ERASMUS+ STUDIES
UU Report 2015-2016
e-mail address
faculty/college
level
optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly
[email protected]
Betasciences Biology
bachelor’s
master’s
name study programme
Biology
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name university abroad
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
start date
03 / 09 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
end date
05 / 02 / 2016 (dd/mm/yyyy)
PhD
PREPARATION
exchange application process
The exchange application process is not hard. You have to fill out some paperwork but it is not that much.
Because Madrid has suficient places for biology, getting in the exhange to Madrid programe is almost guaranted.
counselling & support at Utrecht University
The counselling and support at the Utrecht University is good. An e-mail with questions is quickly replied.
academic preparation
I didn't had to prepare myself academically on the exchange because I took biology courses and I already had
experience in biology.
language preparation
Because the biology classes in Madrid are in Spanish I had to learn a little Spanish. This is not requiered for your
aceptation at the UCM but is only for yourself. Before I went to Madrid I only learned a litle Spanish on the
Internet and only when I was in Spain I took courses. I would recommend to prepare yourself better than I did,
because not only for you academic prestations but also for your social life it is very important to speak Spanish
when you are in Madrid
finances
Although only the erasmus grant isn't suficient to provide your finances in Madrid, the rent, food and drinks
aren't very expensive in Spains. The rent of my room was exactly the same price is I pay in Utrecht (250€) en
also the supermarkets are on the same price level. Going out for dinner is less expensive than in the
Netherlands, going out to a club a lot more expensive.
I think finding a job in Madrid will be hard, because of the language struggles and because there aren't that
many jobs for so there will be a lot of concurence. Your best change for a job is as English speaking au-pair.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD
study programme (content and organisational issues)
I chose five courses, each for 6 ECTS, for half a year. All the courses were ecology courses.
UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2016 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2016 for 2nd semester or full year exchange
page 1 of 3
At the UCM there are three directions in biology: ecolgy, health and biotechnology. If you are in the fourth
grade, the best is to choose your subject in one of these directions, because here in the hours of classes don’t
coincide. I would recommend the courses in the ecology path, because these offer a lot of fieldwork and
practical knowledge about nature what is not offered a the Utrecht University.
As you can expect from an Spanish University, I had a lot of organisational issues. This was mostly in the
beginnign and at the end of my stay abroad period. In the beginnging I had difficulties with the planning of my
courses, on one hand because it all was done by hand and I had to wait for two hours before it was my turn to
schedule my courses and on the other hand because I spoke hardly any Spanish and the communication was
very dificult. Suprisingly even the people of the Erasmus office of biology don't speak English An other
organisational isue was the fact that my stay abroad period was till the 31th of January, but the exams for my
courses were scheduled in February. This was not clear when I went to Spain and I had to find out myself by
speaking to my clasmates that I had a problem. With help from the Erasmus office and my study advisor in
Utrecht were sorted this out, but from the responsible person in Madrid I couldn't expect that much help.
Fortunately the teachers in Madrid are very nice and helpful and at the end I got the change to do my exams in
the Netherlands, and they would correct them by email.
academic quality of education activities
Although the level of the courses is a little lower than the level in Utrecht, I think the quality of the courses was
very good because of the fieldwork and practical experience with computer programmes as GIS and SPSS.
counselling & support at receiving university abroad
Responsble persons as the dean and the people at the Erasmus office won't help you that much, but the
teachers are very nice and helpful.
transfer of credits
I still have to make the most of my exams, but I think the transfer of credits won't be a problem. I do not think I
will pass all courses, mostly because of the language dificulties, but grades I have received untill now (of
presentations and articles) are positive.
STUDENT LIFE
welcome & orientation programme
I have not done a lot with the Madrid Erasmus programe, merely because this is a English speaking communitie
and I wanted to learn Spanish. With this, I chose the hard way because in the beginning the communication
with my Spanish class- and roommates was very hard. But at the end, I am glad I did this because now I speak
suficient Spanish and the last months I had a lot of fun with my clas- and roommates.
accommodation
My accomodation was a room that rented my girlfriend and I for 500€ via airbnb. It was very near the university
and the center of Madrid. We lived there with the two people who owned the house, their two dogs and the
other people who rented one of the three rooms. It was a very noice place to stay, mostly because we could
practice a lot with the Spanish language, but also had nice housemate to drink or do something with.
leisure & culture
There are a lot of things to do in a big city in Madrid, as there are a lot of markets, musea, bars etcetera. The
only thing is that going out to a club is very expensive
suggestions/tips
Mercado de motores, a market in a old train station, and trips to Segovia, Ávila and Toledo (rent a car and visit
also the nature surounding Madrid)
UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2016 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2016 for 2nd semester or full year exchange
page 2 of 3
CONCLUSIONS
would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain
Yes, but be prepared. A certain level of Spanish is recommend. Prepare yourself for organisational issues and
for the longer duration of the first semester at the UCM (till the half of February)
do you have any additional advice or comments?
Buy a cheap bicycle on segundamano.es, better and cheaper option than the metro
UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2016 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2016 for 2nd semester or full year exchange
page 3 of 3
ERASMUS+ STUDIES
UU Report 2015-2016
e-mail address
faculty/college
level
optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly
[email protected]
Economics
bachelor’s
master’s
name study programme
Economics and Business Economics
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name university abroad
Complutense University of Madrid
start date
07 / 09 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
end date
22 / 01 / 2016 (dd/mm/yyyy)
PhD
PREPARATION
exchange application process
I did some thinking about which countries would suit me, and figured out on the website of UU which
universities in Spain I could go to. For the application I wrote an motivation letter and did research about my
financial situation and which courses I could take on the univeristies of my choice.
counselling & support at Utrecht University
We had a preparation meeting in May for all students that went to Madrid or Bologna in which a lot of
information was told and provided on paper. I wrote some emails to the international office for more
information or insecurities about preparation, which were answered rather fast.
academic preparation
I made sure I would pass all my courses I would not delay my graduation and was able to go to Madrid.
language preparation
I did some preparation in speaking Spanish in Holland with the app Duolingo, and the first 2 weeks in madrid I
had a language course.
finances
Spent less during summer break than usual.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD
study programme (content and organisational issues)
The organisational skills at the university in Madrid are very poor, but I got used to it and it is also nice to not
feel stressed yourself about deadlines etc. The content of the study programme was different than in Utrecht:
no books, only slides, rather basic information and many contact hours.
academic quality of education activities
No opinion
UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2016 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2016 for 2nd semester or full year exchange
page 1 of 2
counselling & support at receiving university abroad
The people at the international desk were very nice but not everyone gave me the same information.
transfer of credits
They send the transcript of records rather quickly after I returned to Utrecht.
STUDENT LIFE
welcome & orientation programme
The welcome programme was poorly organized and very confusing. Information was given in Spanish and many
things were very dependend on the faculty, what made it sometimes quite uninteresting. The welcome
program of the faculty was at the same day and made everyone more confused by telling them they might not
be able to take the courses they choose on their learning agreement.
accommodation
My landlord was very bossy while not living in the same apartment, she showed up often and had a lot of rules.
But the apartment was very nice and good location, while the price was around the same as in Utrecht. For
many students it was difficult to find a room when they had to search for a room one week before the classes
start, that is why I got a room from Uniplaces.
leisure & culture
There are a lot of free possibilities to exercise and see museums. Also from Madrid you can travel through Spain
quite cheap. With different international student associations you can do activities or travels while making new
friends.
suggestions/tips
Go to 100 Montaditos to eat cheap and good! Go to Madrid at least one week in advance if you have to find a
room. Learn Spanish, because almost no one will speak English. Don’t stress out about university there, they are
really nice and there are not very strict.
CONCLUSIONS
would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain
Spain is a beautiful country with nice people. Also the food and weather is very good. However, because I didn’t
spoke Spanish very well, I think my experience would be better if I would, because I couldn’t really adjust
because I couldn't have conversations with for example my flatmates or the supermarket employees.
The University is very large, and they don’t offer on-campus accomodation, what makes it sometimes difficult
to find a room and the travel time is often more than half an hour. Also the organizational skills of the university
are very bad and the level of education is below the university of Utrecht. However, it is nice to experience a
different way of education and once you are used to it, it is okay.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2016 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2016 for 2nd semester or full year exchange
page 2 of 2
ERASMUS+ STUDIES
UU Report 2015-2016
e-mail address
faculty/college
level
optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly
[email protected]
Beta Sciences
bachelor’s
master’s
name study programme
Biology
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name university abroad
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
start date
04 / 09 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy)
end date
05 / 02 / 2016 (dd/mm/yyyy)
PhD
PREPARATION
exchange application process
In my opinion the deadline for the application was too early. I think a lot of people that want to study abroad in
the end don't do it because of this. If I would have known about it before I would have preferred to go in the
second year, but then you have to know about the deadline directly when you start at the university. Now it's a
lot of hassle with finishing my bachelor.
counselling & support at Utrecht University
The welcoming session was helpful. Apart from that there wasn't that much support. It was quite hard to get in
touch with the people from the Erasmus office.
academic preparation
I couldn't really prepare anything, because it wasn't clear what courses I would be following before I got to
Madrid.
language preparation
I studied Spanish at home with Duolingo.
finances
?
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD
study programme (content and organisational issues)
I really liked the courses in Madrid, they were way more practical than the courses offered at Utrecht
University. The classes were small and the teachers were very helpful. The organisation was not that good.
When I arrived I didn't speak Spanish very well and there was no one (not even at the Erasmus office) that
spoke any English. The person with which I had to arrange everything signed for dates that were not right. The
exams were after the end date, I had to discover this myself and I had to arrange that I could make the exams in
the Netherlands. This was really hard because our contact person in Spain wasn't helpful at all and often didn't
UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2016 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2016 for 2nd semester or full year exchange
page 1 of 2
respond to e-mails. In the end I made agreements with the teachers to arrange everything. .
academic quality of education activities
The quality of the education was good. The way of learning things is different, as I said before it's more
practical. I think this is really good for a study as biology. We had a lot of fieldwork and I really enjoyed this.
counselling & support at receiving university abroad
The teachers were really helpful, the rest of the staff and the erasmus coordinator didn't help at all.
transfer of credits
I haven't received all of my notes yet.
STUDENT LIFE
welcome & orientation programme
I only went to a welcome session. Everything was in Spanish, on one hand it is good to directly start practising,
but on the other hand it would be more helpful and welcoming when it would have been in English. I didn't take
part in any other welcoming activities.
accommodation
I found a room through Airbnb. Together with my boyfriend I lived in the appartment of a Spanish couple. This
was really nice, because we got to know the Spanish culture very well.
leisure & culture
I took a Spanish course and practised yoga. In the weekend I visited many markets and made trips to other
cities.
suggestions/tips
Search for a room on airbnb.com
CONCLUSIONS
would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain
I would definitely recommend the university, especially for biology students. The courses are very practical and
the environmental pathway offered courses that are really distinctive from courses at Utrecht University.
Madrid is a really nice city. The fact that nobody speaks English makes that you learn Spanish really fast.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
Take a Spanish course before you go, this makes contact with other students way easier (nobody speaks
English).
UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2016 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2016 for 2nd semester or full year exchange
page 2 of 2
ERASMUS+ STUDIES
UU Report 2015-2016
e-mail address
optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly
[email protected]
faculty/college
Humanities
level
bachelor’s
name study programme
Spanish language and culture
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name university abroad
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
start date
01/09/2015
end date
31/01/2016
master’s
PhD
PREPARATION
exchange application process
Given the fact that I study Spanish language and culture for me it was always clear that I would go to Spain for
half a year during the third year of my bachelor and I have always loved Madrid so the choice for the destination
wasn't that difficult. I went to an information meeting organized by the University of Utrecht and also my study
organized a meeting with old students from my study so we could ask them questions. After that it was just
following the steps that were indicated by the University of Utrecht. I can recommend to start in time with
collecting all the signatures because it can take some time and that can be stressful. Also in Spain there is no one
in the Erasmus office during the summer, they take their holidays very serious, so it's easy if you have it all
together in time.
counselling & support at Utrecht University
Because an exchange with Spain is a very normal part of my study I got a lot of help and support from my
teachers, who of course help their students every year with planning their stay abroad. Also the people at the
international office are always willing to help you with questions, although it is important to contact them in an
early stage because sometimes they're very busy and it can take a while before they answer, and they have
limited opening hours so it's important to plan your visits to their office in time. Also they organize a meeting for
the people who go to Madrid to give some more practical information and then hand out a list of other students
that are also going so you can keep in touch which is very useful.
academic preparation
Choosing the courses I wanted to follow, or at least the attempt to choose those courses was one of the most
difficult things to do I think. It is hard to find a very clear course catalogue from Complutense and the
information isn't always complete. But if you're in Madrid they give you one week to try out the courses to see if
you actually like them and understand the teachers so it is not a problem if you want to change your courses
while you're already in Spain.
UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2016 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2016 for 2nd semester or full year exchange
page 1 of 4
language preparation
I already studied Spanish for two years so my knowledge of the language was sufficient and my goal was to
improve it even more in Spain.
finances
Before I went I saved 2000 euros so I would have a back-up and could enjoy trips and activities while I was there
and didn't have to worry about paying my rent and stuff. Per month I received 200 euros from my parents,
around 280 euros from the government and 100 euros for my ov-vergoeding. My rent was 450 per month so
that was already covered by my monthly incomes so I could use my savings for the groceries and doing fun stuff.
Also I received 700 euros from my grant while I was in Madrid, but in the first week my bag got stolen(be
careful!) so I could use that money to replace my phone and passport etc ;)
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD
study programme (content and organisational issues)
The study program toke me some getting used to because I followed five courses for half a year instead of two
courses for 8 weeks at a time. In all my classes they did hand out a study program in the first class so you know
what they're expecting. The general idea is that they just treat the material that's on the program and in the end
you get a test about it all. And in some classes they did expect you to give a presentation or write an essay as
well.
academic quality of education activities
Although I heard a lot of stories about how easy the exams are in Spain I can't agree with that. I also had some
friends in Madrid that toke classes at different faculties and they indeed said it was so much easier than the
classes in their home country. But I may not be the best reference point for this question because in Madrid I
followed classes about psychology etc which I never had in Utrecht, and also in Spanish, so I don't really have
anything to compare it with.
counselling & support at receiving university abroad
At Complutense they have an Erasmus Office at every faculty where you can go if you have questions or if you
have to get a signature. They also have limited opening hours so it's easy if you know those hours to avoid
disappointment. They are very friendly and always willing to help. Also the teachers are willing to help if you say
you're an Erasmus student. Something I experienced is that they really appreciate it if you just make an effort, so
show up to classes and participate in the exercises. In some courses I didn't make the exams that well because
they were too hard but because I always made an effort the teachers were willing to give me a second chance or
an extra essay to write to get the credits anyway.
transfer of credits
I don't know yet how this is going to end. The Erasmus office in Madrid promised me to email my transcript of
records to the email address I gave them, so you can give the email address of the exam commission here in
Utrecht and they will send it. Only at the moment I'm still waiting for a grade from one course so I don't know
how it will go.
UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2016 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2016 for 2nd semester or full year exchange
page 2 of 4
STUDENT LIFE
welcome & orientation programme
The university organizes a welcome session for all the erasmus students, they send you an email about that. In
that meeting they give information about how to get your student card, how to enroll for the classes, the library
etc. The next day there was a language test for the people who wanted to participate in the language course
they offer for free. You also get a welcome session just for your faculty. All the information you need for the
practical things at the university you'll get in this meetings.
accommodation
I rented my room through Uniplaces. It's a very good and reliable organization. My room costs 450 euros per
month but the locations was great, 20 minute walk to the centre but everything I needed was also very close to
my house so that meant I good go for shopping and restaurants without going to the touristic and crowded
centre. I lived at Quevedo, up north from Gran Vía and I can really recommend this area! I lived with two
Spanish girls and a Dutch girl also from Utrecht.
leisure & culture
Madrid is a great city to live! I really liked that combination of traditional Spanish restaurants and tapas bars but
also other great restaurants from other kitchens around the world and a little less traditional, that way there
was always something suitable for the situation! Madrid doesn't even have that many touristic highlights you
need to see but just wondering around will take you to the most beautiful places and usually they take you by
surprise which is even better. Actually Madrid has a nice balance between everything, you can get great food,
the nightlife is great and they organize a lot of stuff especially for Erasmus students, but there is also a lot of
culture to experience and more quiete spots to enjoy a bit of peace. Also the fact that Madrid is so central in
Spain is great cause it makes it so easy to take trips to other cities! I can really recommend the organization
SmartInsiders, they organize really nice trips and have a great atmosphere.
suggestions/tips
If you have the time it's nice to arrive a few weeks before university starts. For me this was the best time
because you make a lot of new friends and actually have the time to spend time with them before everyone gets
caught up in the studying. Also it's nice to have some time to explore the area you live in and get used to your
house and stuff.
