UU Report form - Erasmus 2014-2015
faculty/college
Social Sciences
level
bachelor’s
master’s
name study programme
Pedagogical Sciences
destination city & country
Italy, Bologna
name university abroad
University of Bologna
start date
28 / 09 / 2014 (dd/mm/yyyy)
end date
14 / 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
The application process takes some time, but it's very clear what you have to do. You can find everything on the
internet.
counselling & support at Utrecht University
The support at Utrecht University was very good. They always responded very quickly to my emails.
academic preparation
I searched on the website of the university of Bologna which courses I could follow. This was the only thing I
could do as academic preparation. Even if I had found some courses, it was not sure yet if I could really follow
these.
language preparation
I already spoke the language because I'm half Italian, so this was not a problem for me.
finances
I got an Erasmus grant and public transport compensation. My room was not that expensive so with this money
and the money I saved it was fine.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD
study programme (content and organisational issues)
It was hard to find the right courses. When I found some courses I liked it was possible that these courses
overlapped or that they only were given in the second semester. But eventually with some help of the
International Office I did find the right courses.
academic quality of education activities
The academic quality of the courses was not that good as in Utrecht. I already had the subjects in my first year
in Utrecht.
counselling & support at receiving university abroad
The support from the International Office at the receiving university was good. All my questions were answered
quickly by the International office of Bologna. Only the teachers of the University didn't always answer my
emails, which was very difficult.
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transfer of credits
The courses I wanted to follow were approved by the university of Utrecht, so I would receive the credits.
STUDENT LIFE
welcome & orientation programme
The International Office organized a meeting for all the Erasmus students. With this meeting you get all the
information about the university and the necessary documents.
accommodation
I didn't searched for a room when I was in the Netherlands. I just went to Bologna first and stayed there in a
hostel for a few days to find a room. It was very hard to find a room because I just stayed in Bologna for 4
months and for a lot of people this was too short. Eventually I found a room with the help of an agency.
leisure & culture
There are a lot of trips and parties just for Erasmus students. This is very nice because you get to know a lot of
people and you can see the beautiful parts of Italy.
suggestions/tips
I suggest to search already on the internet for accommodation before you are going to Bologna, because it can
be hard to find a room.
CONCLUSIONS
would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain
I definitely recommend the university of Bologna if you can handle stress. It's a great city with delicious food
and nice people and there are a lot of students. On the other hand, it's difficult that the teachers are not always
there for you when you need them and that it's not organized very well, what can be very stressful sometimes.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
Find your room before you arrive and make it the best time of your life!
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UU Report form - Erasmus 2014-2015
Please use Tab to go to the next (text) box.
faculty/college
Social Sciences
level
bachelor’s
master’s
name study programme
Pedagogical Sciences
destination city & country
Bologna, Italy
name university abroad
Università di Bologna
start date
11 / 09 / 2014 (dd/mm/yyyy)
end date
24 / 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
The exchange application process was, at first, quite complicated. Lots of forms and letters had to be made and
there were different deadlines. Fortunately if having a question or when something was not clear, we could write
the International Office, who often replied very quickly.
counselling & support at Utrecht University
There were a few information evenings which were very useful. I felt accompanied and helped in everything
that had to be done before, during and after the exchange
academic preparation
According to this subject, there was not much preparation needed. Compared to our study, the courses in Italy
were of lower level.
language preparation
I followed an Italian language course on the internet from the LOI. I spend two weeks at an Italian family before
my courses started. In Bologna I wanted to follow another language course, but there was a waiting list of 3
pages so unfortunately it was not possible anymore.
finances
I received the same amount of money as I did in Holland plus an Erasmus Grant. I saved money during the
summer and because life in Italy was not too expensive I wasn't short on money.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD
study programme (content and organisational issues)
I followed 4 courses on the faculty of Education and Psychology. One about play and motoric development of
children, one about verbal communication, one about children's literature and storytelling, and General
Sociology
academic quality of education activities
The academic quality was very low, especially compared to the quality at our home university. The challenge
was the language, not the content of the courses. We talked about subjects that were the basics of what we
were taught in the first courses of our study. It was, I think, comparable to Dutch HBO. As expected in Italy, the
classes were very chaotic and noisy. Without being able to fully speak Italian, it is very well possible to obtain a
good grade.
