Exchange Report

University of Amsterdam

Spring, 2018

Li Hongfeng

Monthly Activity Log

February

I arrived at the Schipol Airport on 31st January since it was the only day that they provided pick-

up service from the airport to the science park where they helped us to get everything needed

and then took us to the accommodation that we have previously booked. If students miss the

pick-up day, students may have to go to different places to pick up the documents.

On the next day of my arrival, I joined the orientation day organized by the school which was a

really brief introduction for us to know more about the campus and the city. I did not join the ISN

introduction activities. Instead, I went to IKEA and second-hand bike store to buy everything I

needed to live in Amsterdam.

In my first block, I took two courses. Since they were both on Tuesday and Thursday, I could

spare almost a week to travel to France and Belgium with my cousin during the Chinese New

Year. And I bought a Museumkaart which allows me to visit most of the museums in the

Netherlands within a year. Because of that, visiting museum became my favorite pastime in

Amsterdam.

My only mid-term exam took place in the very end of February, I did not spend much time

preparing for it, because I enjoy having bike trip around the city and wandering in supermarket

too much.

March

After the midterm period, there was a short break which was actually a long one for me due to

my timetable. I only know that after I finished my midterm, since I did not check my schedule.

Immediately after the exam, I planned a short trip to Germany and Denmark. While I was in

Denmark, it was the coldest day of the winter in Europe, people could walk on the canals in

Amsterdam.

When I was planning my trip, I found that there are two types of more affordable transportation

throughout the European area. The first one is Eurail which is a train pass that allow you to travel

on all the trains within a day. The other one is bus, specifically, Flixbus. Since Flixbus operates a

lot of overnight routes, students can save a lot of accommodation fees, but the bus trips can be

very rough. Flixbus also sell passes which are priced at 100 euros for 5 single tickets.

After my short trip, I became quite busy because of a group paper for a course. Unlike students

in Hong Kong, the students here might not be very good at taking exams, but most of them

surely could write good research paper. I was glad that I had some chances to work on some

papers with them. Before the end of March, I spent time working on revising for the final exams.

April

There is a short break before the second block started, so I went to London, Paris and Venice. I

enjoyed a lot of good food in this trip. However, I was really disappointed about the views in

Venice, all the building in venice were not properly maintained and there were too many

tourists. Even though the whole trip was indeed nice, I started to miss my little dorm in

Amsterdam and it felt like my home. When I went back to Amsterdam, I really started to explore

the city. Within a few days after the trip, I went to the Amsterdam Museum, Anne Frank House,

Our lord in the Attic, Lookout Tower, Van Gogh Museum, Zaanse Schans, Amstelveen Park,

Rijksmuseum, Heineken Experience….. All these places make me love Amsterdam more.

I took only one course in the second block, although it did not have any exams, the workload of

the course was much heavier than my two courses in the first block. Since there was no midterm

exam and there were holidays and a midterm break, I went to Greece. Before going to Greece, I

went to Prague, Budapest and Sofia where the price levels were similar to Hong Kong. I really

enjoy my two-day stay in Prague, the people are nice there, the buildings are beautiful and the

urban landscape from the castle is breathtaking. Most importantly, the food is good and

affordable.

May

I did not travel to other countries and mostly stayed in Amsterdam enjoying the study and life

there. I travelled to Hague and Giethoorn with a few Hong Kong friends coming from Germany.

And I showed them around Amsterdam and took them to everywhere I love about Amsterdam.

After they left, I started to work on a paper and read a lot of papers. As soon as I finished the

course, I took a daytrip to Utrecht by bike. Utrecht is a very old town next to Amsterdam. Despite

their alike buildings, the views of the canals in the two cities is very different.

June

My flight was scheduled in mid-June. In spite of my love for the life in Amsterdam, I wanted to

travel to more countries before going back to Hong Kong. I took 18 hours of overnight bus trip to

Milan. And then I went to Florence and Pisa. Before going to Rome, I had the best pizza I ever

had in Naples. The architectures in Italy are indeed amazing and the food is great. After my trip

to Italy, I went to Croatia for its amazing national park with wonderful waterfall. And it was

marked as the end of my unforgettable exchange experience.

General exchange information

Visa Procedure

After being accepted to the exchange programme of UvA, the School will send students email to

ask them to apply the MVV which is the student VISA in the Netherlands. After the application

and the submission, student will need to wait until they are told to go the embassy of the

Netherlands and submit the passport to the embassy which will remain there for a few days.

