Exchange Report

Attend the Information Session at WU for outgoing students, organized by the International Office, before your exchange semester. During this session, all important steps will be explained - from the Pre-Recognition Notice and Online Learning Agreement (OLA) to the Erasmus grant application. After the event, you will receive the slide deck with all relevant timelines to help you stay on track and not miss any deadlines. I also recommend connecting early with other WU students who are going to the same host university (you can check their names in OSS), so you can keep each other informed about important dates and requirements.

Many people say that finding accommodation in Rotterdam is very difficult, and this is true. On the introduction day, I personally met two other exchange students who had to stay in a hotel at the beginning of the semester because they had not secured housing in time. However, if you start your search early enough, you will almost certainly find something. For example, I started looking in April for a semester beginning in September. First, my fellow master’s student and I tried to secure accommodation at The Social Hub (formerly The Student Hotel). We knew it was an expensive option, but we wanted to use every possible opportunity. The application platform opened in May at a specific time (you receive the information via email from RSM). Since almost all exchange students applied at the same time, the platform crashed and did not allow us to complete the application. We also contacted The Social Hub directly, but their representatives told us to wait until the platform was live again, which unfortunately never happened. The cheapest room there was around €1,200 per month. After that, registration opened for another student housing option, SSH, and we registered immediately. However, the selection process is handled by SSH itself, and priority is usually given to students coming from overseas. After a few days, we both received rejection emails stating that no rooms were available for us. We then started looking for a WG (shared apartment). I constantly checked Facebook groups and university WhatsApp groups for available rooms for the two of us. One day, my fellow student found a very good option: an RSM student who was leaving Rotterdam for six months and was willing to sublet her apartment. We arranged a FaceTime call with her to introduce ourselves and to make sure the offer was legitimate (be aware of scams on Facebook). She showed us the apartment and said she would make a final decision and let us know whether she would rent it to us for our exchange stay. After a long period of searching and waiting for responses from various landlords on Facebook and WhatsApp, I unexpectedly received a notification from SSH saying that they could offer me a room in their on-campus dormitory, the Hatta Building. I decided to accept this offer, as registration at the municipality was possible there. This was very important for my visa application, as I needed the Meldezettel, which is almost impossible to obtain when subletting a room informally. In the end, the SSH option turned out to be very good. The location was extremely convenient - it took me only a few steps from the dorm door to the lecture hall - and the accommodation felt safe and well-organized. In addition, it was significantly cheaper than The Social Hub, costing around €800 per month all-in, with no deposit required.