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counselling & support at receiving university abroad
Two professors were very kind and helpfull when asked question face to face, the other two were less helpfull
and supportive of Erasmus students and students in general. All the professors were not too good in replying
emails with questions about, for example, what we as Erasmus students had to prepare for the exam, the
grades or where we could find the literature needed on the internet. One professor only revealed the grades on
the date of the retry. He was not 'able' to get it finished on time so we did not know if we had to study for that
course or not. The International Office in Bologna was very kind and helpfull, although in some cases even they
could not help us with unwilling professors.
transfer of credits
Until now, the grades are not fully verbalized. Sometimes it takes a few emails to the professor to get that
done.
STUDENT LIFE
welcome & orientation programme
Very clear and inviting. Free tours around the city and free 'aperitivo'
accommodation
When not too late it's quite easy to find. It took me 1 week to find a flat
leisure & culture
We lived in Italy so culture and history was everywhere. Bologna was situated in the centre of Italy so either the
north or the south was not too far (Italy is big though so expect 4/5 hours of traveling). The international
student organisations, ESEG, ESN and Elbo are very active. There are plenty of activities and parties to attend.
suggestions/tips
For accomodation, go to Bussola in Via Zamboni, they will, for free, help you in your search.
CONCLUSIONS
would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain
I would recommend the destination for sure. Bologna is a beautiful city, as is Italy. It is recommended to speak
Italian, otherwise communication with locals and communication in general will be hard if not impossible. The
university I wouldn't recommend. In my case, I had to obtain the grades to be able to finish my bachelor. It was
quite stressful to be dependent on lazy and unwilling professors for this. Also, don't expect, in my Faculty at
least, to learn much more than you already know. I really enjoyed my exchange but that was certainly not
because of the University.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
Learn Italian!
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UU Report form - Erasmus 2013-2014
faculty/college
Social science
level
bachelor
master
name degree programme
Pedagogische wetenschappen
destination city & country
Bologna, Italy
name host institution and/or
University of Bologna
PhD
company/organization
purpose Erasmus grant
departure date
(dd/mm/yyyy)
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
courses
research
work placement
11 / 08 / 2013
11 / 02 / 2014
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation
exchange/placement application process
I've always wanted to learn Italian. So the choice to go to Italy was easely made. I saw the options for the cities in
Italy and I did some research to gain some information. Bologna was supposed to be a real student city, not very
touristict and small. Sounded like the perfect option.
counselling/support at home university
I had some appointments with a counseler at my home univesity, who helped me search for some courses. But
mostly I all the research at home. The International Office was always available for questions and their respond
was always quick.
academic preparation
For academic preparation I didn't have to do much. I heard that the level in Bologna was a bit lower than in
Utrecht. I passed the courses in Utrecht I had to pass, so academis wise, I was ready to leave.
language preparation
To learn the language I did a weekly language course for a few months. This was acctually not that helpfull, I
learned most when I came to Italy. I also did a language course in Bologna and that was really helpfull.
finances
I safed some money before I left and I had a monthly support from my parents.
study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
I chose my courses because they seemed interesting to me. It was not possible to see the available courses
more than two weeks before the semester started. I wanted Italian courses to improve my Italian. The course
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content was published on the website, so that was clear. FItting the times and credits was a puzzel, but it
worked out quickly.
academic quality of education/placement activities
The level of the courses was a bit lower than in Utrecht. But because of the language it was still quite difficult
for me.
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
There was always somebody available to who I could talk when I wanted and people were alway very kind to
me.
transfer of credits
The credits are transfered directly to my home university. The amount of credits was the same in Bologna as in
Utrecht, so there was no difficulty for that.
student life
welcome/orientation programme
The welcome programme of the university was short, but helpfull. The welcome programme of the Erasmus
organisation was great, because is was a perfect way to meet new people.
accommodation
The search for a room was difficult. There were a lot of adverts online, but mostly for a longer period than half a
year. I was very lucky to find my room within a week and a half.
leisure/culture
The culture was not so different form the Dutch culture. A difference is that people are a bit slower in
everything they do and lessed stressed.
suggestions/tips
I suggest to everybody to go to Italy a few weeks before you lectures start. To do a language course, get used to
the city and find a room.
conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
I would definitely recomment Bologna. The city is perfect for students. It is small, authentic, there are a lot of
students and it is easy to trafel trough Italy from Bologna. The university is well organized. You have to find the
information yourself, but once you figured it out, everything goes easy.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
Trafel trough Italy, because all the city's are very different and it's great to see that.
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