Coping with two exam periods per term whilst also finding her feet in a new city: Maja Theophil talks about her Erasmus+ year abroad in the Netherlands.
When Maja Theophil packed her bags full of anticipation in the summer of 2023, a year of uncertainty lay ahead of her. Her destination was the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and a partner university of the University of Oldenburg. The then 20-year-old was studying ‘Comparative and European Law’ at the Hanse Law School (HLS) – an educational programme run by the University of Oldenburg in partnership with the University of Groningen. In this degree programme, which covers German and European law, a one-year study period abroad is an integral part of the curriculum. “I was really looking forward to it,” says Maja.
Although Groningen is only about an hour and a half away from Oldenburg, studying there works quite differently, due to the different examination systems. With two exam periods per semester, the workload for Maja was significantly higher there. “I basically had to read three books a week and do a lot of independent study to keep up,” says Maja. Nevertheless, she was happy with the system: “The way it worked reminded me of my school days. You cover one topic, sit the written exam, and then move on to the next.”
However, Maja faced her first tricky challenge even before she could set off for Groningen. It took her eight months to find a room. “I was surprised by how many fake listings there are. You really have to be careful who you give your details to,” she warns. In the end, she found an international hall of residence where she was able to move into a small studio flat for two semesters. She shared the kitchen with eight flatmates. “That’s how I got to know new people from other cultures straight away,” she says. The rent for the room was high. “I wouldn’t have managed it without the Erasmus grant.” This funding, which is independent of parental support, is available to all students who go to another European country through the Erasmus+ programme. There are also other funding opportunities, for example for first-time university students.
Once she arrived in Groningen, Maja felt at home straight away. On the one hand, this was down to the magnificent-looking historic buildings, which she found had a certain magic about them. On the other hand, Groningen has plenty of green spaces as well as numerous cafés, bars and restaurants, meaning there are people out and about around the clock. What’s more, cycling is very popular there, which means there’s less traffic noise. Last but not least, Maja loved the international atmosphere: “Groningen is known for welcoming students from all over the world. That’s another reason why I felt welcome here straight away.”
Despite the city being so bike-friendly, Maja preferred to walk to university. She found the half-hour walk particularly refreshing. “Walking cleared my head,” she says. She travelled back to her home town of Bad Zwischenahn about every two months. “I didn’t have time for more than that.” Even during the week, university took up all of Maja’s time – so, unfortunately, leisure activities sometimes had to take a back seat. The two longer trips to Amsterdam, one halfway through and one at the end of her year abroad, were a great “consolation”. “All in all, it was fine, because I did want to go abroad to study,” she says.
Organisation is key
Maja attended the School of Law at the University of Groningen. There, she mainly took courses that weren’t part of her foundation degree programme in Germany. In a criminology course, for example, she learnt about the social theories underpinning the Dutch criminal justice system. “That was very helpful, because it’s important to me to be able to view legal issues from an international perspective and to understand how EU law and other national systems interact,” she explains. She was particularly impressed by the fact that many of the lecturers came directly from the legal profession. “They were able to use real-life examples to illustrate the material, which made the subject matter more relevant to the real world.”
Maja reassures students that there’s no need to be daunted by organising a semester abroad: “It seems much more complicated than it actually is.” Her application was a two-step process: first she applied to the programme coordinator, then to the International Office. “After that, everything almost took care of itself,” she says. Her tip: sort everything out well in advance. “It’s best to start researching a year beforehand and not just choose a country or a city, but also take the range of courses on offer into account. That saves work later on if you want to have courses recognised.” She also advises making the most of all the information sessions offered, for example, by the Schools or the International Office on Erasmus+ study abroad programmes. It’s just as important, she says, to keep an eye on the application deadlines.
The fact that lectures and seminars in Groningen are held in English made things much easier for Maja. “The university is very well equipped to cater for international students,” she says. As an Erasmus student, she was able to take part in various welcome programmes and quickly found her feet at the university and in the city. Her conclusion: “Definitely go abroad! Even if not everything goes perfectly – it’s always worth it.”
