Mastering two examination phases per semester and finding your way around a foreign city to boot: Maja Theophil reports on her Erasmus+ year abroad in the Netherlands.
As Maja Theophil packs her bags in the summer of 2023 full of anticipation, a year of uncertainty lies 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 is studying "Comparative and European Law" at the Hanse Law School (HLS) - a training project organised by the University of Oldenburg with the University of Groningen as a cooperation partner. The degree programme, which teaches German and European law, includes a one-year stay abroad as part of the curriculum. "I was really looking forward to it," says Maja.
Although Groningen is only around an hour and a half away from Oldenburg, studying here is very different due to the different examination systems. With two exam phases per semester, the workload for Maja was significantly higher here. "I basically had to read three books a week and do a lot of independent work to stay on the ball," says Maja. Nevertheless, she was satisfied with the system: "The process reminded me of my school days. You cover one topic, write the written exam and then move on to the next."
However, Maja faced her first tricky exam before she could even start her journey to Groningen. It took her eight months to find a room. "I was surprised at how many fake offers 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 flat room for two semesters. She shared the kitchen with eight flatmates. "I got to know new people from other cultures straight away," she says. The price of the room was high. "I wouldn't have been able to do it without the Erasmus grant." All students who go abroad in Europe with the Erasmus+ programme are entitled to the parent-independent grant. There are also other funding opportunities, for example for first-year students.
Once she arrived in Groningen, Maja immediately felt at home. On the one hand, this was due to the splendid-looking historical buildings, which had something magical about them for her. On the other hand, Groningen has many green spaces as well as numerous cafés, bars and restaurants, so many people are out and about around the clock. In addition, there is a lot of cycling, which means there is less car noise. Last but not least, Maja liked the international flair: "Groningen is known for being home to many students from all over the world. That's another reason why I immediately felt welcome here."
Despite the bike-friendliness, Maja preferred to walk to university. She found the half-hour walk particularly beneficial. "Walking cleared my head again," she says. She travelled back to her home in Bad Zwischenahn about every two months. "I didn't have time for more." Even during the week, university took up all of Maja's time - so leisure activities were unfortunately sometimes neglected. The two major trips to Amsterdam in the middle and at the end of her year abroad were a great "consolation". "Overall, that was okay, because I wanted to study abroad," she says.
Organisation is the be-all and end-all
Maja attended the School of Law at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. There, she mainly took courses that were not included in her foundation degree programme in Germany. In a course on criminology, for example, she learnt about the social theories on which the Dutch criminal justice system is based. "That was very helpful, because it is important for me to be able to see legal perspectives from an international perspective and to understand how EU law and other national systems interact," she says. "She was particularly impressed that many lecturers came directly from the field. "They were able to talk about real-life examples, which made the subject matter more realistic."
Maja is reassured that there is no need to be afraid of organising a semester abroad: "It looks like much more than it actually is." Her application was organised in two stages: First she applied to the degree programme coordinator, then to the International Office. "After that, everything almost went by itself," she says. Her tip: take care of everything early on. "It's best to start researching a year in advance and not only decide on a country or city, but also look at the degree programmes on offer. This will save you work afterwards if you want to have courses recognised." She also advises students to take advantage of all the information events offered by the School or the International Office on Erasmus+ stays abroad, for example. It is also important to keep an eye on the application deadlines.
The fact that lectures and seminars in Groningen are held in English has made things much easier for Maja. "The university is very well geared towards 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 everything doesn't go perfectly - it's always worth it."