CONCLUSIONS
would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain
I would definitely recommend Madrid to anyone! It's such a beautiful city and the ambience is great. There is
always something to do or a trip to take. The university is a bit different than here in Utrecht but if you are
openminded and aware of this it is perfectly fine. Just keep in mind that some things will take longer than here
in Utrecht and you sometimes have to take a bit more initiative and go up to people to take care of stuff
yourself.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2016 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2016 for 2nd semester or full year exchange
page 3 of 4
Although the first days can be overwhelming and a bit lonely try to participate in a lot of activities you'll see for
example on Facebook. When I arrived I felt a bit lost but I went to a meet-up organized through Facebook,
something I would never do here, but I met great people who I saw everyday for the rest of my stay. It's really
easy to make friends at Erasmus because everyone is in the same situation and looking for a friendly face. And
as far as the rest goes, enjoy this amazing time because it's going to be great, and I envy you! ;)
UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2016 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2016 for 2nd semester or full year exchange
page 4 of 4
ERASMUS+ STUDIES UU Report 2014‐2015 optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly e‐mail address [email protected] faculty/college social sciences level bachelor’s master’s name study programme Cultural Anthropology destination city & country Madrid, Spain name university abroad Universidad Complutense de Madrid start date 02 / 02 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) end date 23 / 06 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) PhD
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! PREPARATION exchange application process First I went to a meeting where we were provided with information about studying abroad, this happened in Utrecht. I decided I really wanted to go to Spain. I started comparing anthropology courses that were available in the second semester in a number of Spanish cities and universities. After this little research, I decided to choose Universidad Complutense de Madrid as my number 1. Luckily, I got chosen to go there. After this, we had a meeting (with other students who went to southern europe) and we got some more detailed information. I gathered the required documents, took some Spanish courses and applied via Osiris for a semester of studying abroad, in particular in Madrid. The university in Madrid sent me an email that I could apply, after Utrecht had approached them. After applying and sending them the required documents, I got accepted. I made sure I had insurance, changed my public transportation card for a monthly financial compensation, found an apartment etc. Before I went to Spain, I called to make sure when and where I had to be; I left early so I had plenty of time to arrange everything, get settled and take up another short Spanish language course. counselling & support at Utrecht University I went to the International Office one time to ask about some things that weren't clear to me. Besides that, I sent some emails with questions and doubts. They were really nice and answered all my questions. They also gave us a list (in the southern‐european erasmus meeting) with emails of people who were already there, so I emailed one of them and she added me to a group on facebook. This was helpful as well. academic preparation I am now ending my third year of my bachelor of cultural anthropology, usually this is the year when you write your bachelorthesis but because I really wanted to study abroad and didn't do it in my second year, I decided to take this extra year. I chose courses from 2nd, 3rd and 4th year of anthropology at Complutense. I had heard that the level of the courses wasn't extremely high, it would be mostly the language (everything was in Spanish) that could cause problems. Therefore I did several Spanish courses, I wasn't worried about the level or subjects of the courses itself. Also, since I am already in my third year of anthropology, I assumed it wouldn't be all new stuff, since you gather more academic skills every year you're in university. language preparation st
nd
UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 1 of 4 A home study of Spanish (up to level B1), 2 courses of Spanish (level A2.1 and A2.2) at Instituto Cervantes in Utrecht, each class was 3 hours (so I had 6 hours of class each week) and lasted 10 weeks. Finally a week of level B1.1 at 'Estudio Hispanico' (with only 2 others students) in Madrid. Especially this last one was really helpful, since it was almost a private class; a lot of time for questions and personal attention. finances I saved money before I got here (about 600 euros), also my parents contributed by donating money to pay for my rent and some extras (3000 euros in total). I received the first and biggest part of the Erasmus Grant of 700 euros as well. The 'stufi' (a monthly amount of money students receive from the government) together with my monthly compensation for the public transport was 384 euros each month. All this allowed me to pay for my apartment and at the same time have more than enough to travel around etcetera. STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) I've chosen 5 courses to do, in English they would be called: Anthropology of Art, Ritual and Beliefs, Development Economies, Anthropology of knowledge and cultural knowledge (which was sort of cognitive anthropology) and Cultural differences & human rights. I had chosen some other subjects before I came to Spain, but after the first two weeks of orientation (where you could go to any class to see if you liked the subject etc) I decided to change some of the courses and this resulted in the 5 I described above. The Anthropology of Art course was about the connection of anthropology and art; we mostly had to listen to the teacher who told us about different painters etc; later we had to give a presentation about an object of art and analyze it (but since there wasn't enough time for everyone to present, I handed in an essay). We also had to do an exam. The ritual and beliefs class (I think the name speaks for itself) was partly the teacher giving us information and partly discussing the topics. (we had to read one of two articles each week). We also had to write a huge paper (about 18 pages) and had to give a small presentation about it. The course about cognitive anthropology was in my opinion really 'authentical' anthropological, with subjects like the meaning of colour in different cultures, the way of how people categorize (and how this depends on your cultural background) etc. After the first few weeks of the teacher telling us a lot about these subjects, we had to form groups and present about articles the teacher had assigned each group. We still had to read an article every week. We also had to hand in 2 essays and later hand in our group work. There was an exam at the end of the course as well. The course 'development economies' was usually one class where the teacher gave us information and the next one (for which we had to read articles) we had a discussion. Also, we needed to pick a country and describe their development in the last 20 (or so) year, using the indicators we discussed a lot during class. We had to give a presentation about this, I also handed in 2 summaries of articles (which was compulsory). At the end we had an exam. Finally the human rights course, each week we had to read an article, and then in class form groups of 3 and answer one or two big questions about the article that the teacher would give us. We got one hour every time and then had to hand it in. The next day we would discuss the whole article in detail. This course also had an exam at the end of the year. academic quality of education activities In my opinion, the level of the course wasn't always corresponding with the year. I found the 'cognitive anthropology' course quite difficult sometimes (which was a second year class), while the anthropology of art class was a fourth year class and in my opinion a lot easier. In my opinion, the overall level of the courses was lower than it would be at Utrecht University, although the cognitive anthropology and human rights classes were quite hard at times. counselling & support at receiving university abroad I haven't had any big problems, so I didn't contact anyone to help me. Especially in the beginning I had some questions, I went to the International Office and they answered them for me. Also there was always the st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 2 of 4 possibility to have a private session with the teachers in case you needed help etc, but I didn't go since (like I said) there weren't any problems or questions that I couldn't ask in class. transfer of credits Since my last exam was the 22nd of june, I was told I will get my grades around half july. STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme There was a bit of confusion about the orientation programme. Apparently there was a meeting for erasmus students the 22nd of January, but I didn't know this until 2 weeks before I would leave to Spain and I had already booked my ticket for the 24th of January. In the end this didn't really matter, because I had some roommates who for example told me how and where to get a student pass with discount for public transportation, and in school I met people who told me other important stuff about school for example. accommodation A friend of mine had done her Erasmus semester in Madrid as well. She gave me the email address of her former landlord. When it turned out he still had a room available, I decided to take that one. My room is about 8m2, and there is a living room and a big kitchen to sit or hang out. I pay 350 euros a month plus some extra for gas and water. I live right in the center of Madrid, so this is a really good deal. leisure & culture I had joined some groups on Facebook (Erasmus Madrid, Citylife Madrid etc) who organized a lot of activities. I went a few times to a bar where you could meet other erasmus students, booked some trips with them (Toledo, Segovia, Valencia, Ibiza), went to a pubcrawl and a few times to salsa classes which they organized as well. Besides that, I went with friends to Granada, Málaga, Córdoba and Salamanca. I visited Ávila and the Reina Sofía museum with my parents. suggestions/tips When it comes to apartments, I heard a lot of people who paid a lot more than was previously said. Some friends didn't get back their deposit if they didn't find anyone new for their apartment (I thought they arranged this via HelpMadrid). they were told about this later and also were told that it would be really easy to find a new tenant, but the opposite turned out to be the case. Therefore, I think it's important to do a thorough research before signing a contract for an apartment. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Based on the looks of the building, I wouldn't recommend it (lots of graffiti, really ugly prisonlike ceilings); it's not a fancy university (at least not the anthropology/ciencias politicas department). Besides that, I thought the teachers were really nice in general (except for one); same goes for the students. I thought the material we studied was interesting. So taken this into account, I would recommend it. I have to say, you need to be a bit open minded (people walking out of class during presentations, teachers always being late etc). On the other hand, this is probably quite normal in Spain. do you have any additional advice or comments? I enjoyed my semester abroad more than I could imagine. I do think it's important especially in the beginning to do activities that are being organized to get to know new people, after a while everyone's found their own group of friends and it's probably more difficult to join in. st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 3 of 4 ERASMUS+ STUDIES UU Report 2014‐2015 optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly e‐mail address [email protected] faculty/college Law, economics and governance level bachelor’s master’s name study programme law destination city & country madrid, spain name university abroad universidad complutense de madrid start date 24 / 01 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) end date 24 / 07 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) PhD
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! PREPARATION exchange application process I found it dificult what efects certain choices such as wich country, languag and university would have. Once decided in Utrecht, the aplication proces of Erasmus+ was very clear. Although íf unclear, it was dificoult to find someone who could help me solve the problem easily… counselling & support at Utrecht University I found the International Office, and especially International Officer Marleen van der Ven vérry helpful. My own faculty and "studiepunt" not so much to be honest… academic preparation I don’t think academic preparation is relevant in this case. I left for the exchange in my 3rd year, and I think it would have been possible immediately in the first semester of my second year as well. Also because of the courses I chose, and the level diference in Utrecht University and Complutense, only 1 year of academic preparation would be more than sufficient to be able to do this exchange program. language preparation Language preparation was verry, very bad. everything is "recommanded" but nobody actually cares. The lack of knowledge of the lenguage was the hardest thing I have experienced during my Erasmus time (especially in the begening of course). I was not even able to tell in Spanish that I couldn’t speak Spanish. If I could change something, I'd recommand an obligatory course, and level of Spanish that is higher than B1, since this was my level and I experienced a lot of troubles due to misunderstandings because of language diference. finances My planning was good, although i didn’t realize that there are a lot of Erasmus activities that you normally wouldn’t do, wich can make it a lot more expensive than planned. Its good to be aware of that for the next exchange students. STUDY ABROAD PERIOD st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 1 of 2 study programme (content and organisational issues) I was told I was free to choose, although it turned out I only could do what I said I'd do in November, without knowing the teachers, timetables nor content. Utrecht University set very clear rules about required levels and credits. At complutense it was very hard to find out the content of each subject. Often it differed per professor and subject, and the overvieuw of the content would only be available halfway the course. Untill then, students wouldn’t have had any idea of wich books to buy, what to read or learn etc. etc.. academic quality of education activities lectures in general were very good. Practicals were often too easy or useless (such as watching a movie without any following homework). counselling & support at receiving university abroad this was verry low. I could do pretty much whatever I wanted without anyone to care. transfer of credits ‐? STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme I could not attend the full lenguage test and course, but the welcome session was verry helpful. After that I knew where to go, was able to find out what to do and got into contact with my fellow erasmus students. accommodation accomodation was eady to find. The Erasmus social network is very big in madrid, so a lot of house owners only want students for one or two semesters. It is quite expensive though, and better to have something with local Spanish students, but that is hard to find for a short time. leisure & culture I, and with me most other Erasmus students, didn’t have any idea for a long time. This could be promoted better by the host university, because It was verry unclear when of where things would be, how to subscribe or join etc. Only Erasmus activities were verry easy to join, but I think it is valuable to join local teams, sportsclubs and other activities. suggestions/tips CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes I would recomand this university, but not better than any other. It's the whole experience that counts. do you have any additional advice or comments? not for the moment. Save this UU report for your own records and send it as attachment to [email protected] within 30 days after finishing your study abroad period and in ANY case before the final deadline! st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 2 of 2 ERASMUS+ STUDIES UU Report 2014‐2015 optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly e‐mail address [email protected] faculty/college Geowetenschappen level bachelor’s master’s name study programme Sociale geografie & planologie destination city & country Madrid, Spanje name university abroad Universidad Complutense Madrid, UCM start date 31 / 09 / 2014 (dd/mm/yyyy) end date 31 / 01 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) PhD
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! PREPARATION exchange application process Madrid was very late with the application and with the confirmation if I was alloud to come. The insecurrity made it annoying, because I couldn't book my flight and room yet. Futhermore, the erasmus office and contacts in Madrid were not available for a very long time due to the holidays, there was no one to reply and this took until half of september before they could anwser my questions and sign my learning agreement. counselling & support at Utrecht University It was good that the erasmus office of geosciences is most of the time open and they reply soon at all the e‐
mails. academic preparation I studied 2 years of human geography this was enough to know the basis for any social study. In Spain I follow subjects in a different faculty, this was do‐able. language preparation I did allready some spanish in my high school. During my second year in University I did finances two courses of spanish (1 & 2) this was enough to start in Madrid. I didn't do the free spanish course in Madrid (because during the test day I still had somethings to finish in Holland). STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) I followed subjects in Anthropology and Sociology. These were not so hard, especcially because I did two first year‐courses. On the other hand, I think if I would do it again I would prefer to do subjects in my own grade. Because the combination of a different language and different subjects I had no background information of it made it quite hard. st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 1 of 3 academic quality of education activities The courses did have a lot of contact houres (if you compare it to Utrecht) these are all obligatory, you have to sign in and you get graded on your presence. On the other hand it was mostly just being there. There is not that much work to be done or any reading. The exams are all on the end of the semester and do not include that much literature. Only the fact that it is in Spanish makes it hard and takes more time to read, but the content is quite easy. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The erasmus office for my faculty was only open in the morning really short, this was quite anoying, because you had to skip a class to visit them because before or after they would close allready. transfer of credits I don't know about that yet. I still have not even one grade back from Spain. STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme There was not really anything organized, only a introduction where they told us something about the university. But there was no tour over the campus or any activity to meet other erasmus students. Outside of the University there are a lot of organisations that do have activities for students; like Citylife, BeMadrid and ESN. accommodation I booked a room up front with an organization (HelpMadrid) which has different kind of appartments which you can rent for a short periode, all quite in the centre. I was glad I booked this place, because my faculty (somosaguas) was far from the centre and in the middle of no where, one wouldn't want to live near the campus. leisure & culture The city is really nice, especially for eating. There are so many nice places to grab a bite or go for a drink. The parks and the good weather make that you want to go outside all day. suggestions/tips In Madrid there is a Hema (fuencarral) what sells a lot of dutch food, so if you get home sick, they even had pepernoten en chocolade letters during Sinterklaas! Madrid has a lot of nice clubs, go see different ones and not just the erasmus parties, the other clubs and the real spanish ambience is a really good experience. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain For the destination I would really recommend Madrid, it is such an alive city, very good to live in. It is comfortable, really safe and it is not so touristic as for example Barcelona. It is not really expensive, especially going out for dinner is cheaper than in The Netherlands. And of course the weather is much better, even in december it is not that cold and it just rains less then back home. For the university I don't think I would recommend it. It depends a lot on the faculties, because I heard some different stories from students on other faculties. But mine (social sciences) was a really depressing building, they were even alloud to smoke in some places, the classes a long without breaks and it feels really like high school. The faculty is out of the centre quite far, (somosaguas). And the content of the courses are not really interesting or exciting. For me I think if you want to go to Madrid to learn Spanish, it is perfect to do some courses here in Spanish, but if you really want to learn something new you better go to an other faculty or even country. My spanish really improved by reading all literature in Spanish and listening to a teacher go on for two st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 2 of 3 houres. do you have any additional advice or comments? I had a great erasmus time, my spanish got improved, Madrid is awesome, but the courses themselves were not really challenging and the faculty was just strange. Save this UU report for your own records and send it as attachment to [email protected] within 30 days after finishing your study abroad period and in ANY case before the final deadline! st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 3 of 3 ERASMUS+ STUDIES UU Report 2014‐2015 optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly e‐mail address [email protected] faculty/college Social Sciences level bachelor’s master’s name study programme Psychology destination city & country Madrid, Spain name university abroad Universidad Complutense Madrid start date 04 / 09 / 2014 (dd/mm/yyyy) end date 31 / 01 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) PhD
