organize activities in 70 (!)
different sports, and as an Erasmus you’re privileged and receive the Sports Card for free. For culture
freaks, there is a possibility to purchase the Culture Card (€20), which entitles to free tickets or discounts for
numerous cultural events organized by university and its partners. As a tip, I shall probably mention here
that during enrollment KU Leuven also sells a special Bus Pass – even though you can rent a bike, or simply
just walk everywhere, there is still of course the city’s public transportation. The pass costs only €20 for the
whole year, and from my own experience, might really come at handy in times of bad weather or necessity
to travel with a suitcase to the train station (especially given the fact that single ticket fare is €3). Another
pretty cool thing is Pangaea, which holds a proud name of International Meeting Center. Not only do they
organize all welcome activities and above-mentioned Buddy Programs, but also many more socio-cultural
events during the year and cool affordable trips. They even have a lounge and a bar – you can become a
member, buy a mug, and get any amount of free coffee and tea anytime you want. Other than that, KU
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Land: Belgien
Ausländische Universität: KU Leuven
Vorlesungsbeginn und Prüfungsende im Ausland: 26/09/2016 bis 04/02/2017
Studiengang an der Viadrina: IBA
Leuven offers a Dutch for beginners course free for all Erasmus students. If that’s not enough to fill your free
time, always remember that Leuven is just the best to wander around and explore its lovely atmosphere,
besides, it has Oude Markt, known as the longest bar in Europe, or maybe even the whole world.
Travelling was the definite highlight of my Erasmus semester. Not only Brussels, but also cities like Ghent,
Bruges or Antwerp are a must-see in Belgium. Every one of them is easily reachable by train, and with a
student discount, a return ticket between any two stations costs only €10 (however, if you want to frequently
travel to Brussels, buy a so-called Campus Card, for only €7.70 you can make up to 5 return journeys).
Moreover, if tired of Belgium, France or the Netherlands are also close, Paris or Amsterdam might be great
destinations for weekend getaways. And final positive aspect of my Erasmus experience? Nothing else than
food: Belgian chocolate, fries and beer. On the other hand, there was still the negative side, the cost of living
in Leuven, for example, which is slightly higher than in Germany (especially groceries). On a more personal
note, I couldn’t really find myself in the way their semester is organized – nothing intensive during the
semester, and then the exam period with everything at once.
All things considered, my stay abroad was alright. But there are still things I wish I knew before it even started
(like some I describe in this report) so that I would adjust my expectations and maybe adapt myself to
circumstances a little better. Undeniably it is possible to have a really great time in Leuven if only you play
your cards right. Two final tips: choose your accommodation in a place where you are sure you will have
other students around, and enjoy yourself but be prepared that sooner or later you will really, really have to
study.
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