Place: Utrecht, Netherlands

University: Hogeschool Utrecht (HU Utrecht)

Students accommodation: Johanna Building from SSH

Utrecht is the little Amsterdam from the Netherlands. The cities charm invites everyone to rent a bike and to explore the city. And if you want to explore the Netherlands a little further – the great railway system takes you to bigger cities within an hour. The capital, Amsterdam is only 30 minutes away. But be warned, the train tickets here are not very student-budget friendly ( €€ ).

I lived in the Johanna Building on campus which was right next to my university. This student accommodation is one of many from SSH. My room was very colourful and modern. But the best was my incredible view into nature to plenty of sheep. On the weekend I enjoyed going to a farmers shop nearby. I bought fresh fruit and vegetables, and everything was free from plastic. And if I needed to buy a little bit more, there was a big supermarket not far away.

My study took place at the HU Utrecht. This university is very progressive and modern. Because of the great students-teacher climate it was a pleasure to study there. Additionally, the international office was very supportive and answered e-mails within a few hours.

The coordinator of my minor found me a great internship school. Even though I had to take the bus to my internship school, because it was kind of far away, I was so glad for that experience. This school was very open minded and excepted me (as a student teacher) as one of the team right away. They supported me and gave my freedom within my work and actions. After my internship was done it was very hard to say goodbye.

Lastly, Utrecht was the best decision for a semester abroad. The flow of the city and the young inhabitants made it a pleasure to be there.

Author: Viktoria Berghoffer