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! PREPARATION exchange application process I always wanted to study abroad, so during my second year at the UU I started to orient on all the possibilities for studying abroad. A lot of people told me that the appliciation process was hard. You need a lot of signatures and documents etc. After all, I do not think it was that hard. Of course you have to wait for people to sign your documents, wait for e‐mails but if you follow all the steps it is not hard at all. You only should be patient some times if you are waiting for a reply or signature. counselling & support at Utrecht University The support at Utrecht University is good. Marleen (International Office) helped me with my questions. You can reach the Erasmus Office by e‐mail, but if you want a quick answer it is better to call. academic preparation I did not do any specific academic preparation. language preparation Because I thought I would have all my courses in Spanish, I did some Spanish courses in The Netherlands and in Spain. I started with an A1 and A2 course at Babel (Utrecht), in January 2014 I went to Valencia for a one week Spanish course (25 hours) with five hours intensive speaking. During January and August I read some simple Spanish books and watched series/films either in Spanish or in English(Spanish subtitled). In August I did a two week Spanish course in Madrid (50 hours) with intensive speaking classes as well. Universidad Complutense offered a free Spanish course in the beginning of September, with every day four hours of Spanish speaking, writing, reading. After all, it was possible for me to do all my courses in English. My Spanish level is definitely better than when I came to Madrid in August, but I am not sure if my level was high enough to enroll in Spanish courses. If you really want to follow all your courses in Spanish, you should do more preparation before you go to Spain. I recommend to take (free) Intercambio's in Spain as well. In Madrid they are offering a lot of this meetings. finances st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 1 of 4 During the preparation you have to make up an financial plan. From the beginning I thought I would have enough money for six months. I had my savings, the Erasmus Grant, Studiefinanciering, Reiskostenvergoeding and my parents gave me a monthly amount. Still, it was enough, but my expenses were higher than expected. It is so easy to go out for dinner, make some day or even weekend trips, partying and additional costs which you forget. STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) Before going I assumed I was going to study at the faculty of Psychology. I applied for five different courses which were in Spanish. On the website of Universidad Complutense, it is written that they offer courses in English. These courses are unfortunately not available for Dutch Students. When I arrived in Spain, and after the language course at the University I was really stressed out. I thought that I would never make it , to pass any courses in Spanish. I changed everything, even faculty. I followed five courses, from first year courses to fourth year courses. I followed: Consumer Behaviour, Strategic Management, Principles of Business Management, Principles of Marketing and Financial Analysis. All courses were business administration courses (ADE). Although I was really stressing out in September, it was quite easy to change from faculties. This is because of the fact that I am in an ''University Exchange'' and because it is my mobility window (keuzeruimte). As everyone told me before, it was so easy to switch courses. During the first 2/3 weeks you had the time to take a look at all courses. You can see which courses you like, which teacher speaks good English or Spanish. After those 2/3 weeks you hand in your subjects and after some days you will receive a transcript of registration. After signing this registration you can not change subjects any more academic quality of education activities In my opinion the level of this University is not as high as the level at University of Utrecht. I think it could be related to the English courses. Because I did not enrolled in any Spanish course I only can give my opinion about the English courses. The English speaking level of my teachers was not that good. Some of them got tired after speaking English for a while or even changed to Spanish. I think the English courses at Universidad Complutense are more of HBO‐level. But not every course was that easy. Because I am a Psychology student, some Business Administration courses were really hard for me, certainly the third and fourth year courses. You have to do more groupwork and more 'homework'. I had to hand in cases almost every week. As well I had to prepare a lot of presentations, but the teachers just picked one group to present. counselling & support at receiving university abroad I was quite surprised about this. Because I changed faculties I thought it would be really chaotic to do. But it was really easy to change faculties. And at the Erasmus Office of Economy and Business Administration they are really helpful. Luckily there was a native‐English speaking employee at their office. She helped me a lot, replied to e‐mails really quick and was able to answer all my questions. I really appreciated her help. transfer of credits I followed five courses, which are all 6 ECTS. Unfortunately I had to drop one course because it was too hard for me without any knowledge of Financial Analysis. So I hope I will receive 24 ECTS. The University in Madrid has to send the transcript of records to me and then I will bring the transcript to the International Office and they will be transferred in Osiris. st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 2 of 4 STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme In my opinion, Universidad Complutense did not offer a really good orientation programme. There was a welcome meeting on the 4th of September which was just two hours. They gave some information about the University, Library and about the ESN‐network. Because I was in Madrid already for three weeks I knew a lot about the public transport etcetera, so I did not need a lot of information. But I could imagine some people could have been a little bit disappointed. accommodation One of my friends already studied in Madrid before. He gave me the website of HelpMadrid. This company has got a lot of houses in the city centre of Madrid. I looked at the website and the room he got during his stay was still free for this period. I booked the room and when I came in August I only had to get the key at the office and pay the rent and guarantee. A lot of friends, just came to Madrid, stayed in a hostel and searched from there. Everyone of them had a room really quickly (longest was one week), so that is possible as well (and probably a bit cheaper). It is really nice to live in the city centre. I prefer the following neighbourhoods: Sol and Malasana. leisure & culture There is so much to do in Madrid. You can make your stay just as you want. A lot of people went on trips with ESN and went to all the ESN parties. Since the beginning I made some good friends at the University and we did a lot of things together since September. We made some lovely trips to Salamanca, Toledo, Lissabon and Sevilla. We had a lot of dinners together and some parties. At the end of September I took a membership at a gym nearby. Two of my Dutch friends of the University in Madrid went to the same gym and we did a lot of Pilates together. suggestions/tips I really love the culture in Madrid. Everyone's Erasmus Exchange is different. I was not that into ESN and Erasmus parties. If you want you can make friends all over, for sure at the Erasmus trips. But because I made some nice friends since the beginning we did a lot of thinks together. Do whatever you like! You do not have to do any Erasmus trips if you do not like them. You will make friends everywhere. Just enjoy your time, however you want! CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I would definitely recommend the destination. Madrid is a really lovely city, with so much athmosphere. I really loved a place, which is called '' San Miguel''. Every weekend started on Thursday 12.30. After school we went to this place to have tapas and drink a glass of wine. Although it is an European city there are a lot of differences. Of course, the culture is not extremely different but you will notice a lot of differences when you are here. It is so nice to learn another language and you are learning everyday. The weather was really good and you can make some lovely trips during the weekends. I never went abroad for such a long time, so I really liked it that my parents and boyfriend could visit me. It is such a lovely experience for personal development. do you have any additional advice or comments? I really loved the Erasmus Exchange. In my opinion it is really good for your personal experience. If you want to follow Spanish courses you should defenitely prepare more than I did. I would suggest a Spanish course at the University Utrecht (Spaans 1 en 2). It is normal to be nervous before you go, but every little thing is gonna be alright! Do not stress out and enjoy your time during your Erasmus! st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 3 of 4 Save this UU report for your own records and send it as attachment to [email protected] within 30 days after finishing your study abroad period and in ANY case before the final deadline! st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 4 of 4 ERASMUS+ STUDIES UU Report 2014‐2015 optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly e‐mail address [email protected] faculty/college UvH level bachelor’s master’s name study programme Humanistiek destination city & country Madrid, Spain name university abroad Universidad Complutense Madrid start date 01 / 09 / 2014 (dd/mm/yyyy) end date 01 / 03 / 2014 (dd/mm/yyyy) PhD
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! PREPARATION exchange application process I did all the application paperwork within two days and even liked doing it as I got more and more enthusiastic counselling & support at Utrecht University very good and a nice idea that they are always there for you, though sometimes it took almost two weeks before I got an answer academic preparation I did not really prepare myself academically, neither was this needed language preparation I could not speak spanish at all, literally, so I took 6 weeks of classes beforehand. This was enough for normal conversations, but definitely not enough for following the classes properly. finances I saved €2000,‐ though I've never needed this as I received the Erasmus grant and my dad paid my rent STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) The spanish university was very flexible and helped me a lot, though I had also taken a look at all the courses online myself beforehand, but some were not online yet, of which two in English! academic quality of education activities The quality is definitely lower than in Holland, though this is also because UCM focusses more on practical things counselling & support at receiving university abroad st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 1 of 2 Even though most of the support was in spanish, they were very helpful every day and quickly as well, which I did not expect of spanish support at all transfer of credits I do not know enough about this yet, but it's supposed to be almost 1 on 1. STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme I was quite boring, just stories about the uni, how many students there are studying there, no possibility for getting to know people, the uni or city practically accommodation I found a perfect place with spanish students (the last is most of the time pretty hard to find) within two days, though I was lucky as I was one month earlier for my spanish classes (from the beginning of August already). I heard it was a lot harder for people who got there later, and pretty much impossible to find a room with spanish people; erasmus only, though this is not necessarily a bad thing leisure & culture I love the spanish culture, the importance of food, of being outside with friends 24/7 suggestions/tips Go there before uni starts, to get to know the language and enjoy the culture without having to do too much CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I would definitely recommend Madrid, the city, the culture and the people are the best. The university is ok, not really good, but fine anyways, especially for the experience. do you have any additional advice or comments? Save this UU report for your own records and send it as attachment to [email protected] within 30 days after finishing your study abroad period and in ANY case before the final deadline! st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 2 of 2 ERASMUS+ STUDIES UU Report 2014‐2015 optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly e‐mail address [email protected]
faculty/college Geosciences level bachelor’s master’s name study programme Human geography and planning destination city & country Madrid, Spain name university abroad Universidad Complutense de Madrid start date 10 / 02 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) end date 27 / 06 / 2015 (dd/mm/yyyy) PhD
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! PREPARATION exchange application process If you organize your work well and think about the deadlines this should not be hard. Doing everything last minute coulde make it more difficult. counselling & support at Utrecht University Councelling and support at UU was good. They provided me with the information I needed to go abroad. academic preparation There was no academic preparation needed for what I did abroad. I did courses from a totally different study and it was doable without preparation language preparation I needed to learn Spanish what was not possible for me within the UU unfortunately. Therefore I needed to pay for a language course but it was worth it. Speaking Spanish before coming here is very usefull and your level will become higher when you are here (I had about B1 after the course and now my level is B2) finances .I think it is important to calculate if you will have enough money but things will always be different when you are there. I had some issues with money because there are a lot of fun things to do and of course they cost money STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) You can try courses before deciding to follow them which is nice. They university is pretty big so there are a lot of courses to choose from (but not so many in English) academic quality of education activities I think the academic level in Spain is pretty low. They do have a lot of contact hours. I chose 4th year courses st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 1 of 2 from another study and I was still able to pass these courses.
counselling & support at receiving university abroad It was okay. They don't speak English and sometimes you are unable to contact them because they are on a holiday or something. When you are able to speak to them they are nice and helpful. transfer of credits I don’t know yet. I know I will probably receive my transcript of records a little too late because the one in charge is on a holiday. STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme It was good and has a lot of activities. Madrid is full of international students and you can find something to do for them everyday. accommodation Was easy to find. You can just book a hostel and look for a room in the city. Then you will be able to see if you like the location and the room. leisure & culture There is a lot to do in Madrid. No problem to find leasure or culture. suggestions/tips Avoid the really touristic bars and stuff because you will overpay while the quality is not that good. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes. It is a great city with a lot to offer. The university was not particularely good but the people are nice and you can choose from a lot of courses. do you have any additional advice or comments? If you are into Spain I would advice you to go to Madrid. It feels really Spanish and it is a big city with evrything you can want. I personally like it better than more touristic cities like Barcelona. Save this UU report for your own records and send it as attachment to [email protected] within 30 days after finishing your study abroad period and in ANY case before the final deadline! st
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UU Erasmus+ report deadlines: 1 March 2015 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2015 for 2 semester or full year exchange page 2 of 2 UU Report form ‐ Erasmus 2013‐2014 faculty/college Science level bachelor
master
name degree programme
Physics & Astronomy
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or Universidad Complutense de Madrid
PhD
company/organization purpose Erasmus grant departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
courses
research
work placement 29 / 01 / 2014 01 / 07 / 2014
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation
exchange/placement application process The hardest part was finding the right courses. There is an English website of the university, but the really useful information is in Spanish. The website doesn't have a good structure, so it is hard to find the webpage with all courses and descriptions. It might have been better to just ask the Erasmus Office of the host faculty for some links or other information. Also, don't be discouraged by the paperwork. It seems a lot, but concerns topics you would have to think about anyway, and in the end it's worth the trouble. counselling/support at home university The support at Utrecht University was, in my opinion, very good. The international officer was available for questions via e‐mail or an appointment, and a preparatory meeting, also attended by a student who already experienced an Erasmus exchange was very informative. academic preparation I actually studied some subjects that are not part of my major, namely art history courses. Since I was mainly
going to take courses of the first year, an academic preparation wasn't really necessary. language preparation I took some Spanish classes in Utrecht and Amsterdam as preparation for the Spanish courses, and in the end I was very glad I had done this (I shall come back to this point in the comments section at the end). finances You should expect some additional expenses; relatively cheap housing is available, but the nightlife and trips to st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 1 of 3 to surrounding cities (or the south for example) will cost some money. Fortunately, the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) organises a variety of affordable trips. You can buy a sort of OV chipkaart to travel around Madrid by bus and metro, which costs less than the public transport compensation (the OV vergoeding, that you should certainly apply for). You should be able to make it with the help of the Erasmus grant and some savings. study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
As noted earlier, I decided to study art history instead of physics in Madrid. This meant that it wasn't difficult to fit the content in my curriculum. With the help of the online timetables, I was able to put together a good study programme. academic quality of education/placement activities
It is difficult for me to measure the academic quality, since I can't compare it with the quality in the Netherlands (I only studied art history in Spain). I can say that my professors knew a lot and were very motivated. I did hear from fellow Dutch students that the level is a bit lower than in the Netherlands. counselling/support at host institution/organisation
The university‐wide welcome session was informative, but the information at the faculty was not very clear. When I had a problem with the access to the so‐called virtual campus, the Erasmus office couldn't help me. I was fortunate to have kind professors who were more than willing to help me. In the end everything worked out, but it could have gone more smoothly. transfer of credits The transfer of credits still has to take place.
student life
welcome/orientation programme There was a welcome session with an introduction to the university's history and main services and an explanation of the application procedure at the university (you will have to enrol for the courses at the UCM). As part of the session, the ESN team presented itself, and showed their plans for the coming semester. Drawback of the presentation of the university was that all of it was in Spanish, and some students (especially those who were going to take English courses) couldn't understand all of it. accommodation I was recommended to just go to Madrid, book a hostel, and start looking for a room from there. This turned out to be a good way to find accommodation, since you will know the the city better once you get there, you are able to visit the rooms and there are enough rooms to choose from. st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 2 of 3 leisure/culture With regards to leisure/culture Madrid is a great city. The famous Golden Triangle of Art offers some of the best art museums in Europe (Prado, Thyssen, Reina Sofía), there are some beautiful buildings and squares to visit, and in the surroundings of Madrid are some cities that are definitely worth a visit (Toledo and Segovia for example). Madrid has clubs and bars everywhere (even outside the direct city centre), so there are many possibilities to go out. The only downside, when it was getting hot, was the lack of a beach nearby. Fortunately, there is a swimming pool at the campus of the UCM. suggestions/tips For those without a good command of Spanish; don't underestimate studying in Spanish. It will cost more energy and time to study and you might be a bit discouraged at first. Your Spanish can improve a lot when living in Spain and following Spanish lectures. You should not, however, expect to get your Spanish from beginner to advanced level during the two week language course in Madrid. You don't have to go to all ESN parties to meet new friends, but I do recommend to participate in some of the ESN activities. Especially the longer trips will offer a chance to meet lots of new people. I would recommend to look for a flat/house with Spanish(speaking) students, who preferably can't speak English. Especially for students who are not yet fluent in Spanish, you will learn a lot more than in a flat with English speaking roommates, and they might know Madrid better. conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
I would certainly recommend studying in Madrid; it is a wonderful city, with its famous museums, bars with delicious food, beautiful buildings and exciting nightlife. With regard to the university, the support could have been better, but the free two week language course is very welcome and I believe that the academic quality is acceptable. do you have any additional advice or comments?
No. Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected] within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final deadline! If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant. st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 3 of 3 UU Report form ‐ Erasmus 2013‐2014 optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly e‐mail address [email protected] faculty/college Social Sciences
level bachelor
master
name degree programme
Psychology
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or Complutense University of Madrid
company/organization purpose Erasmus grant departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
courses
research
PhD
work placement 29 / 09 / 2013 31 / 01 / 2014
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation
exchange/placement application process I decided to go to Spain, because I really wanted to learn Spanish. The different culture and lifestyle also interested me. I checked on the internet the universities that I was allowed to go to and if they had interesting courses. The application process required sometimes a little bit of work, like filling in forms and finding out information about the courses that were given. In retrospect, it wasn't as much work as I thought it would be. counselling/support at home university The International Office helped me very quickly when I had a problem or if something was unclear. That was a great help. The pre‐departure meeting was very useful. I met other people that went to the same university as me and it was nice to know people that were in the same situation as I was, and to keep in contact with them during our time abroad. academic preparation I did two years of my Bachelor before departure, but the classes that I would do had to be different from my study in the Netherlands. Therefore, I did not do any specific academic preparation before departure. language preparation I didn't know any Spanish, so I started learning it as soon as I knew that I was going to Spain. I mostly learned it by self‐study, using books and the internet (duolingo and studyspanish are good websites). The week before departure I did a beginner´s course Spanish, but that was really easy. If you start early with learning a language, st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 1 of 3 you really have an advantage once you´re in Spain. Spaniards don´t speak English very well (if at all), so it would be wise to know at least the basics of the language. finances I had saved money and my parents also supported me. Moreover, the Erasmusgrant, the student grant and the compensation of public transport managed to cover a lot of my expenses. study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
I did courses both in English and Spanish. This wasn't what I had planned before arrival, because a few courses
suddenly weren't there any more. We had two weeks to check out the classes and teachers, which was really helpful. Sometimes, teachers were not as great as anticipated and the course content also could be different from what you had imagined. academic quality of education/placement activities
The quality of the courses and teachers is below that of Utrecht University, but it was still okay. The way of teaching is like that of highschool in the Netherlands. The teacher speaks while the students listen, there is not much interaction. I sometimes quite liked it, it was much more relaxed without questions being fired at you all the time. I did some classes in English, but the quality of the teachers differed greatly. One was great, he spoke English like a native of England, but the other ones spoke either with a weird Spanish accent, or they combined both Spanish and English in their classes. Again, use the first few weeks to check as many different teachers as you can, to see which ones you like best! The final exams were pretty easy and not as structured as in the Netherlands. counselling/support at host institution/organisation
The International Office of my host institution helped me with choosing my courses and it was no problem to just pop in to get a signature. I also signed up for a buddy system to keep contact with a native student for when I needed help dealing with problems. transfer of credits For my host university it is custom to sent the transcript of records directly to the International Office of the home institution. student life
welcome/orientation programme There was a welcome meeting from the university and from the erasmus network. There was an orientation meeting for my faculty as well. Very useful information was exchanged in these meetings. The university also organised a two‐week language program for foreigners. This helped me greatly with learning Spanish. st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 2 of 3 accommodation Before departure, I had lived with my parents, so it was quite a radical change to suddenly live on my own in a foreign country of which I didn't speak the language very well. Once I was there, I scanned through the numerous advertisements that were posted on lampposts on the campus. However, I found my appartment through the internet (idealista.com). It was a great place at walking distance from the campus. I had two other girls as roommates that I hadn't met until later. One of them wasn't so nice after all, so it is a tip to get to know your housemates a little before you agree to live with them. leisure/culture The Spanish culture is so different from that in the Netherlands, it was great to get to know how Spaniards live. With other exchange students I mostly spoke English, so it is a great way to improve your English as well. I had to get used to them closing their shops during the siesta (except for those in the center of the city). suggestions/tips Don't be afraid to engage in activities with new people and seize as much oppurtunities to speak in the native language. Have an (offline) map of the city on your mobile, this prevented me from getting lost several times! conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
Yes, it was great to live in such an amazing city as Madrid. Íf you want to live in a city that has an international vibe and very friendly people, this is the place! The university Complutense is the biggest in Madrid and the student network is really active. They organize a lot of parties and fun trips. do you have any additional advice or comments?
If you are worried that the preparation might take too much time and effort, it really wasn't that hard and if you keep track of the things you have already done and the things you still have to do, it makes the process a lot easier. Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected] within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final deadline! If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant. st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 3 of 3 UU Report form ‐ Erasmus 2013‐2014 faculty/college humanitys
level bachelor
master
name degree programme
Spanis language
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or Universidad Complutense de Madrid
PhD
company/organization purpose Erasmus grant courses
departure date research
work placement 17 / 09 / 2013 (dd/mm/yyyy) return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
9 / 2 / 2014
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation
exchange/placement application process Searching for courses at the host university and making a learning agreement after asking permission of the UU commission. Look what kind of courses you want to do in your host university but don't panic and don't put too much time in it (like I did); most of the times you will switch courses anyway because you will find out that you don't like the teacher or the course you had in mind. counselling/support at home university The support of the home university was really great. Actually the whole process goes kind of automaticly and if you don't understand anything than your questions will be responded. academic preparation My acadamic preparation was just based on the courses I followed at the UU and I don't think it is necessary to have some extra classes or a course or something like that. language preparation I already spoke the Spanish language verry verry well and that helped me true the whole 5 months living in MAdrid and, ofcourse, that was why I could follow all the courses at the host universety. You really have to prepare yourself by practicing a lot of the languega already at the Netherlands because if not you won't be able to understand the teachers. finances st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 1 of 3 I saved money to spend it at Madrid. In one month I payed 300 euros rent, lets say 200 euros for food and 56 euros for travelling by bus and metro. I did not spend any money on books at the university. study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
By looking at the website of the host university I had a clear idea in which classroom the classes were given and on what times they started. It is up to you to check your email and checking the blackboard to see if there are any changes the teacher made… academic quality of education/placement activities
The academic cuality at the Universidad Complutense is ok, I can't say I thought it was difficult to understand although the teachers have got there one style and that style is different than I was used to at the Netherlands. Ofcourse the language complicates it a bit but I repeat, if you are used to the UU level you will be fine. counselling/support at host institution/organisation
You can go to the international office with your questions and they were really friendly and helpful sono problem at all. transfer of credits I did 4 courses of 6 credits (normally you have to do 5 but I already worked foreworth at the UU so I could do one less at MAdrid). student life
welcome/orientation programme There was a welcome talk at the university and they will give you a lot of information about everything you kneed to know about the university, deadlines and thetransport to the university. accommodation I rented a room at the centre of MAdrid. I can suggest to live in the centre and not nearby the university because you can go by metro very easy to the campus and all the shops and partys are at the centre. leisure/culture I had no problem at all with the culture. The people living in MAdrid are really friendly. Maybey you have to get used to the rithm of live there: for example if you want to go out eating the spanish people dinner at 22:00 h and not, like we in the Netherlands do, at 18:00 h. But everything will work out and I suggest just to enjoy this different culture. suggestions/tips Be openminded and try to make Spanish friends aswell. I have seen that the most Erasmus students are looking for friendships with other Erasmus students… Person;y I prefere to spend my time with the Spanish people st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 2 of 3 althoug I met some awsome Erasmus students as well.
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
Yes, I had no problems at all and it is really close to the city so yu don't have to travell a lot to get there. do you have any additional advice or comments?
Prepere yourself for the best time of your live at MAdrid, it is a really really really beautifull city with really great people! Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected] within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final deadline! If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant. st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 3 of 3 UU Report form ‐ Erasmus 2013‐2014 optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly e‐mail address [email protected] faculty/college Humanities
level bachelor
master
name degree programme
Spanish language and literature
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or Universidad Complutense de Madrid
company/organization purpose Erasmus grant departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
courses
research
PhD
work placement 10 / 09 / 2013 12 / 02 / 2014
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation
exchange/placement application process The application process is a long process and it includes a lot of paperwork but it is definitely worth it. It helps if you make a scheme so to make sure that you don't forget anything. It is good to start to orientate and to gain information a year before your planned departure. counselling/support at home university The Erasmus Office in Utrecht offers information meetings for students who are interested and for the future Erasmus students before they leave. academic preparation The academic preparation you need depends totally on what kind of subjects you would like to follow. One can choose subjects of all the four years of which consists a bachelor in Spain. I mainly chose courses for which a lot of foreknowledge wasn't necessary. For one course some foreknowledge was required, but it was about the subject that I studied already in Utrecht. Most of the teachers have a positive attitude to Erasmus students and are willing to help them. language preparation Because I am doing my degree in Spanish I didn´t do any language preperation. finances st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 1 of 3 Normally you get the extra money from the Erasmus grant besides the grant of DUO. Probably life will be more expansive in Madrid. The costs of housing are in general similar to those in Utrecht but I spent much more money on going out and trips in the weekends. study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
It is obligatory to make a studyplan before going but it doesn´t need to be what you are going to do. The good thing of the Complutense University is that you can try classes for the first two or three weeks. Finally I didn´t do any of the courses that I put on the first version of my studyprogramme. It is possible to take two courses from another faculty than the one for which your are inscribed. Because you can try classes you can choose teachers who are comprehensible and who have a positive attitude to Erasmus students. academic quality of education/placement activities
The quality of the courses I took varied very much. I had two courses for first year students and their quality
was a bit low. The others were comparable to courses at the UU but the way of teaching is a bit more like secondary school. There are a lot more hours of classes and less selfstudy. It is common that the teacher gives an enormous list with literature but it is not clear if you should read or study everything from the list or only if you like to know more about a specific subject. I think, in general, the list is meant te be for people who want to know more than what is necessary for the exam. counselling/support at host institution/organisation
At the Complutense University there is a welcome meeting before the classes start. There is a general office and there are offices at certain faculties. You can always go there with questions. Due to the huge amount of Erasmus students it isn't really personal, at least in the faculty of philology. transfer of credits I can't tell much about this yet. I have been told that I will receive the transfer of credits as soon as the Erasmus Office has it and they will send it also to the UU. student life
welcome/orientation programme The Erasmus Student Network of the Universidad Complutense organizes many activities from salsa lessons to trips in the weekends. I don't have much experience with the activities because I only went to one party. It is a good way to get to know other Erasmus students though. accommodation I arrived in Madrid two weeks before the lessons started. I stayed in a hostel to look for a room from there. It took me a week to find one I liked. Although it is not easy to find a room that is really nice there are big offers for rooms. I chose to live in a shared appartment. There is also something like a campus but I'm unsure of how st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 2 of 3 you can get a room there.
leisure/culture Madrid is a city with a lot of cultural things to do and to see and after five months there were still many things left to discover. It is a city with different neighbourhoods which are all beautifull and with their own charm. The Spanish culture is one for spending time outside, going out for dinner and Madrid's nightlife is very lively. suggestions/tips There are some nice places, like El Escorial y Segovia, near Madrid to which you can go by train or bus. The mountains aren't very far away either. conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
I would definitely recommend others to study in Madrid because the city is awesome. It offers many things so that whatever you like you will be able to find it. I liked the university too. It is a bit less organised but I don't think that is a problem because at the same time it is a bit more relaxed. do you have any additional advice or comments?
Studying abroad is a very good opportunity to get into a culture because you are in an institution with native people. Your stay can have many forms, it can be like the typical image of the life of an Erasmus student or you can make it very different too. Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected] within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final deadline! If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant. st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 3 of 3 UU Report form ~ Erasmus 2012-2013
optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly
e-mail address
[email protected]
faculty/college
Humanities
level
bachelor
master
name degree programme
History
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
PhD
other
company/organization
purpose Erasmus grant
study/courses
departure date (dd/mm/yyyy)
05 / 09 / 2013
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
30 / 01 / 2014
work placement
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation
exchange/placement application process
The application process was very long and complicated and I am glad I did not know upfront that it would be do
much work. Especially all the different signatures necessary and all the forms that need to be filled out. I am very
afraid I might have forgotten something or will forget something still and my Erasmus Grant will be pulled. There are
just so many steps to take. But I am happy I did all of it, my stay in Madrid was great!
counselling/support at home university
I am happy with the support from my home university. I could always email about things and our contact person
would respond quick enough. The information about the application process and everything I had to do was
provided on time.
academic preparation
I did not prepare extensively academically. I wanted to study in a field different from the field I study in at home, so
there would not be any overlap in courses. I did pick courses up front that I wanted to follow, but those were
changed when I arrived.
language preparation
Fortunately I already spoke Spanish before I left. I did not need language preparation at home. I did take the
language course the host university before the courses at the faculty started. That was only a little useful, it was
more to freshen up my Spanish.
finances
I had applied for the Erasmus Grant and OV-vergoeding before departure. The rest of the financial preperation
consisted of talking to my parents about whether they would give me money and looking at my own saving (which
I used).
study/placement abroad period
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2013 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2013 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement
page 1 of 4
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
I followed courses in International Relations, a new field for me. The Spanish was at first difficult, so I did not
understand everything during the first classes. This improved soon however and I had no real problems following
the classes. I had chooses courses before departure, but when I arrived we could go to each class to check out if
we liked it, before officially listing up. During the entire semester I had one exam, while in the last three weeks,
suddenly teachers announced we had to write papers or do groupworks. This was very stressful and I would have
prefered if they had spread out the exams and papers over the semester. I also could not study for final exams
until just some days before I had them because teacher just did not give any information about them; neither about
what kind of exams they would be (multiple choice, essay questions) or what they expected us to study for this. All
turned out well of course, thankfully.
academic quality of education/placement activities
The academic quality of the courses and teachers at Universidad Complutense de Madrid is considerably lower
than at Utrecht University. Classes were not at all analytic and teachers did not expect much quality or skills from
their students. Some teachers actually are academic themselves, but the level of the courses is adapted to the
students instead of the other way around. I had only one out of five courses that I found interesting during the
semester and at which I felt like I learned something. The other courses seemed to be very useless, which was
very very disappointing. The third year courses were at the level of first year courses in Utreecht and I have been
utterly bored during class. At the same time lots of homework was given. The workload was larger than in Utrecht,
but I learned almost nothing from the assignments I handed in. I tried my best to find interesting topics in the
courses and I did attend almost all classes, but the level of this university is very low. What I found striking is that
there are also big differences in quality per teacher. I had one very good teachers, some mediocre ones and a
very very bad one. There does not seem to be equality in quality of teachers and there are also no student reviews
of teachers.
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
Spain in general is not a very organized country, so all information given to us by the host institution was unclear.
However, the Erasmus Office was open everyday in the morning and the people there were very friendly and
helpful, always willing to answer questions or help out.
transfer of credits
I had my learning agreement signed by my home university and later also by my host university. I do not think
there will be any problems getting my ECTS points for the courses I followed in Madrid.
student life
welcome/orientation programme
There was one welcome meeting of the faculty, which was mostly informational about listing up for courses etc.
There was no orientation programme, I had to find out everything by myself. There was an ESN organization, but
if you wanted to join activities, you had to physically go to their office to say you wanted to come. Their office was
at another campus than where I studied and was only open sometimes, which made it impossible for me to do
activities with them. On my own I found other exchange and student organizations in Madrid though and I had
great fun with the people I met there.
accommodation
I went to Madrid without a room and it was eventually a bit stressful to go all about Madrid visiting rooms and
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2013 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2013 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement
page 2 of 4
deciding which one to take. There are many room available in Madrid though - there is no difficulty finding one like
in Utrecht. Within 4 days I found my room in the centre of Madrid, in La Latina. The story of how I found this room
is actually funny. I went on a tapas tour at night and the guide asked me what I was doing in Madrid. I said I was
going to study there and that I was looking for a room. He told me his mother rented rooms to students and the
next day I could go and look at the shared appartment. So that is the tip of the day: tell everyone you meet that
you are looking for a room.
leisure/culture
I did all sorts of different things in my free time in Madrid and had an awesome time. There is something to do any
day, any time. With a student organization I went to several villages and cities in Madrid, I went to flamenco
shows, to a wine tasting and a walking tour. With people I met during these activities I went out, listed to music,
had dinner etc and even went to the opera. Several friends and family members came to visit me in Madrid and in
order to not do the same thing with everyone I found lots of different touristic things to do with them. I have seen
all the big and some smaller museums, I went to the royal palace, to the enourmous flee market in my
neighborhood, drank cocktails on a rooftop terrace and went to lots of tapas places. I met so many great people
there in Madrid and I really find it a pity my time here is done.
suggestions/tips
Connect on facebook with Erasmus groups and party groups in Madrid. After a while you will be added to other
groups that have cool activities and you will start being invited for events.
I myself did not like the ESN organization much, but I found another organization called 'Be Madrid'. The people
there were very nice and friendly and I their travels and activities were always a success.
Spanish people are very easy to talk to. If you want to socialize with Spanish students and not only with
internationals, just say 'hola' to someone in your class and ask if you can join whatever they will be organizing
after class. In Holland this inviting yourself is not something seen as nice, but in Spain this is totally normal and
accaptable. I found it very nice to hang out with Spanish people, because I wanted to really get to know the culture
in Madrid.
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
The host institution itself I would not recommend. The level was very low that I could not enjoy the classes and
was very bored. I found it very disappointing that I learned nothing here.
I do recommend Madrid as a city. It is a capital and everything you could possibly want or need is there. At the
same time, the city is not so enormous that you cannot find your way there. The centre is small and the
atmosphere is great. I will really miss this city!
do you have any additional advice or comments?
If any of the future Erasmus students need information I am availble for that. I know several housing websites and
also which neighborhoods you do and do not want to live in; and tips about how to quickly get a public transport
card (this was so complicated to obtain!) and other practicle things like that.
