Why did you choose this program?
I chose Maastricht for an array of reasons.
I had never been out of the country alone before, so I decided a smaller city would be best for me, personally. Maastricht is around 120,000 people, which is smaller than my home town and that made leaving less intimidating.
Second, I really liked the idea of being in Northern/Central Europe, because of the easier travel and access to the places I knew I definitely wanted to make it to during the semester.
And lastly, I preferred an English-speaking country, which put the Netherlands at the top of my list!
What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
The Center for European Studies at Maastricht Univerisity organized the majority of my time abroad. They initiated the visa process, enrolled me in courses, and planned three study trips for the students.
Overall, there were not any logistical aspects of my study abroad program that I had to organize independently!
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
The one thing I would tell future students is to take classes incredibly seriously.
I was not intending to slack off during my semester abroad; however, I was not fully prepared for the course load that I received for my different classes.
Maastricht University challenged my study skills, my thought processes, and pushed me outside of my realm of knowledge. It was an experience full of growth, and I am extremely thankful for it because it has helped me with courses at my home university. But, it was a challenging semester.
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
Generally, I would get up and walk to my class right away. After class, I would wander around either looking at shops or finding a nice place to sit and study for a while. My favorite cafe was one with delicious vegan desserts and five cats wandering around, offering to be petted!
When it started to warm up, I would meet my friends at our favorite ice cream shop in Vrijtof Square, and we would sit on a bench people watching, talking about our day, and planning future weekend trips.
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
Going abroad for the first time was scary for a couple of reasons; however, for me, the biggest one was the idea of making friends fast.
I was not sure how I was going to find friends in such a short amount of time. However, I realized that we were all in the same situation, and once I recognized this, it was really easy to talk to everyone! I would just start a conversation, and see if I could make friends with them!
What is the one thing you are most thankful you made an effort to do while studying abroad?
I am thankful I made a point of exploring Maastricht extensively!
I wanted to be able to appreciate the city in a personal and genuine way, and in a way that would make it my second "home". So, I visited the local art museums and exhibitions, tried the best cafes, listened to live music with friends, and found the perfect study spots!
By the end, I felt as if I knew the city just as well as my hometown.
