Details

• Netherlands
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 6 months
• Contact: Login to see contact information

1. Preparation

Planning the semester itself was pretty easy because the VU makes all relevant information regarding courses and other administrative issues available very early on and they are also super efficient in providing further information if needed. The VU allows students to take courses from almost all faculties, so if you want a bit more options you can look into those as well. I struggled a bit to find things that the WU would recognize but in the end, most courses I did were from the social sciences faculty, expecially from communication sciences.

2. Accommodation

I knew I wanted to take a room in student housing and not look for an apartment on my own. Through reading past reports I had gathered that most people choose to live in Uilenstede, which is less then a ten minute bike ride to uni but further out of the city. There are different options there, but I chose the building where everyone has an individual room and bathroom but a shared kitchen. In hindsight, comparing my housing situation with those of my friends who lived elsewhere, I would say that Uilenstede is definitely the most social housing experience, however, especially when it was still cold, the longer commutes by bike weren't worth it for me. The closest interesting areas of the city are only 20 minutes away but if you want to go to other places like West/Noord etc. it can be a bit long. If I could change one thing about my exchange it would definitely be the location I chose to live in. That being said, if you prioritize staying on campus more, a quicker commute to uni and having lively shared spaces, Uilenstede might work better for you. The process itself was relatively easy, however, you have to set a timer and pick a room very quickly on registration day.

3. Academic life at host university

I didn't mind the campus, it was nothing memorable but they utilize their outdoor areas quite well. They have nice benches and tables in the courtyard, a volleyball and a basketball field, so it is a bit more inviting for students to hang out in, especially when it is nice outside. There is also a cinema on campus and various activities to do, but I cannot really speak on that, as I never really spent time at uni if I didn't have classes. They have a tiny supermarket on campus but the prices are higher than in the other supermarkets so you might as well take your bike and do the extra 2 minutes. The library is very small but I never struggled to find a spot and there are also always free study spots on all floors of the main building. In the beginning, on orientation day, they really emphasized how their grading system works (1 to 10) and how unrealistic it is to get anything higher than an 8, an approach I find a bit discouraging and which also ended up not being true, as almost every single person I met on exchange was able to get pretty solid grades. However, they are surprisingly critical of group and individual projects and it is very easy to lose a lot of points there.

5. Every day life in the host country

I love Amsterdam and could not recommend a better city to spend a semester in. It always felt super safe as a woman and I never encountered an unpleasent situation, even on my 35+ minutes commutes back home through the outskirts of the city. Public transport is less frequent and more expensive than in Vienna so I always biked everywhere, which I would definitely recommend doing. You can buy a relatively cheap second hand bike on Marktplaats, however, especially if you're staying less than 6 months, I recommend getting a Swapfiets. It's only around 20 Euros a month and it includes free repair if needed. With a bike, it's so much easier to explore all the different areas of the city, which is something you'll definitely want to do, as there is so much stuff going on everywhere. It seems like a city where there's a lot more going on for students and young people in general compared to Vienna and I recommend trying to explore it as early as you can. I got there in February and the weather is very discouraging but it didn't really get much better until May so you can't let that stop you. And people will probably tell you often enough but there is truly nothing better than the arrival of summer in Amsterdam, the city completely transforms and it makes powering through the winter so worth it.

6. Testimonial

I absolutely loved my time abroad. Being surrounded by people from all over the world and living in such a lively, international city inspired me to step outside my comfort zone more and try new things. It was also nice to see people who were unsure about their decision at the beginning gradually warm up to the experience and end up being so grateful they decided to go. I would definitely recommend going on an exchange to everyone, even if you're worried it might not be for you.