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2013 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2013 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement
page 3 of 4
Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected]
within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final
deadline!
If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant.
st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2013 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2013 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement
page 4 of 4
UU Report form ‐ Erasmus 2013‐2014 optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly e‐mail address @ faculty/college University College Roosevelt
level bachelor
master
name degree programme
Liberal arts and sciences
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or Universidad Complutense de Madrid
company/organization purpose Erasmus grant departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
courses
research
PhD
work placement 2 / 09 / 2013 03 / 02 / 2014
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation
exchange/placement application process The application process for going on exchange is in my opinion quite lengthy and tedious but it will make you consider things you haven't thought of before. I wanted to go somewhere where the language of instruction is English but the language actually spoken in the country is somehing else. I wanted this because I expected the level of the university abroad to be slightly lower than in the Netherlands, therefore I liked the idea of setting an extra challenge in learning a new language at the same time as studying abroad. When applying simply keep an eye on language of instruction, focus of the university and way of teaching. Also, there is plenty of time to change your courses when you finally arrive at UCM so I would recommend to not spend too much time on that (I've spent several days at least trying to figure it out while it didn't bring me much in the end). counselling/support at home university Whenever I needed more information or signatures for paperwork the university was quick to respond. Everything here was arranged in an efficient manner. academic preparation The classes I took abroad did not fully complement my courses at home but that was my own choice. For other people it complemented their programmes perfectly, although the quality might have been a bit lower than in Holland so transfering those courses back home may be a bit of a hassle. Check this with your teacher before leaving. st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 1 of 3 language preparation All classes were taught in English so there was no specific language preparation offered or required. finances Housing turned out a bit more expensive but this may be due to the fact that I chose to arrange this while I was still in Holland. Cheapest accommodation can be found while being there for a few days in a hostel and looking around and visiting several places. study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
Study programmes had to be altered by almost everyone who came because classes clashed, others were being offered or the ones originally chosen did not turn out to be as interesting as expected. However, sufficient information about the processes was provided by the university and I didn't have any issues with signing up for my courses. academic quality of education/placement activities
The quality of the university seems a bit lower although I am still uncertain about this at the moment of being back home again. The exams are quite different from the course material which makes a hard to study very productively for them. However, when all work is done and properly carried out quality is similar to Holland. The expectations of students by professors a lower which makes the overall quality also seem to be lower. counselling/support at host institution/organisation
There was a s[ecial Erasmus office where you could go to for any questions. They were very helpful in assissting with any doubts or questions and also spoke English if necessary. transfer of credits My credits have not been transferred yet so I cannot say much about this. student life
welcome/orientation programme At the start of the semester there were several welcome sessions organised by the university and faculty. This is a great opportunity to meet many people with whom you automaticcaly meet up with during your first days in the city. A lot of information about the university and life in Madrid were provided and it was clear what we exactly had to do to register for courses, participate in trips/parties and how to get around Madrid (metro card etc). accommodation I arranged my accommodation through an agency while I was still in Holland which turned out fine. The room was very nice as well as the experience of living with several housemated from different countries all over the st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 2 of 3 world. However, these rooms (that you book before coming) are on average quite expensive compared to other possibilities in the city. I would therefore recommend to stay in a hostel for a few days and visit multiple rooms in the city to see what's a good match for you. Ususally you can move in very quickly and this shouldn't be a big problem. I would specifically recommend to look around the areas Malasaña and Chueca which have great atmosphere and nightlife while also being quiet. leisure/culture There is enough to do in Madrid to entertain yourself during your days off or evenings as everthing is opened until late. The weekly Sunday morning flee market El Rastro and famous Sundat afternoon drinking in Latina are highly recommendable if you can wake up on time after a night out partying that is. You will always find something nice to do here with friends and multiple daytrips to cities like Toledo and Segovia are also very nice. Furthermore, spending weekends in places like Sevilla and Valencia is also very nice and always under €100 for bus and private appartment/hostel. suggestions/tips I would recommend to try to hang out with as many Spanish people as possible as it can be quite hard to actually get to know them well. This of course depends on your studies and language capability but it is good to know some locals who can always help you out with things your fellow Erasmus friends also struggle with. conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
Yes, I really loved to be in Madrid for half a year and had a great time there. The weather, people and food were amazing and it is good to be completely emerged in another language. Also, eventhough the university is not in the city centre (especially certain faculties which are situated in Somosaguas) it still isn’t too hard to reach in those mornings classes start early, especially since most people had Fridays off. do you have any additional advice or comments?
No Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected] within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final deadline! If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant. st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 3 of 3 UU Report form ‐ Erasmus 2013‐2014 optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly e‐mail address [email protected] faculty/college Social sciences
level bachelor
master
name degree programme
Psychology
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or Universidad Complutense Madrid
company/organization purpose Erasmus grant departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
courses
research
PhD
work placement 02 / 09 / 2013 23 / 01 / 2014
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation
exchange/placement application process You should start on time with your application, because it takes more time than you might think. counselling/support at home university The support from my home university was really good. We had an information day and the people of my university always responded on my emails with questions. academic preparation I did not do something special as an academic preparation before my departure.
language preparation When your courses are in Spanish, please start early with your language preparation, because it will be harder than you might think. I followed different Spanish language courses at the Babel institution in Utrecht. finances I did not save a lot of money for my exchange. I borrowd money from the government, received the Erasmusgrant and some money from my parents. study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 1 of 3 In Spain people are more relaxed than in The Netherlands, so do not worry if things are not arranged immediately. Sometimes this could really stress me out, but in the end everything will be OK. academic quality of education/placement activities
Class is diferent than in The Netherlands. The classrooms are smaller and all the lessons are more interactive. The quality of education is not that different from The Nethelands. counselling/support at host institution/organisation
The support at UCM is really good. There is an international office in the main building of the university, which you can visit almost every day. The people at the office speak English, which is great comparing to the teacher who do not speak English at all. I had a lot of contact with the people at the international office. transfer of credits I did not receive my transcript of records yet.
student life
welcome/orientation programme There was a welcome's day at the university where we got information about the different courses, but also about activities like sports. accommodation I found my room on facebook (a facebook page especially for erasmus students in Madrid) but I also looked at
the website of easypiso. I lived with 12 other students in the city centre. My roommates were Spanish, Dutch, German and French. leisure/culture Madrid is an amazing city. The weather is great till november and the culture is beautiful. Also the nightlife is great with a lot of clubs and bars. suggestions/tips Visit a match of Real Madrid and go to a bullfight! Nightlife is great, but expensive, so you better drink at home first. There are some rooftop pools, which you should definitely visit in the spring/summer/fall, because these are the only possibilities to cool down a bit. conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
Madrid has a lot of universities. I recommend Complutense, because it is not very far from the city centre and I had a great time there. do you have any additional advice or comments?
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 2 of 3 If your Spanish is not that good, I would not recommend going to Spain (unless you can follow courses in English). I had a hard time with my Spanish. Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected] within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final deadline! If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant. st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 3 of 3 UU Report form ‐ Erasmus 2013‐2014 faculty/college Humanities
level bachelor
master
name degree programme
Spanish Language and Culture
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or Universidad Complutense de Madrid
PhD
company/organization purpose Erasmus grant departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
courses
research
work placement 31 / 08 / 2013 08 / 02 / 2014
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation
exchange/placement application process First I had to decide how my period abroad could fit in my study programme at the UU so I made a schedule with all the courses I had already taken and the ones I was planning to take in Madrid and back at the UU after my return. After this was aproved by the exam committee of my degree, I was able to apply for the study abroad. Together with a financial plan and learning agreement, I uploaded my study programme in osiris and I indicated the 3 universities abroad of preference. After more or less one month I got a message that I was selected for my first choice (Universidad Complutense in Madrid). counselling/support at home university The UU gave me good instructions of everything that had to be arranged before departure like all the forms that needed to be filled in and signed by both home and host university. 3 months before I left the UU arranged a pre‐departure meeting for the students who were about to study abroad in Madrid or Coimbra. During this meeting I received much information of how my host university functions, about living in a foreign country, experiences by other students etc. This was very usefull to me. academic preparation My period abroad was in the first semester of my third year at University, so I already had academic education for 2 years at Utrecht University. So I knew about the level and the way of teaching of academic education. language preparation I did my Erasmus period in Madrid, so everything was in Spanish. But i was already very familiar with the st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 1 of 4 language because it's also the language I study for my degree in Utrecht. So with the spanish language skills I learned at the UU, I could more or less function well in Madrid. My host university also offered me a language course before the start of their academic year. I did that as well, so before starting classes at the university in Madrid, I was in a spanish language course for 2 weeks (4 hours everyday). finances My income in Madrid consisted of my study grant, my study loan and the Erasmus grant. This was in general enough to pay all the monthly costs. Of course there were months that I had less money to spend than other months (because of paying the college fee for the UU for example). But sometimes I could ask a friend or family member for some financial help, so that was helpfull too. But in general I managed it with the grants I received. study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
I studied at the Complutense university of Madrid for the first semester of academic year 2013/2014. During the semester I was taking 4 courses, each worth of 6ECTS, so a total of 24 ECTS. I took three courses in my own faculty there (Facultad de filología). This was an Italian course, a literature course and a course about semantics. The other course I took was history of contemporary art which was offered at the Geography and History Faculty of Complutense. I found it really enjoying and learnfull , not only the content of the courses, but also to experience how life is in a foreign university and to meet new people. academic quality of education/placement activities
In general I am happy about the academic quality of the university I studied at in Madrid. The classes were good and clear and the teachers were very helpfull and understanding. The content of the courses were very interesting and the way it was brought to the students also very nice. The only thing that bothered me sometimes was that there was little interaction (if not nothing) between teachers and students. So sometimes it was hard for the students to give their own opinion or thought about the subject discussed in class. counselling/support at host institution/organisation
The support at the host institution was good. I had 2 welcome meetings when I arrived in Madrid where we were explained everything about the university, classes, timetables, enrolling procedures etc. Also the people working in the Erasmus office of my faculty were very friendly and helpfull if you had any doubts or questions. transfer of credits At the end of my stay in Madrid they told me that as soon as all the exams were corrected, the Erasmus office would send my Transcript of Records to the international office of the UU. After that the courses I passed in Madrid can be put in the 'free space' (profileringsruimte) of my study programme at the UU. student life
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 2 of 4 welcome/orientation programme When I was at the welcome meeting of my host university , they explained to us that the first 3 weeks of class we had time to look and attend different classes to see what you like and decide what courses you want to take for sure. After 3 weeks I had to fill in an enrolling form indicating what course I wanted to take. So the university gives you time to get used to the university and to think about what courses you want to take for certain. accommodation Before I left to Madrid, I was already searching on the internet for rooms that were for rent. There really are plenty so there's no need to worry about that. The day before I left, I made an appointment with some landlords to come and see the room/appartment they had for rent. So on the day I arrived in Madrid I did that and the day after I decided to go live in an appartment with 6 other students in the centre of Madrid. I'm still glad I made that choice because I really enjoyed living in that appartment. leisure/culture In my spare time I was really doing a lot of sightseeing and of course meeting a lot of people. It's funny that at the beginning I told myself that I wanted to meet many spanish people , and I did, but eventually I met so many nice other Erasmus students from every part of Europe who really became good friends. So when I was not studying, I was doing so many nice things with them like sightseeing, bars, trips to other places and of course a lot of parties. suggestions/tips The only thing I can say is that if you get to change to go study abroad as an exchange student, you really should do it! It really was one of the best experiences of my life and I will never forget the time I had during my stay abroad. conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
I wouldn't recommend my host organisation in particular. It was good but I guess other institutions are just as fine. But I have to say that the place I studied, Madrid, really is a wonderfull city and I would recommend everybody to go study there. It has such good organisations for Erasmus students that organizes many activities and parties. Also the real 'madrileños' are so friendly and helpfull, you will never feel alone. And above all, I think it's a beautiful city with a rich history and great culture. I will always remember my time living there. do you have any additional advice or comments?
Erasmus really changes your life ! It was the best experience to do! st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 3 of 4 Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected] within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final deadline! If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant. st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement page 4 of 4 UU Report form ~ Erasmus 2012-2013
Every student receiving an Erasmus grant has to submit a UU report as well. Writing the UU report is one of the
university’s conditions to receive and keep the grant. Only after submitting this report your Erasmus grant will be
awarded definitively.
SEE UU ERASMUS REPORT FILE FOR INSTRUCTIONS!
Your report will be made available to UU students preparing an exchange, placement or research period abroad.
Not all of them are Dutch-speaking, therefore we prefer to receive reports written in English.
Please use Tab to go to the next (text) box.
faculty/college
Geesteswetenschappen, UU
level
bachelor
master
PhD
name degree programme
Communicatie- en informatiewetenschappen
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or
Uninversidad Complutense Madrid
other
company/organization
purpose Erasmus grant
study/courses
departure date (dd/mm/yyyy)
24 / 01 / 2013
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
26 / 06 / 2013
work placement
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation
exchange/placement application process
This was definitely worth the trouble, but I must say there could have been more support from the university.
Especially choosing the classes was very hard, as the website of the Spanish university was, ofcourse, in Spanish
and I had no idea what to look for. I could imagine they had some information about courses students before had
taken, but there was not really any support there. Which on the other hand I get, as there are a lot of students, and
they can’t do anything.
counselling/support at home university
As I said in my earlier anwser there could have been more support. But the firms and everything were always
there on time.
academic preparation
I tried to choose courses that could offer me something I didn't learn in Utrecht yet. Any real preperation,
academicaly wasn't really necessary.
language preparation
The months before going I put a lot of efford in improving my Spanish. All my classes were going to be in Spanish,
so I was a bit nervous about that. I took out my old Spanish schoolbooks, and tried to dig up some old vocabullary.
finances
I have always saved money, while working aside my studies, so I didn't have to save more for this trip especially.
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page 1 of 3
Also the grand and the OV-vergoeding helped a lot.
study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
All my courses were in Spanish:
Gestion de marca : Brandmanagement. Very interesting. No big final exam but projects in groups spread over the
whole period
Communicacion y informacion de la politica de UE: This is a great course for Erasmus students because it is
about Europe and the profesora lover to hear about situations in other country's.
Marketing social y politica: Great teacher, but a bit vague, also here you have to do some projects in groups/
Edicion, diseno y tipografia: very practical. We had to make a newspaper and magazine in InDesign. You learn a
lot!
Marketing applicado a la publicidad: Very interesting. Teacher with a lot of experience in de buisinessworld, which
is very nice because she can give a lot of examples.
academic quality of education/placement activities
Overall the quility was pretty high. The teachers really knew what they were talking about and all seemd to have a
passion for their subject. For me it was more "practical" than in Holland, because a lot of the knowledge is very
concrete. Some profesors were more considerate with erasmus students than other. But we always could carry a
dictionary and most of the time got a few minutes extra to work.
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
There was one meeting, which was in Spanish. Here they explained in general how the university works. Other
then that there wans't a lot of counselling, but that wasn't really a problem. You can always go to the erasmus
office (when it is open at least, about 2 hours a day), They were helpful.
transfer of credits
Overall the level is a bit lower that in Holland (eventhough wth the languagebarriere, for me it wasn't easier) and
so you get less ECTS than in Holland. I had to take 5 courses, were in Holland it would have to be 4. Also in
Holland we do 2 cousres at a time, and here all 5 were parralel. I had about 20 hours off class a week.
student life
welcome/orientation programme
ESN organised a lot of activities. The university did organise one meeting, where they explained how to gain
acces to "campus virtual", you got all the information on a memorystick so you could read it a home. Wel
organised. For me the best thing was the language course of two weeks. This is were I got to know most of my
friends and was what really formed the base of my Spanish. the course was free, organised by the university.
accommodation
It is really easy to find accomodation in Madrid. There are a lot of websites. I used easypiso.com and found a
room within a few days! If you want to live in the centre the rent will be something from 350 to 500. Mine was very
central, pretty big and cost 380. Almost all the rooms they have for rent here already have all the furniture in it.
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page 2 of 3
leisure/culture
There is way too much to do and see in Madrid for 5 months. It has a bit of everthing. Parks, musea, shops,
restaurants, clubs. I think there is something for everbody. I would want to say that it is good to have quite some
money to spend because you want to enjoy all of it! Also from Madrid you can travel to everywhere in Spain as it is
so central. But also Ibiza, Mallorca of Marocco are close!
suggestions/tips
Try to improve your Spanish as much as you can. Once you are here it will go very fast, but it will go even faster if
you already know a lot! Also as I said about the money. Bring enough, you are going to want to spend it! And join
a gym as fast as you can, because you are going to eat a lot!
