Student’s Name: Maeve Reynolds
UL Course: Joint Honours
Academic Year: 2016 / 2017
Semester: Autumn
Host University: Universiteit Gent
Host University Code: B Gent 01
Student Experience:
Once I arrived in Gent, I attended a ‘Welcome Day’ event which was set up by the University
and held over two days. The first of these ‘Welcome Days’ consisted of an orientation lecture
outlining important and useful information about the University and our stay in the city of
Gent. This was followed by a complimentary breakfast with other Erasmus students in the
same faculty. This gave me the opportunity to mingle with some other students from different
countries and universities. On the second day we were given a walking tour of the University
library and the English faculty building where most of our lectures and classes would be held. I
found it hard to socialize with the local students as they rarely mixed with Erasmus students in
classes or at social events. However, the University encouraged us to sign up for a personal
buddy as a way to make friends with the local students. This is a programme run by the
University which pairs international students with local students in an attempt to help the
international students settle into their new city and University. I signed up for this programme
and my buddy was very helpful in showing me around my faculty building and answering any
questions I had about the university. I also signed up for the Erasmus Social Network (ESN)
which is a society for international Erasmus students. The ESN run social events, weekend trips
to different countries and also have a night out every Friday in the ESN bar. This was helpful in
getting to know more people and making friends with other Erasmus students.
The first language spoken in Ghent is Dutch, I was concerned this was going to be a problem
when first going over, however, almost everyone has a high command of the English language
and it proved to be no problem. There was also an introductory course available through the
university although I chose not to take this as the classes clashed with one of my modules. We
were required to register for our modules prior to the start of the semester, so I found it very
difficult to choose which modules to pick as we had no knowledge of what the classes or
lectures would be about. However, we were allowed to change modules up to four weeks after
the start of the term. I felt very limited in my choice of English modules as the majority of
classes were for English language beginners and as a native speaker these would not be
beneficial to my learning.
Institutional Practices:
I landed in Brussels airport with another Erasmus student and together we found it very easy to
get the train to Ghent city, the trains are quick and frequent and most signs and timetables are
also provided in English. As our apartment was in the city centre it was not difficult to get there
on the trams, the city is generally easy to navigate as it is relatively small. On our second day in
Ghent we went to the ‘Welcome Days’, I found these to be helpful in learning about the city
and the university buildings. During the orientation day we also had to register as a student
which is easily done in the registration office, I was also given a password and username for the
University’s library and online learning site called ‘Minerva’, which is similar to the University of
Limerick’s ‘Sulis’. The layout of Ghent University is quite different from the University of
Limerick, they do not have one large campus like our own, instead they have a separate
building for each faculty which are scattered across the city. I was in the English department,
this was in the languages building called ‘Campus Boekentoren’. This campus is located beside
the University Library and the Erasmus student housing. Although I applied for the university
accommodation I did not get it as they have very few spaces for international students, instead
I was placed on the waiting list. I had to find my own private accommodation in the city which
was very difficult and I received very little help from the university when asking for advice
about this. I rented an apartment with another Erasmus student from the University of
Limerick, the apartment was located on the other side of the city so we had a forty minute
walk to college every day. It was possible to get a tram but there was no direct route so it was
easier and quicker to walk. I would recommend Erasmus students to stay in the student
accommodation as it is close to the university buildings, the student nightlife and provides a
great opportunity to make friends with other Erasmus students. The accommodation is
located beside the popular street ‘Overpoort’ where all the student bars are located, and also
students get good value in the bars and restaurants in this area. I feel that I did not get the
same opportunity to socialise and meet as many Erasmus and locals students because we lived
so far away from the campus and the student area. The apartment we lived in was located in
the ‘old town’ part of the city, it was only a five minute walk to the city centre so we were close
by shopping facilities, however due to its location the rent and the supermarkets and
restaurants close by were expensive, and it had very poor cooking and heating facilities. The
city of Ghent is extremely safe even at night, and the area where my university buildings are
situated is also. The structure of my lectures and classes differed from the University of
Limerick, all lectures lasted three hours and my subjects would only have one lecture per week
with no accompanying tutorials. I found this to be difficult to adjust to as the lectures always
seemed too long and it was challenging to concentrate for three hours in a large lecture hall
with little engagement between the lecturer and the class. The end of term assessments were
also very different from the University of Limerick, I had to complete an oral exam for one
subject which I had never experienced before. All my exams were written assessments
concerning questions directly relating to the course content and gave little opportunity for me
to express my own thoughts or write academic essays. For this reason I don’t think that the
classes I took were very beneficial.
Cultural Differences:
The first language spoken in Ghent in Dutch, I was concerned this was going to be a problem
when first going over however almost everyone has a high command of the English language
and it proved to be no problem. There was also an introductory course available through the
university although I chose not to take this as the classes clashed with one of my modules. All
of my lectures and classes were taught through English, so the language barrier was never an
issue. Cycling is extremely popular in Ghent and I would recommend anyone to rent a bike
during their stay, most students rent bikes from the University for a very reasonable price.
However, there is a limited number and the registration form is difficult to fill out so I did not
rent a bike during my stay. Although cycling is the main method of transport within the city
centre there are also a number of trams that operate throughout the city, they are really easy
to use and a ticket is only three euro which lasts up to an hour. I used the trams when going
sightseeing around the city, Ghent is a medieval city with many old style buildings and admiral
architecture. The main attractions are located in the city centre; the Belfort tower,
Gravensteen castle and the main square Korenmarkt. There are also some good boutiques as
well as high street shops in the city centre. As Ghent is quiet small, most of the sightseeing can
be done within a couple of days, there are some interesting museums to go and see, and plenty
of coffee shops and restaurants. The Christmas markets which take place in December are
really festive and enjoyable also. There are two train stations in Ghent which provide buses and
train not only to Bruges, Antwerp and Brussels but also to other countries such as the
Netherlands, Luxembourg and France.
Hints and Tips:
I would recommend travelling as much as possible during Erasmus as it is a great opportunity
to see the rest of Belgium and Europe. During my stay I found that the city is not the most
exciting for activities or nightlife and the weekends spent there can become quite boring and
repetitive, so I travelled to Budapest, Berlin and Madrid for extremely cheap from Brussels
airport. The trains to the Amsterdam and Rotterdam are also very reasonable and would highly
recommend taking trips there. Another piece of advice I would suggest is to stay in the
university accommodation as it was difficult to find private accommodation. Also when I did
eventually find accommodation it was not suitable, also I found it very difficult to make friends
when I was not living on or near campus. The last piece of advice I would suggest is to research
the classes offered at the University of Ghent before you decide to go on Erasmus there, as I
felt that the subjects I chose were not very beneficial to my degree.