Exchange Report

Start looking into housing and the courses you want to accredit as early as possible. I'd recommend reserving a small room at the Guesthouse Brouwersweg (even with the expensive deposit) since you can cancel up to a few weeks before your stay, giving you time to look for something cheaper and more comfortable in the meantime. I also booked a flight to Cologne well in advance. From there, you can easily take the FlixBus to Maastricht Central Station.

I lived in the student Guesthouse on Brouwersweg. It was very international, and through that I connected with a lot of new students, many of whom ended up taking the same courses as me. The location was great with just an 8-minute bike ride to the university and everything else close by too (Vrijthof, Brusselspoort, Aldi, etc.), the only exception being the UM Sports centre. My accommodation was too expensive for what you actually get. The building is a converted former hospital while you share bathrooms and kitchens. Still, for a 5–6 month stay it's fine. Safety-wise there's always security on site, and you can also relax in the park or play tennis and basketball on the Guesthouse's own courts for free.

The teaching style differs from the one at WU, as Maastricht uses the Problem-Based Learning system. In this format, you sit with around 15 other students in a room, and one team is always responsible for facilitating the entire session with a presentation. This approach helps you develop fast-paced problem-solving in English as well as teamwork, since much of the learning happens through case studies and group discussions. Because of the small group sizes and the engaging course structure, you get to know other students much more quickly and can build friendships early on. The weekly workload is higher than at WU, but the final exam rarely accounts for 100% of the grade, which takes a little of the pressure off. I would particularly recommend 'Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management', which is a first-year course and accredited for the BLP, as well as 'Organisational Behaviour' and 'International Business'.

Try to get a Swapfiets subscription as soon as you arrive. From then on it's very easy to get around the whole city, and I'd recommend avoiding public transport, since it's more expensive and no student tariffs are available. Daily life is quite similar to Vienna, but Maastricht is more international and almost everyone speaks fluent English. In the city centre there are plenty of student bars and events, for example Carnival and King's Day, where you can experience the local culture and connect with others. There's also a nice park next to the Tapijn and the City Library where you can relax and meet up with friends. For sport, I'd recommend trying out the two free UM Sports sessions you get upon arrival, although for me the centre was too far from my accommodation, so I ended up joining the SportCity gym instead. On top of that, through the people I met I regularly went to watch the local hockey team's games.

A small, cute city full of open and friendly people. The campus life is warm and personal, you actually greet each other around town. Don't be intimidated by the Problem-Based Learning system either, it pushed me and made me better in the end. And take the chance to explore nearby cities like Antwerp, Amsterdam and Brussels.