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
Yes! Madrid is a great city. It is a capital and it is really Spanish (Barcelona is more international). I have seen a lot
of other citý's in Spain and none of them comes close to Madrid!
do you have any additional advice or comments?
Put yourself out there and you will meet a lot of people. ESN party's weren't really my thing but if you go, you meet
a lot of people. Everybody is so open!
Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected]
within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final
deadline!
If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant.
st
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2013 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2013 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement
page 3 of 3
UU Report form ~ Erasmus 2012-2013
Every student receiving an Erasmus grant has to submit a UU report as well. Writing the UU report is one of the
university’s conditions to receive and keep the grant. Only after submitting this report your Erasmus grant will be
awarded definitively.
SEE UU ERASMUS REPORT FILE FOR INSTRUCTIONS!
Your report will be made available to UU students preparing an exchange, placement or research period abroad.
Not all of them are Dutch-speaking, therefore we prefer to receive reports written in English.
Please use Tab to go to the next (text) box.
faculty/college
Humanities
level
bachelor
master
name degree programme
Language and culture Studies
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
PhD
other
company/organization
purpose Erasmus grant
study/courses
departure date (dd/mm/yyyy)
23 / 01 / 2013
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
25 / 06 / 2013
work placement
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation
exchange/placement application process
The application process went well. Both Utrecht University and Complutense always responded quickly on my
questions if I had any doubts.
counselling/support at home university
I really appreciated it that my e-mails with questions concerning the application were always answered quickly and
clearly by the international office.
academic preparation
I chose to do courses in other faculties: Psychology and Commerce & Tourism. Since I never had classes in these
subjects before, I didn't do any specific academic preparations. It was possible to follow these classes in the other
faculties though, without any knowledge about it.
language preparation
At Utrecht University I followed the courses Spaans 1 and Spaans 2. The summer before I left I got it up a bit.
Also, at the beginning of the semester Complutense offered a free intensive language course of 2 weeks. This
language course was really good: small groups, a lot of speaking and a skilled and enthousiastic teacher.
finances
The cost of living in Madrid is more or less the same as in utrecht, however you'll probably pay a bit more for you
room in Madrid. Also I went out more (partying, dinner) and made more trips in Madrid. The Erasmus fund and
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2013 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2013 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement
page 1 of 3
some extra money could cover the extra costs of the room and the trips I made.
study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
There were no descriptions of courses available at Complutense. Also the people from the international office at
Complutense couldn't really help me with choosing courses that were suitable to take without any knowledge
about these subjects. Because of this I felt a bit frustrated in the beginning. The first month you can try out all the
courses you want though: the official study programme is only set after this trial time. The good thing about this is
that you can see if you like the teacher and the subject. The bad thing is that if you start trying out a new subject
after one month, you already missed the first month of the course and it'll be hard to keep it up.
Another thing I didn't really like is that the courses at Complutense take a whole semester (and not 8 weeks as in
Utrecht) and most of then are only 6 ECTS each. This means that I had to take five courses at the same time,
which I think was a lot. I think that it was much more work then in Utrecht. Also, because I had to do five courses
at a time, I had a lot of classes and not so much free time.
academic quality of education/placement activities
The courses at Complutense were thaught in a different way then in Utrecht. I had the feeling that the focus wasn't
that much on academic skills as in Utrecht (writing papers, reading articles). Also, at Complutense a lot of work is
in groups. I really had to get used of the absence of studyplannings. In Utrecht the teacher has to make a
description of the course and a whole guide of what you have to prepare per class, what’s going to happen in the
class and what's expected of you. At Complutense there's no guide at all: the teacher just sees what's going to
happen per day. In my opninion this sometimes resulted in some useless classes…
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
Since I did courses in another faculty then in Utrecht, I would have liked to get some support by choosing my
classes at Complutense. However, no one could tell me which courses were suitable for students who never
studied psychology before. This frustrated me a bit. On the other hand, most of the university staff was really
friendly to me when I needed help, for example with applying for a student card, etc.
transfer of credits
I can’t say anything about this, because my credits haven’t been transfered yet.
student life
welcome/orientation programme
There was one welcome day when I had started my classes already. This day should have been taking place a
few weeks earlier, since they were only telling things that I had been finding out myself the weeks before. Also, I
missed some introduction activities to get to know other international students. An introduction week with social
activities would have been nice.
accommodation
I recommend you to find a room when you’re in Madrid. Book a hostel for the first week and start looking for a
room from here. There are more rooms available then people looking for it, so you'll find one for sure. You can
contact the landlord of an availbale room to make an appointment to see it. It's a good idea to first see a couple of
rooms to make a decision. This way, you can get an idea what is the standard.
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page 2 of 3
leisure/culture
Madrid is the fourth biggest city in the EU, so there's enough to do! The nightlife is amazing: there are so many
bars and clubs that it's impossible to see them all in half a year. Different organisations organise special Erasmus
parties at every day of the week, so you don’t have to stay inside… Also, there are a lot of shops. Around Madrid
there are some smaller cities that are also nice to visit on a day trip: Segovia, Toledo, Ávila…
suggestions/tips
Unfortunately there are a lot of robbaries in Madrid. Without exaggerating: half of the Erasmus students I know
have been robbed of their (smart)phone, especially iPhones. So the first suggestion is: don't bring an iPhone. I
had an old Nokia and it hasn’t been stolen. Also, I avoided to bring values outside: if I didn’t need them I only
brought a small wallet with max. 30 euros in it.
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
If you don’t value the academic level a lot and if you're not afraid for some different way of studying then I would
recommend Complutense. I think it's definitely a good way to improve your Spanish and Madrid is a nice central
place in Spain. Also it's nice that you can study at another faculty then in Utrecht.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
No
Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected]
within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final
deadline!
If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant.
st
nd
UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2013 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2013 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement
page 3 of 3
UU Report form ~ Erasmus 2012-2013
Every student receiving an Erasmus grant has to submit a UU report as well. Writing the UU report is one of the
university’s conditions to receive and keep the grant. Only after submitting this report your Erasmus grant will be
awarded definitively.
SEE UU ERASMUS REPORT FILE FOR INSTRUCTIONS!
Your report will be made available to UU students preparing an exchange, placement or research period abroad.
Not all of them are Dutch-speaking, therefore we prefer to receive reports written in English.
Please use Tab to go to the next (text) box.
faculty/college
Faculty of Social Sciences, Utrecht University
level
bachelor
master
PhD
other
name degree programme
Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (Algemene Sociale Wetenschappen)
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
company/organization
purpose Erasmus grant
study/courses
departure date (dd/mm/yyyy)
01 / 02 / 2013
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
31 / 06 / 2013
work placement
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation
exchange/placement application process
The application deadline for an Erasmus placement was about one year before my real departure abroad. During
this year there were some formal papers that needed to be filled in and signed. During the year there were different
deadlines for among other things the Erasmus grant. Before the inicial application I had looked a lot at the different
courses available at the university I wanted to go to. In genereal the application process was fine, by keeping track
of the different deadlines and papers it was not a lot of work after all and it went all quite smoothly.
counselling/support at home university
The pre-departure meeting was useful as a first orientation towards the university abroad. We received a lot of
general information and could ask the questions we had regarding the Erasmus stay, both with regard to the
studies as well as practical issues. It was also possible to visit the International Office at the university at any time
during the application process for questions and more information.
academic preparation
For me the academic preparation consisted of orienting myself towards what kind if master degree I would like to
do. Abroad I wanted to take courses of either psychology or pedagogy to see whether I would like these fields
better than the Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (ASW) which is my bachelor degree at UU. I had taken some
introductory courses of both psychology and pedagogy at the UU, so I did not consider it a problem to take
courses within these fields abroad.
language preparation
As I wanted to go on an Erasmus to Spain, where all courses within my fields of study where tought in Spanish, I
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had to do some language preparation courses before departure. My level of Spanish at the time was
'Intermediate', and I took a course of 40 hours in total at level B.2.1 at Instituto Cervantes in Utrecht. It was a nice
experience as I already got in touch with the Spanish culture and other people interesting in learning Spanish.
During my stay abroad I completed another 40 hours Spanish course that the university offered, this time at level
C1. Again it was a really nice experience as I met lots of other Erasmus students with whom I shared the interest
to learn the Spanish language well.
finances
For me the finances was not a really big issue as I was going to receive an Erasmus grant apart of the ordinary
study financiation offered by the government. Besides my parents helped me financially and I also have my own
savings that I was willing to spend during my Erasmus experience if necessary.
study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
My final study programme was really different as the one I planned before departure. Arriving in Madrid I could
have some weeks of a 'trying period' to see which courses and teachers where nice and interesting. However, I
considered it important to attend the classes of the courses I would do as soon as possible. I also changed faculty
when I came to Madrid, from pedagogy to psychology, as this was possible in my case. During the time since my
inicial application I had gotten more interest in psychology so it was really nice that I could do courses of
psychology instead of pedagogy. What I disliked the most regarding the courses and planning was that the
introduction day for Erasmus students was actually two weeks after the courses at my faculty had begun (this was
the case for several faculties). As a consequence I could not attend the first lessons of any of the subjects, which
made it more complicated to get an overview and idea of what each subject really was about. Luckily I got in
contact with Spanish students soon and received the information I had missed.
academic quality of education/placement activities
I really enjoyed the classes I attended at the university in Madrid. Actually, all my teachers were great: inspiring,
interesting lessons, kind and always in a good mood. They often asked me how I was doing and if I understood
the material well. Besides they asked my fellow Erasmus students and I several times about how different issues
were seen in our country, or our university, with regard to different psychological topics during the lessons. I
attended courses in which there were few other Erasmus students, and in one course I was the only one. I think
this was nice because the teachers could focus a little bit more on us. However, there are some things that could
be mentioned regarding the academic quality per se. We often used literature written in the 1980's and 1990's,
which I was not used to at the UU. Sometimes I wondered whether the material was up to date and still relevant.
Even though many of these readings where about theories formulated in these decades, I think newer literature
would have been more apropriate. However I feel like I have really learned a lot more about the discipline of
psychology, and also that this is a field I would like to dedicate my carreer to.
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
At the university in Madrid each faculty had its own International Office. We were always welcome there for
questions or to sign papers in the office hours, which worked quite well. Besides the official support, as I
mentioned above, I really felt supported by my teachers.
transfer of credits
I have not had to deal with the transfer of credits yet, as my Transcript of Records is not available at this moment.
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student life
welcome/orientation programme
The university organized a two hours introduction with information about the university, studying, practical issues
and things to do in Madrid. Besides this official introduction ESN Madrid organized many events to help you during
the first weeks in Madrid and to enjoy the Spanish culture and Erasmus experience throughout your stay.
accommodation
In Madrid it is relatively easy to find a place to stay as there are many rooms and appartments available
throughout the whole city. It is a good idea to orient yourself about where to stay. I can recommend the Moncloa
district as it is between the city center and the university. Many students live here so there are lots of bars and
restaurants, and it is close enough to many nice places to go walking. I stayed in a shared apartment with two
Spanish girls from Madrid, which I got to know through a Spanish friend that I got to know last year when she was
on Erasmus in Utrecht. This was a nice experience, as I got really close up with the Spanish life in Madrid and
could practice Spanish a lot.
leisure/culture
In Madrid there is something for everyone when it comes to leisure and culture. There are lots of concerts,
expositions, museums, beautiful parks such as El Retiro and Parque de la Montaña, sport events such as running
or yoga at Plaza Mayor… Besides this it is really nice to get to know the tapas culture. Drinks and lots of different
small pieces of food and long conversations until really late at night in some of the traditional bars in Madrid.
suggestions/tips
Even though I lived with Spanish girls I recommend to stay with other Erasmus students in general because my
best friends in Madrid were all Erasmus students, we had the same aspirations and interests to visit new places
and enjoy a lot besides the studies. Many of my friends lived together which seemed really nice, for me it was
slightly different since I always had to plan a bit more about where to go and when. It is also a good idea to orient
yourself about which district in which to stay. I can recommend the Moncloa area as it is situated between the city
center and the university. Many students live here so there are lots of bars and restaurants, and it is close enough
to many nice places that you can go walking (especially useful when the metro is closed (from around 1.30 am).
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
I would definitely recommend Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and Madrid, as a destination for your
Erasmus. I had a great time there and I think that most of Erasmus friends here can say the same. There is
always something to do, the climate is nice, the city is beautiful and you can get to know a new language and
culture.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
Keep track of the deadlines for all the Erasmus documents and enjoy your stay!
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Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected]
within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final
deadline!
If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant.
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UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2013 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2013 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement
page 4 of 4
UU Report form ~ Erasmus 2012-2013
Every student receiving an Erasmus grant has to submit a UU report as well. Writing the UU report is one of the
university’s conditions to receive and keep the grant. Only after submitting this report your Erasmus grant will be
awarded definitively.
SEE UU ERASMUS REPORT FILE FOR INSTRUCTIONS!
Your report will be made available to UU students preparing an exchange, placement or research period abroad.
Not all of them are Dutch-speaking, therefore we prefer to receive reports written in English.
Please use Tab to go to the next (text) box.
faculty/college
Geesteswetenschappen
level
bachelor
master
name degree programme
Theory and Practice of Translation
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
PhD
other
company/organization
purpose Erasmus grant
study/courses
departure date (dd/mm/yyyy)
01 / 10 / 2012
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
01 / 07 / 2013
work placement
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation
exchange/placement application process
The exchange process at the University Utrecht was quite vague in the beginning, because I didn't know if there still
were places available and how everything worked. After starting the process a lot gets clearer and the people of the
Erasmus offices are always available for answering questions. The most difficult of the process was the paper work
(and permissions you have to get from other professors) and the deadlines and knowing when to do what exactly
and if you have done it right and have done everything. I really liked the gathering before going abroad.
counselling/support at home university
The home university was available for questions and arranged a gathering. I feel I could rely on the Erasmus
Office of University Utrecht.
academic preparation
It cost quite some time choosing the courses you want to take abroad and in the end, you have to change them
anyway because some courses in the end you can't follow or aren't given. I didn't really prepare myself
academically, although it is important to think about what courses you want to take and it is an advantage if you
already know something about the themes they are going to teach.
language preparation
In Madrid, I got a language course of two weeks before the beginning of the courses. It was not that intensive, but
I think it is good to spend some time on your Spanish when you are going to study in this city. Most courses are
given in Spanish, you have to write your papers and present your presentations in Spanish and have to talk in
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Spanish during the classes.
finances
Madrid is a cheap city to life in comparison with Holland. I spend most of my money on my room because it was
important for me to have a big room, in the city center. But you can also find cheap rooms, and the cost for eating,
public transport and other necesarry things aren't that high. I really enjoyed giving Dutch classes here to
Spaniards. That way I had an income here and my work was really flexible.
study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
The classes were ok, although I think studying in Madrid is easier than in Utrecht (although it depends on the
classes you are taking). The classes also are less organized and I have the feeling you have to do less and get
higher notes (they also give 9's and 10's). I really liked the professors because they were really understanding to
Erasmus students. It can be a bit hard following a lot of courses from different masters at the same time because
of the schedule and you have to work hard, but I really liked studying here, although a lot of professors arrive too
late at their courses for example and they change what you have to do during the course.
academic quality of education/placement activities
Studying in Madrid is easier than in Utrecht, but nevertheless you have to work for it. The courses a lot of times do
not include a lot of literature and also don't include a final exam but a final paper.
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
The Erasmus office of the host institution was really helpfull. They sent emails when you had to get to go the office
for something and they knew exactly what you had to do for the Erasmus grant. It was a bit difficult to find the
office for the first time, though.
transfer of credits
Up untill now I haven't transfered the credits I obtained because I am still waiting on some notes.
student life
welcome/orientation programme
I liked the welcome programme of the university. In the beginning a lot of things are still unclear. You are looking
for an appartment, the university, friends, and getting to know the city. It is very nice to meet other students who
are going through the same. During the welcome programme they explained the necessary things to know when
you start studying at the university
accommodation
It was quite easy to find an accommodation in Madrid. There are various websites to look for rooms or
appartments in all kinds of neighbourhoods and for all kinds of prices. I found my accommodation through
Idealista. It is a room in the citycenter, in the La Latina neighbourhood, a spacious room, in an appartment that I
shared with other young people (studying and working). During my stay in Madrid I lived with Spaniards, Italians
and a Thai girl.
leisure/culture
There is a lot to do in Madrid. A lot of culture, a lot of bars, discotheques, places to relax and a really nice. Also the
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life in Madrid is different than the life in Holland. I really enjoyed staying here because there is always something
to do, everything is near and cheap. The people are really friendly and helpfull. I really loved the city!
suggestions/tips
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
I would really recommend staying in Madrid, to anyone who speaks a little bit of spanish or wants to learn it.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
It is normal that you have to get used to another city, other people, another university and other courses. But in the
end everything is going to be allright. If you have questions, just ask around!!
Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected]
within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final
deadline!
If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant.
st
nd
UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2013 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2013 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement
page 3 of 3
UU Report form ~ Erasmus 2012-2013
Every student receiving an Erasmus grant has to submit a UU report as well. Writing the UU report is one of the
university’s conditions to receive and keep the grant. Only after submitting this report your Erasmus grant will be
awarded definitively.
SEE UU ERASMUS REPORT FILE FOR INSTRUCTIONS!
Your report will be made available to UU students preparing an exchange, placement or research period abroad.
Not all of them are Dutch-speaking, therefore we prefer to receive reports written in English.
Please use Tab to go to the next (text) box.
faculty/college
Universiteit Utrecht
level
bachelor
master
name degree programme
Culturele antropologie
destination city & country
Madrid, Spanje
name host institution and/or
Complutense
PhD
other
company/organization
purpose Erasmus grant
study/courses
departure date (dd/mm/yyyy)
25 / 01 / 2013
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
21 / 06 / 2013
work placement
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation
exchange/placement application process
It looks like a lot of work, but it´s do-ble.
counselling/support at home university
The support at my home university was fine, I could always come with all my questions. Emails were replied too
quickly.
academic preparation
I didn´t have any academic preparation.
language preparation
I took spanish courses in Holland, level 1 and 2. They prepared me only on a very basic level, I learned way more
during my time in Spain.
finances
I got the erasmus-grant and saved up money from a job since a few months before departure.
study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
I had to follow 5 courses here in Madrid, which were Spanish. Each course grants you 6 ECTS, if passed. Each
course contained 2 classes of 2 hours each week. The content was,relative to Utrecht, fairly easy. Except that
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everything is in Spanish.
academic quality of education/placement activities
Like I said, the quality was lower than in Utrecht. But i learned a lot anyway, because education here teaches you
a different vision. Plus learning a foreign language.
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
We didn´t get that much support, but we didn´t need it either. If we had had problems, I´m sure the Erasmus-office
here would have been helpful.
transfer of credits
This is very unclear, for foreign students it is not clear how the system works and where to find our notes online.
student life
welcome/orientation programme
We had a meeting with all erasmusstudents, where we got a lot of information about facilities, where to go, how to
subscribe for courses, how student life is, etc. It was a lot, but we also got a flash-drive containing the same
information so you could still look it up at home. It was pure informational, nothing social.
accommodation
Unlike most students, we (3 friends,we came together), looked for an apartment via real-estate on the internet.
Most students reply on notes hanging outside on trees and end up in a mixed student house. We got a normal
house shared by 3, which was relatively way cheaper than student houses, but a little bit outside the city center.
leisure/culture
Spanish culture is really nice. People are more relaxed but also unorganised. Everything is late, you call it
afternoon until 6, you eat late, like 9 or 10. I really like this. Madrid is beautiful and there are a lot of (esn)parties
you can go to, like every day. Everything about that is always on facebook. I think that if you go alone as an
erasmus-student, this makes it easy and fun to meet other erasmus. Madrid is really diverse and fun.
suggestions/tips
Make sure you go to the 3 big museums which are really nice. Also the erasmus-parties are nice and a cheap way
to get into clubs that are on regular night really expensive and fancy (Kapital!) Just see everything in Madrid,
Retiro etc. If you want a cheap night out, look for erasmusparties and you can also just walk around Sol and go
with the proppers/public relations guys for cheap drinks. Also, you should travel around Spain, obviously. I
preferred to go on my own with friends, and not with the organised erasmus-trips. Since they are really fast and
you maybe won´t get to see everything you want. Spain is really beautiful and has so many nice places to visit,
especially in the south.
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
Madrid is a really nice city. Also, the rest of Spain is really worth-while to travel around. I would defenitely
recommend Madrid! My university, Complutense, wasn´t that good though. Really unorganised compared to
Holland and it looks pretty cheap-ass. But ah well, that’s a nice change too. This is probably worse on my campus
(Somosaguas), then in Ciudad Universitaria, which is a nicer campus.
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do you have any additional advice or comments?
-
Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected]
within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final
deadline!
If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant.
st
nd
UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2013 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2013 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement
page 3 of 3
UU Report form ~ Erasmus 2012-2013
Every student receiving an Erasmus grant has to submit a UU report as well. Writing the UU report is one of the
university’s conditions to receive and keep the grant. Only after submitting this report your Erasmus grant will be
awarded definitively.
SEE UU ERASMUS REPORT FILE FOR INSTRUCTIONS!
Your report will be made available to UU students preparing an exchange, placement or research period abroad.
Not all of them are Dutch-speaking, therefore we prefer to receive reports written in English.
Please use Tab to go to the next (text) box.
faculty/college
Universiteit Utrecht
level
bachelor
master
name degree programme
Antropologie
destination city & country
Madrid, Spanje
name host institution and/or
Universidad Complutense Madrid
PhD
other
company/organization
purpose Erasmus grant
study/courses
departure date (dd/mm/yyyy)
25 / 01 / 2013
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
21 / 06 / 2013
work placement
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation
exchange/placement application process
Een lang proces met vele papieren, wat ik nu allemaal nog niet snap wat ik toen allemaal heb moeten invullen
counselling/support at home university
Maar ondanks dat heeft Marleen van der Ven ons heel goed geholpen!
academic preparation
Niets meer dan mijn studievakken gedaan
language preparation
2 spaans cursussen gevolgd buiten de studie om
finances
Die kostten samen ongeveer 300 euro, en verder heeft het vliegticket nog wat gekost maar daar houdt het ook wel
ongeveer op.
study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
De structuur en organisatie van deze universiteit was anders, dus daar moest even aan gewend worden. Vooral
met tijden en hoe er informatie werd verschaft. Ik ben nog steeds niet helemaal goed geresistreerd volgens mij,
maar voldoende om het hier goed en wel achter te laten en mijn ECTS mee te nemen. Ik gooi het op
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cultuurverschil.
academic quality of education/placement activities
Het onderwijs is veel toegepaster hier, hier werd heel erg de rol van de antropoloog in het dagelijks leven
benadrukt en hoe je je kennis later zou toepassen. Ook in papers moesten we een concreet plan geven, hoe wij
een probleem zouden oplossen. Dus ik zou zeggen dat het hier meer een mix is van HBO en universiteit, wat ik
niet iets slechts vind, maar eerder een koppeling van kennis met de echte wereld die in Nederland wel wat meer
aandacht mag krijgen.
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
In de Erasmusoffice waren ze erg behulpzaam, alleen jammer dat deze maar 4 dagen in week open was van 11
tot 1 en dat we niet wisten dit office waar te vinden. Het welkomswoord kwam ook een beetje laat, namelijk een
week nadat vele faculteiten al aan hun periode waren begonnen, waardoor je essenciele informatie voor het
opstraten van je studie miste. Maar uiteindelijk was dat allemaal niet zo erg, maar eerder een dingetje van
zenuwen en stress en Nederlandse plannings-zucht.
transfer of credits
Ik weet niet al mijn cijfers, want ik kan niet overal bijkomen, maar met wat mailtjes moet het te zijn achterhalen. En
officieel is het natuurlijk allemaal geregistreerd.
student life
welcome/orientation programme
Wat ik al zei, het welkomspraatje van de universiteit was een beetje laat maar de taalcursus was supergoed, en
superleuk want je leerde allemaal mede-erasmusstudenten kennen en de taal.
accommodation
Dit heeft voor spanning gezorgd de eerste week, maar als je je zenuwen een beetje in bedang weet te houden en
geen tijdsdruk voelt is het appeltje eitje.
leisure/culture
Het ritme en de losse manier van organiseren moest ik wel een beetje aan wennen. Je moet je agenda gewoon
een beetje laten gaan, ze leven hier met een dagsplanning niet die van een week. Ik heb mijn agenda behouden
maar het heeft wel iets van zijn vastigheid verloren.
suggestions/tips
Geef jezelf de tijd, kijk het allemaal een beetje aan en probeer vooral niet dingen van tevoren te regelen en te
weten, het komt op het moment zelf wel.
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
Ja zeker! Een totaal andere manier van organiseren en van kijken, vooral in relatie tot tijd. Ik denk dat Madrid je
wat rustiger maakt als het gaat om plannen en je laat inzien dat het allemaal niet ZO belangrijk is. Dat je best even
de tijd mag nemen om te lopen of te praten of te eten of iets anders waar je zin in hebt, want het werk zal er dan
ook nog wel zijn.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
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Volgens mij heb ik genoeg gezegd, ik heb genoten en hoop dat velen dit na mij ook zullen doen!
Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected]
within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final
deadline!
If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant.
st
nd
UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2013 for 1 semester ~ 1 July 2013 for 2 semester or full year exchange/placement
page 3 of 3
UU Report form ~ Erasmus 2012-2013
Every student receiving an Erasmus grant has to submit a UU report as well. Writing the UU report is one of the
university’s conditions to receive and keep the grant. Only after submitting this report your Erasmus grant will be
awarded definitively.
SEE UU ERASMUS REPORT FILE FOR INSTRUCTIONS!
Your report will be made available to UU students preparing an exchange, placement or research period abroad.
Not all of them are Dutch-speaking, therefore we prefer to receive reports written in English.
Please use Tab to go to the next (text) box.
faculty/college
Economics
level
bachelor
master
name degree programme
Business
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or
Complutense University of Madrid
PhD
other
company/organization
purpose Erasmus grant
study/courses
departure date (dd/mm/yyyy)
05 / 09 / 2012
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
03 / 02 / 2013
work placement
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation
exchange/placement application process
Pretty hard to find everything, the websites are not really clear; there isn't a lot of information presented clearly. You
have to search for everything on your own, this is not really a problem on one side, on the other side, there are
more Erasmus students who've already been abroad, so you would say the information is there already. Then why
not present it?
counselling/support at home university
There is one woman at the International Office for Europe, she has a lot to do so she's really bussy. Also the
websites are not clear. the system for the Erasmus scholarship was very late available, my friends all got the
scholarship in august, we got it in oktober.
academic preparation
I tried to choose the right courses, but when I arrived in Madrid, a big part of it wasn't possible. So eventhough I
planned pretty much, it wasn't a real plan after all, because it was not possible to plan and stick to the plan.
language preparation
I took a language course in Utrecht, I also took one for two weeks at the university of Madrid. My friend in Utrecht
speaks spanish, so I've practised a lot with him. When I arrived in Madrid I took another seven weeks during
course in spanish during the normal courses.
finances
I made schedueles and talked about my study abroad plan with my parents. Also with people who've already been
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abroad so they could give me an impression.
study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
The university of Madrid is totally different from Utrecht, for me it was actually pretty annoying because they made
a mistake in my placement and said that I was in a different faculty; so I couldn't take the right courses. It took me
about 4 weeks to figure this all out and I could finally be subscribed to the right courses.
academic quality of education/placement activities
Well, I think the system is different, for example, they didn't use books. Some teachers didn't even have them,
others hardly used them. So there was not really a gideline. Not organized at all, pretty chaotic.
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
At my faculty I didn't get a lot of help, but this is different in every faculty. My friend was in biology and she got all
the help she needed. And of course my faculty office putted me in the wrong faculty even though I wasn't.
transfer of credits
student life
welcome/orientation programme
The programme was in spanish, they didn't speak a word in English. Of course you should speak a bit of spanish,
but we couldn't even ask something in spanish. That doesn't seems logical to me when people have just arrived.
accommodation
I lived in an Erasmusflat with 7 other students, it was fine but actually Erasmusflats are not really great. They are
not clean at all, almost no hot water, and very late responses when something brakes down. For example whe
couldn't do the laundry for 3 weeks.
leisure/culture
The spanish culture is really relaxt, it is not that hard to adjust actually, but the opening hours are different from
home; the siesta's.
suggestions/tips
I only had a kitchen as a living room, no couch, that was not nice, it's good to have a place to hang out in your
house!
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
Well, Madrid is lovely, but the universities are not organized at all, so be carefull.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
Also universities in Holand can not provide all the information you need, be really aware of this.
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Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected]
within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final
deadline!
If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant.
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UU Report form ~ Erasmus 2012-2013
Every student receiving an Erasmus grant has to submit a UU report as well. Writing the UU report is one of the
university’s conditions to receive and keep the grant. Only after submitting this report your Erasmus grant will be
awarded definitively.
SEE UU ERASMUS REPORT FILE FOR INSTRUCTIONS!
Your report will be made available to UU students preparing an exchange, placement or research period abroad.
Not all of them are Dutch-speaking, therefore we prefer to receive reports written in English.
Please use Tab to go to the next (text) box.
Humanities
faculty/college
level
bachelor
master
name degree programme
Spanish Language and Culture
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
PhD
other
company/organization
purpose Erasmus grant
study/courses
departure date (dd/mm/yyyy)
03 / 02 / 2013
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
28 / 06 / 2013
work placement
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation
exchange/placement application process
I started the application process during my second academic year (I went to Spain the second semster of the third year). My
first choice was going to the University of Granada (Spain) but there were no more places available. Then I chose to go to
Madrid. It took a lot of time to fill out all the forms and to arrange everything, but I think everything that needed to be done
was explained well.
counselling/support at home university
I attended a preparation meeting at the University of Utrecht. Furthermore, the staff of the International Office in Utrecht
helped me a lot by answering questions by e-mail etc.
academic preparation
I didn't really prepare academically for my stay abroad. First of all because I already knew Spanish (I'm studying
Spanish Language and Culture), and secondly because I was going to follow some courses in Spain that were
completley new for me (Journalism), so I had no idea what to prepare.
language preparation
Before I left for Spain I already knew Spanish, so I didn’t really need to prepare for that. I think it's highly recommended to at
least know the basics of Spanish before going to Madrid/Spain.
finances
Before I left I had saved money. I also received financial support from my parents and a grant of DUO. Beforehand I
calculated the average income and expences per month. I calculated that both were about the same amount.I didn't have any
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financial problems.
study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
I really wanted to study Journalism in Spain. Since it not possible to study Journalism at a Dutch University, I saw it as an
opportunity to take some courses of Journalism in Spain. However, the International Office in Utrecht had placed me in
another faculty/study (International Relations). When I arrived in Madrid I went to the International Office of the UCM.
There it turned out to be possible to study Journalism. And so I made a study programme which contained subjects of the
faculty of Information (Journalism): 'Theory and Practice of Journalism', 'Theory of Communication', 'Theory of Publicity',
and 'Editing, Typography and Design'. I chose to do 4 courses (each of 6 ETCS), because 5 seemed a little to much for me.
Furthermore, I enrolled in a language course for which I got 4 ETCS.
academic quality of education/placement activities
I have to say that the academic quality really depends on the teacher. In general my teachers were very good, but I also had a
teacher that treated my classmates like the were little children (sometimes my classmates were actually acting like children;
they were talking all the time without listening to what the teacher said). As a result I sometimes felt like I was still on
Primary School or High School.
The teachers were very helpful to me. In most of my classes I was the only Erasmus student.
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
The staff of the International Office was very helpful to me, especially in the first two weeks they helped me very well (when
I wanted to change faculties). Most of the time the staff at the Erasmus Office at my faculty was helpful as well, but
sometimes not.
My teachers were supporting as well. I could ask anything I wanted if I didn't understand. I had the feeling that they liked it to
have a foreign student in their class, and so I felt a little bit special sometimes.
transfer of credits
I still have to wait for the credits I gained in Spain. I studied very hard, I made all my exams, so I hope I will pass them all. If
I do, I will have 24 ECTS and 4 ECTS of the Spanish course.
student life
welcome/orientation programme
The second week of my stay in Madrid there was a welcome session. I got information about the University and they
explained how to arrange things (application etc.). Every student received a pen drive with information and important
documents. After this session we could join a tour on the Campus and there was a welcome party organized by ESN.
accommodation
A friend of my mother knew someone who was renting her appartment in Madrid. She gave me the e-mail address
of this women and I contacted her. She was very friendly en offered me her appartment for at least the first month
of my stay in Madrid. I was planning to look for a shared flat during this first month, because in this appartment I
lived alone. However, I really liked the appartment and I decided to stay there for the whole 5 months.
leisure/culture
After living in Madrid for 5 months, I can say that I really love this city and the Spanish culture. In my spare time, there were
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always a lot of things to do and there were always people to meet with. I really got to know the city and I'm very happy with
that.
suggestions/tips
In Spain I learned that sometimes you need to be very pacient. Everything will be OK, you just have to wait a little and
sometimes it takes afford (you will be sent from pillar to post). But many times the staff of the University told me: "No te
preocupes", which means that you shouldn't worry. I think it's part of the Spanish culture.