Application for the VISA can take some time. Students should do it as soon as possible.

Moreover, students are advised not to buy flight ticket until they have their MVV ready.

Orientation

The school holds pick-up day, orientation day and ISN week which are not compulsory.

International Services & Activities

Most of the activities for international students are organized by ISN in the first week.

Accommodation

The school will send email to students for the accommodation issue. Students can pick a price

range for the accommodation. The school will give students some choices for the

accommodation according to the price range selected. There are both twin room and single

room. The Jordaan area is probably the best choice for accommodation, since it is located in the

heart of Amsterdam, and it is where the most beautiful canals located. You do not need to bring

your own pillow, quilt or bed sheet, they will provide brand new bed items on your arrival to the

dorm.

Course Registration

Course catalogue can be accessed anything on UvA websites. Students should check their email

more frequently, otherwise, you may miss the registration time. The semester is divided in to 3

blocks, different courses are provided in different blocks and a maximum of 3 courses can be

taken in a single block. There are two months in the first and second block, one in the third

block. Courses can be dropped after the block started.

Teaching and Assessment Methods

As an international university, the teaching and assessment methods in UvA is pretty similar to

those in Hong Kong. Students should be able to get used to the learning style here in no time.

The only big different is that there are more readings that the professor expected the student to

read before the class. The lectures and tutorials usually take 2 to 3 hours.

Sports and Recreation Facilities

There are gyms available for UvA student all around the city. I have never been to one, I do not

know if they charge any money. I think the best sports one can enjoy in Amsterdam is running or

bicycling around the canals.

Finance and Banking

In the pick-up day, the ING bank will have a counter in science park where you can schedule a

time to apply for a student bank account. You can just walk in to any bank to apply for bank

account too. The banks are usually pretty busy in the afternoons, but in the morning, there will

not be a lot of customers. The student bank account is free of charge and it is very convenient

since you can use it almost everywhere in Europe. The price level in the Netherlands is very high,

almost as twice high as that in Hong Kong. The following table show my spending for the

exchange.

Accommodation 20000

Monthly expense 4000*4.5

Travelling 20000

VISA 2000

Insurance 2000

Transportation within EU 6000

Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities

The are social clubs which exchange students can join. For most of the weekends, there are

parties in the common room of a dorm, all people are welcomed to join them.

Health & Safety

You will be required to buy insurance for the MVV application. The school has its physicians on

campus.

Food

There are different cuisines can be enjoyed in Amsterdam. Some of the Hong Kong restaurant

are good but costly. It is very expensive to eat out in Amsterdam. A good meal costs at least a

hundred Hong Kong dollar. However, fresh ingredients can be bought easily from local

supermarkets and China town. And students can always cook in the dorm room kitchen or in the

common room.

Transportation

Amsterdam is well known for its bike-friendly designed road. It is definitely the best

transportation in the city. You can go to almost everywhere with a bike and it is very safe to ride

a bike in Amsterdam. There are many Amsterdam second-hand bike trading group in Facebook

where you can get cheaper bike in advance of your arrival. The school also has programme for

second-hand bike selling.

Even though bikes are amazing transportations in the city, sometimes you may need to go to

somewhere far away. You should get OV chip which is similar to Octopus card in Hong Kong. You

can use it on bus, tram, subway and train in the Netherlands.

Climate

The weather can be very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. Students should prepare

clothes for both cold and hot weather. In winter, the temperature usually stays at less 5 degrees

Celsius in daytime and fall to as low as -10 degree Celsius at night. In summer, during daytime,

the temperature can be as hot as 30 degree Celsius and fall to around 15 degree Celsius at night.

Since the summer nights in Amsterdam is cool, air-conditioning is rarely seen there.

Communication

The Netherlands people usually can speak English, except some of those who work in a

supermarket. Language will not be a big problem for Hong Kong exchange students. And the

most common medium for the class at UvA is English and local students all speak good English.

However, it will impress people if you can at least greet people in their own language.

Check List

I only list out the most important stuffs needed for the exchange in Amsterdam.

Smart Phone Laptop Clothes for cold weather Gloves

Passport with MVV Power adapters Clothes for hot weather Bank card

Useful Links and Contacts

https://www.museumkaart.nl/

https://blackboard.uva.nl