Campus infrastructure and academic experience At first glance, the Erasmus University campus may seem somewhat outdated and quiet, giving the impression that not much is happening. However, this first impression quickly disappears once you enter the buildings. The classrooms are modern and well-equipped, and there are many attractive study spaces across campus. I personally spent most of my study time in the Polak Building, mainly because of the high-quality monitors that connect very easily to MacBooks via USB-C. The campus also offers excellent sports facilities. Right in front of the Hatta Building (my dorm), there is a large and modern sports center. The gym is relatively new and has a very motivating atmosphere - seeing other students push themselves really encourages you to do the same. I met many new people there simply by working out. In addition to the gym, the campus offers squash, tennis, padel, basketball, and futsal courts, all of which can be booked online for activities with friends. The sports pass for short-stay students (valid from 1 August 2025 to 31 December 2025) cost around €160. With the pass, you also have access to various group classes such as yoga, boxing, HIIT, and CrossFit. Food options on campus are also quite diverse. The main canteen, Erasmus Plaza, is a convenient place to have lunch between lectures, offering salads, Turkish kebabs, pizza, toasties, and Chinese noodles. While the variety is good, the prices felt relatively high compared to the WU Mensa - for example, a Caesar salad cost around €12 and a kebab around €9. A more budget-friendly option was the Erasmus Sports Café, which offered Dutch snacks (frikandels, tuna sandwiches, nuggets, fries) as well as full meals such as lasagna, carbonara, and baked potatoes for approximately €7–8. I also frequently used Too Good To Go, as the on-campus restaurant Erasmus Paviljoen and the MBA canteen Bayle regularly offered very tasty meals through the app. There is also a small SPAR To Go on campus, perfect for grabbing bakery items and coffee—and it always played hard techno, which gave it a surprisingly fun vibe. Teaching style and courses Overall, the academic culture and teaching style at Erasmus University felt quite similar to WU, although this strongly depends on the program and courses you take. I personally experienced two very different teaching approaches through the Accounting and Strategic Entrepreneurship courses, and I found the combination extremely enriching. In the Accounting master, I took the courses "Valuation" and "International Financial Reporting (IFRS)". Both courses followed a structured and rigorous teaching style. Each week typically started with a strong theoretical foundation, where key accounting or valuation concepts were introduced and explained in depth. This was followed by practical application in workshops, where we worked through real-world cases, financial statements, and valuation problems. In Valuation, we focused heavily on company analysis, discounted cash flow models, multiples, and assumptions, often working with realistic datasets and scenarios. In IFRS, the emphasis was on understanding and applying international accounting standards, interpreting financial reports, and critically assessing how accounting choices affect a firm’s financial position and performance. These courses required consistent preparation and precision, but they significantly strengthened my technical and analytical skills. In contrast, the Strategic Entrepreneurship courses - "Start-up & Growth" and "Validation & Pivoting" - offered a completely different learning experience. Instead of traditional lectures, the focus was on project-based learning and continuous development of your own start-up idea. From the beginning, you were expected to work on a concrete business concept, which you refined throughout the course. The teaching style was highly interactive and practical, with a strong emphasis on experimentation, customer discovery, MVP development, and testing hypotheses about customer problems and solutions. Presentations, feedback sessions, and peer discussions played a central role. The professors were all experienced entrepreneurs - many of them successful founders who had either exited their startups or were actively scaling them. They provided practical tools, frameworks, and honest feedback based on real entrepreneurial experience, rather than purely academic theory. I especially appreciated how the Validation & Pivoting course encouraged us to challenge our assumptions and adapt our ideas based on real customer feedback, while Start-up & Growth focused more on scaling strategies, funding, and long-term development. This approach was very different from my previous academic experience, but it was incredibly valuable in developing soft skills such as pitching, networking, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Overall, I really enjoyed the mix of both worlds: the hard, technical skills gained in the Accounting courses and the creative, entrepreneurial mindset and soft skills developed in the Strategic Entrepreneurship courses.

Public transport and mobility Public transport in Rotterdam is very convenient, although most students mainly use bikes to get around the city. Rotterdam is relatively small - for example, it takes only about 10 minutes by bike to reach the Erasmus Bridge. You do not need to buy separate tickets for public transport, as you can simply check in with NFC when boarding and check out with NFC when getting off. For cycling, I used the Swapfiets service, which is extremely popular among students. For around €18 per month, you can rent a basic bike, and almost every student seems to use one. For traveling across the Netherlands, I also purchased a weekend subscription with NS (the Dutch railways, comparable to ÖBB in Austria). With this subscription, you can travel unlimited on weekends and easily explore different cities around the country. The cost was about €29 per month. It is recommended to plan trips in advance, as rainy weather can sometimes disrupt plans if you do not check the weather forecast beforehand. Social life and leisure activities Social and leisure activities are very lively. We had an introduction day near the beach, where we played volleyball, tried archery (Bogenschiessen), went rafting, and enjoyed a barbecue together. In the city, there are many bars and clubs where students usually hang out on Fridays. The most popular street for student nightlife is Witte de Withstraat, where a glass of beer typically costs around €9-10. On campus, there is also a very nice student bar with a relaxed Irish pub atmosphere. It is a great place to network with fellow students, and the prices are much more affordable - around €3 for a beer and €9 for a pitcher. Another great spot to experience authentic Dutch cuisine is Blaak. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, there are market stalls where you can buy fried seafood and try a wide variety of Dutch cheeses. Events Rotterdam has a vibrant event scene, with many DJ nights, raves, and disco events taking place almost every weekend, offering plenty of options for different music tastes.

My exchange in Rotterdam was an unforgettable experience that perfectly combined academic challenge, personal growth, and an active student lifestyle. I enjoyed the mix of rigorous Accounting courses and hands-on entrepreneurship projects, while living on a vibrant campus with excellent facilities. Beyond university, exploring the Netherlands, cycling through the city, and meeting students from all over the world made the exchange truly special and rewarding.