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
I would definitely recommend the Universidad Complutense de Madrid to others. I felt very welcome there and I got the
opportunity to study subjects that I really like and that weren't possible to study in the Netherlands. In general people were
very helpful. The only thing that I think that was a little bit disappointing about my stay in Madrid, is that most of the Spanish
students were not very open, although I also met some some very nice classmates.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
Before I got my appartment I worried about finding a place to stay. That turned out to be unnecessary, because there are a lot
of students rooms being offered. If you really want to be sure about an appartment before you leave for Spain, you could
check this website: http://www.aluni.net/.
Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected]
within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final
deadline!
If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant.
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UU Report form ~ Erasmus 2012-2013
Every student receiving an Erasmus grant has to submit a UU report as well. Writing the UU report is one of the
university’s conditions to receive and keep the grant. Only after submitting this report your Erasmus grant will be
awarded definitively.
SEE UU ERASMUS REPORT FILE FOR INSTRUCTIONS!
Your report will be made available to UU students preparing an exchange, placement or research period abroad.
Not all of them are Dutch-speaking, therefore we prefer to receive reports written in English.
Please use Tab to go to the next (text) box.
faculty/college
Universiteit Utrecht, faculty of geoscienes
level
bachelor
master
PhD
name degree programme
Bachelor degree Human Geography and Planning
destination city & country
Spain, Madrid
name host institution and/or
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
other
company/organization
purpose Erasmus grant
study/courses
departure date (dd/mm/yyyy)
01 / 02 / 2013
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
01 / 07 / 2013
work placement
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation
exchange/placement application process
Deciding my destination was not that hard, since I already knew from the beginning that I wanted to go on Erasmus
not only for the academic and cultural experience, but also to improve my Spanish language skills. I decided to go
to Madrid for half a year and started to make some preparations a long time before the actual exchange. I
subscribed to go to Madrid more less a month before the deadline. After the first subscription, in December 2011,
the International Office of geosciences helped me a lot with my application. The helped me with the forms and the
procedures and answered my questions about studying abroad.
counselling/support at home university
As I mentioned before, the help of the International Office of geosciences helped me a lot during the application
office and the preparation of my stay abroad. They answered my questions concerning studying abroad, helped
me to fill in the forms required for the application and helped me to arrange the Erasmus grant. Later on, the premeeting with the other students going to Madrid, organised by the International Office of UU in general, helped me
to get more specific knowledge about my destination itself and the specific application process for the Universidad
Complutense de Madrid. During my stay in Madrid, the International Office of geosciences helped me with my
changes to the original study programme and answered my questions during my stay. The International Office of
the UU in general helped my to remind me of the deadline of the Erasmus report files and other files that I had to
hand in.
academic preparation
Before going to Madrid I informed Spanish Erasmus students that I got to know in Utrecht about the teaching
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methods in Spain and about the differences between Dutch and Spanish universities, to prepare myself for the
university in Madrid. I also asked a girl studying at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid about her experiences
with the courses in Madrid, what did she think of the level of the courses, the qualities of the teachers and the
content of the courses. This way I got a better overview of the courses, before making a decision which courses to
choose.
language preparation
In 2009/2010 I already stayed in Spain for 7 months, living with a Spanish family. During this time in Spain, I also
participated in a Spanish language course. Later on when I returned to the Netherlands, I started to work in a
Spanish restaurant where I met Spanish people to practice my Spanish with. During this time I maintained my
Spanish writing and reading skills and improved my speaking skills. I few months before I went to Madrid, I also
started to read articles and books in Spanish, to improve my reading skills before starting my Erasmus. Before the
start of my Erasmus in Madrid, my level of Spanish was more less B2. My language preparation before going to
Madrid very much helped my during my Erasmus period. Because of my language preparation, I had no problems
understanding the lectures and writing papers.
finances
Before going to Madrid I saved money by working besides my studies. My savings helped me a lot during my
Erasmus period. Although the student grant of the Dutch government and the Erasmus grant largely covered my
monthly costs, they did not cover them all. It was useful to have some savings besides the grants that I
received.
study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
Before going to the University of Madrid I looked up the courses at the website of the UCM, I called to the
international office of Madrid to ask how the system worked, which subject I could take, if there was a limit of
courses I could take and if I could also take courses at other faculties. They informed me about the fact that I
could take two courses at another faculty and that the regular number of subjects is five, since five subjects is
equal to 30 credits. I selected the subjects that I wanted to take and that were related to my study program at the
website. My original learing agreement was as follows:
Course unit title + number of credits:
- Geografia social y economica de Iberoamérica, 6 credits (faculty of geography and history)
- Geografia de España, 6 credits (faculty of geography and history)
-Areas Metropolitanas , 6 credits (faculty of geography and history)
-Introduccion a las relaciones internationales (faculty of political sciences)
-Estructura y dinamica de la sociedad international (Faculty of political sciences)
I decided to take three courses at the faculty of geography. I choose to do these subjects since these are subject
that I would never be able to do at my sending university. Geography of Spain (geografia de España) and
georaphy of South America (geografia de Iberoamerica) are very specific local subject that could teach me a lot
about the country where I was going to stay and its relations with its former colonies. Metropolitan areas (Areas
metropolitanas) was a specific optional course at the 3th year of the studies. I thought this course would fit well
into my study program, since I had done courses in urban geography before and I thought the subject would learn
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me some more about the metropolitan areas of Madrid. Besides the three courses at the faculty of geography, I
choose to take two courses at the faculty of political sciences. I did this I've always been interested in political
sciences, during my bachelor I've taken the course 'political geography' and two courses of conflict studies, with
both concern politics aswell. That is why I thought these two subject would fit well into my study program. Besides
that in Madrid I had the opportunity to take courses to take courses of political scienes, in Utrecht this is not
possible, since these study is nog given at the University of Utrecht.
During the first two weeks of my stay at the University of Madrid the University gave my the opportunity to take a
look at several courses, before subscribing myself officialy for these courses. I could attend all the courses I
wanted during the first two weeks. I took a look at several courses, also the ones that I didn’t choose before, to
have a good overview of the content and the level of the courses. After two weeks, I decided to make some
changes two my original study plan. In the end, I decided to subscribe for these courses:
-Geografia de Madrid , 6 credits (faculty of geography and history)
- Geografia social y economic de Iberoamerica, 6 credits (faculty of geography and history)
-Areas Metropolitanas, 6 credits (faculty of geography and history)
-Ciencias políticas y Relaciones Internacionales, 6 credits(faculty of journalism)
-Historia del Pensamiento Político contemporáneo, 6 credits (faculty of journalism)
I choose to drop the course Geography of Spain, since in my view, this subjects was too muched focussed on
physical geography. I think this course was not enough related to my studies, since the main subject of my studies
is Human Geography and not physical geography. That is why I choose to drop that course. I added the course
Geography of Madrid (geografia de Madrid) since this course was more related to human geography. Further on
this course would learn me a lot about the region were I was living. I learned a lot about the history and social
processes in Madrid. I also choose to do two courses at the faculty of journalism in stead of at the faculty of
politcal science. I found out that it would be impossible to combine the courses at the faculty of poltical sciences
with the courses at the faculty of Geography, since the timetable of the courses was overlapping too much and
besides that the faculty of political sciences was situaded at another location in Madrid. It would be impossible to
reach on time for the courses at the other faculty. Later I found out that the faculty of journalism was also offering
courses of politcal sciences. These courses fitted better into my study program and moreless had the same
content as the courses at the faculty of political scienes. That is why I choose to do these subjects in the end.
academic quality of education/placement activities
During my Erasmus stay I noticed that the level of the courses was varying a lot. Some courses where in my eyes
very theoretic, for example Geography of Madrid and Geography of Iberoamerica. We had to learn the information
the teacher gave us during the classes and read some additional papers, but we didn't have to write a lot of
papers, of search information ourselves. Other courses in contrast, were more focuses on practices and fieldwork,
like Areas Metropolitanas, historia del pensamiento politico contemporaneo and ciencias politicas y relaciones
internacioneles. Especially at the faculty of journalism, I had to write a short paper every week about several
political related subjects. In these courses I improved my academic writings skills in Spanish. In general the
academic quality was lower than I was used to, but it depended a lot from course to course. Over all I can say that
I learned quiet a lot, not because of the academic quality of the courses per se, but especially because of the
progress I made in improving my academic skills in Spanish. After half a year, I can perfectly write a academic
paper in Spanish and I am able to read and interpret Spanish academic texts easily.
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
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When I arrived at the host institution, the employees at the faculty office gave me an overview of the courses that I
could take and explained me the procedure to subscribe myself for the courses. After two weeks, when I had
made my final decicion about the courses, they helped me to subscribe for these course. I must say that I faced
some difficulties with the coordination between the different faculties at the university. The procedures at the
university are quiet bureaucratic. Each faculty has its own faculty office, some faculties have an erasmus office
and some don’t, futher on each faculty has its own erasmus coordinator. It is however not clear who this
coordinator is and how to get in contact with him. The coordination between the faculties is not that good, at one
office they give you other information than at the other office and it is not clear to which office you should go to get
the information you want. In the end it all worked out fine, but in the beginning it was quiet hard to find out where
to go.
transfer of credits
In Madrid they had the same system as in Utrecht, with ECTS, each course of one semestre is usually 6 ECTS. In
the end I received all my grades of the courses I participated in, but the transfer of credits is not made yet. At the
faculty office of Madrid I have been told that this will take more less one month.
student life
welcome/orientation programme
In the beginning of my erasmus stay, the University of Madrid organized an introduction day. At this introduction
day they gave us general information about the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, how to get there, where the
faculties were located, where the international office was located, how to subscibe for your courses, how to borrow
books at the libery etc. The welcome session was however not really usefull to me, since I started my classes
already two weeks before the introduction day. Therefore a lot of information they told me I already found out
myself.
accommodation
I looked for an accommodation while already staying in Madrid. The first week of my stay, I booked a hostel and I
started searching on the internet. In the end, this turned out to be the best option. This way I could check and
compare some accommodations before choosing one. It is quiet easy to find an accommodation in Madrid, there
are a lot of rooms available on the internet. You should however be careful and take a look first before you are
stuck to a contract. Rooms in Madrid can be crappy, rents can be very high in compared to what you get and
house owners can rip you off by letting you pay a very high deposit. I am very glad that a was able to check a
couple of rooms, before actually entering one.
leisure/culture
Concerning leisure and culture, Madrid is the perfect city to go on an erasmus. Since it is a very big city, there is
always a lot to do. There are a lot of places to go out, a lot of theaters, a lot a cinemas, a lot of parks. You never
are getting bored. Besides that I liked Madrid since it is not a very touristic city, like for example Barcelona is.
Madrid is still 'authentic' spanish. There are neighbourhoods where tourists rarely come over. I had the chance to
experience the spanish culture and I am very glad for that.
suggestions/tips
I firstly would recommend to have a good look at the starting date of the courses at the university. In my case,
my classes started two week before the official introduction day. Some students of my faculty did not notice
that and missed the first two weeks of their classes. The starting date of the courses of each faculty can be
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found on the webpage of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
Concerning the housing, I would recommend to search for an apartment while already staying in Madrid. This way
you have a good overview of the rooms that are available and you can compare some rooms before choosing
one. Besides that I would really recommend to search for a house with Spanish students. I stayed at a Spanish
student house and this really helped me to get to know more Spanish people and practice my Spanish. Getting to
know Spanish students at the university might not be that easy as it seems.
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
Yes, I would recommend this destination to others. The Universidad Complutense de Madrid is one of the best
universities in Spain and although the academic level might vary between the courses, in the end I did learn a lot
during my Erasmus stay. Going to the Universidad Complutense de Madrid really helps you to learn more about
the Spanish education system and improve your spanish academic skills. The Universidad Complutense de
Madrid is not only one of the best universities in Spain, it is also one of the biggest and its houses a lot of
international studies. During your stay at the Complutense you get the chance to meet a lot of other international
studies from over all the world, from all kinds of studies. The Universities ersmus network is really big.
Besides that Madrid is a great Erasmus destination, there soo much to do and so much to see. In each
neighbourhood you will find something new and every day there is something to do. It is a great city to experience
the spanish culture.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
No, I already mentioned them before.
Please save this UU report for your own records and send it to [email protected]
within 30 days after finishing your study/placement abroad period and in ANY case before the final
deadline!
If you fail to submit the UU report in time, we have to claim back the Erasmus grant.
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page 5 of 5
UU Report form ~ Erasmus 2011-2012
optional; only if you don’t mind students preparing for study abroad contacting you directly
e-mail address
[email protected]
faculty/college
Humanities
level
bachelor
master
name degree programme
Taal- en cultuurstudies
destination city & country
Madrid, Spain
name host institution and/or
Universidad de Complutense
PhD
other
company/organization
purpose Erasmus grant
study/courses
departure date (dd/mm/yyyy)
27 / 01 / 2012
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
11 / 07 / 2012
work placement
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation
exchange/placement application process
The application process took a lot of time because I had to finish more than 6 documents. I had to write a
motivation letter, study plan, financial plan etc. After I had done all this work I was placed for Madrid.
counselling/support at home university
When some things went wrong, like inscribing myself for the language course at the beginning of the semester,
Marleen van de Ven helped me take care of it. Sometimes I needed support or counselling and the people of
International Office were always there.
academic preparation
Before going to Spain I followed several courses in Spanish and after that I continued reading books and seeing
movies too. For the rest, I followed courses in History of Art here and that's what I do in Holland too.
language preparation
After following the spanish courses in Holland , I continued practising my spanish and at the beginning of the
semester I had a language course of two weeks.
finances
To pay everything here in Madrid I had my scholarship from the government, a student loan, savings and help
from my parents. Life in Madrid is pretty expensive because everything here happens outside so it is important to
have enough sources.
study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
The programme that I followed here were 3 courses from History of Art and one history course. The courses here
are different than the courses in the Netherlands because you have to go to university for more hours but at home
UU report deadlines! 1 March 2012 for 1st semester exchange ~ 1 July 2012 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement
Universiteit Utrecht - International Office, Heidelberglaan 8, 3584 CS Utrecht, [email protected]
page 1 of 3
you have to study less. The organisation is different as well, it is very normal that a professor shows up late at
class or sometimes doesn't come at all. For me the books that you have to read were not obligatory.
academic quality of education/placement activities
I'm still waiting for my grades now but I think that in general I can say that the academic quality here is lower.
Because I had classes in spanish that was nice because it makes it more difficult to follow everything.
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
The support I received here was minimal. I think here you have to figure out your problems for yourself. For
example I didn’t receive a studentcard and there was nothing they could do about it.
transfer of credits
At the moment I don't have any information about this because I didn't receive my grades yet.
student life
welcome/orientation programme
We had a welcome programme of 1 hour, nothing more. They showed us a powerpointpresentation with some
information about the university and the website and how things all work around here. I think that the could have
guided us better because after this we had to figure out things for ourselves.
accommodation
I came to Madrid a few weeks before classes started to find a room. I stayed in a hostel and there I was surfing
the internet and looking up rooms. You have websites as idealista.com were you can send the owner a email or
give them a call. After 5 days I found a room here in the city centre via a website.
leisure/culture
Madrid is a great city with a rich culture. You have a lot of museums to visit here and ofcourse you can watch
flamenco shows or attend festivities. I can say that the spanish culture is very different now. People seem to enjoy
themselves more here than in Holland. As well eating is a very imporant part of the spanish culture. They prefere
to eat out but because of the economical situation they can’t do it as much as before.
suggestions/tips
A tip is to come to Madrid before university starts and use the website loquo Madrid to find rooms. It's the best
website to find a room. Another tip is that when you come to Madrid you have to fix your abono right away
because it can take a long time if you're younger than 23 before you receive it.
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
I would certainly recommend to stay in Madrid for Erasmus because the city is great. The universtiy however is a
different story. What I don't like about the university is that you have to arrange everything yourself and you don't
really receive any help. Professors take their time to mail you back and the comunication is not the best.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
I had a great time in Madrid, that's a reason to choose to go to Madrid. I met a lot of people here and I think I've
learned a lot myself as well.
UU report deadlines! 1 March 2012 for 1st semester exchange ~ 1 July 2012 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement
Universiteit Utrecht - International Office, Heidelberglaan 8, 3584 CS Utrecht, [email protected]
page 2 of 3
Reminder: for the purpose of future correspondence on the final awarding of your Erasmus grant, please make
sure you update your telephone number(s), postal and e-mail addresses in Steun in case of any changes after
your return!
http://ssc-steun.telaterrae.com/
UU report deadlines! 1 March 2012 for 1st semester exchange ~ 1 July 2012 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement
Universiteit Utrecht - International Office, Heidelberglaan 8, 3584 CS Utrecht, [email protected]
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