IES Abroad Amsterdam

Amsterdam is an incredible city to live in. I lived right outside the city center near Vondelpark, and I felt at home very quickly. Naturally, it took me a little while to adjust, but before I knew it I felt very comfortable going about life in Amsterdam! Dutch culture and life in Amsterdam is very unique and something that is easy to appreciate. Even though I have only been back in the United States for 1.5 months, I am already looking forward to my next visit!

I loved living in Amsterdam, and the IES Abroad staff really added to my experience. During our orientation, they educated us on Dutch culture and customs and took us on various field trips around the Netherlands. Even after orientation, the staff were extremely accessible and made sure to check in with us periodically. I had a great experience with IES Abroad and I would highly recommend spending your time abroad with them!

IES Abroad Amsterdam is a great hybrid between a direct enrollment option and an American study abroad parent program. I was fortunate enough to take classes at the University of Amsterdam and with guest professors at the IES Center. The IES liasons to the university were very helpful and accessible, but as a whole I wish I'd spent more time at the university itself, and some people on my program didn't have any classes there at all. The IES workers planned free social gatherings in the city for us, as well as mental health breaks like yoga classes and paid field trips, like to see the Dutch National Football Team and spending a weekend in Belgium, to help us get to know the area. They were always available in case of emergency and helped those who needed medical support.

Amsterdam is a great place to go for a semester abroad because it's very easy to travel around Europe from the city by bus, train, or plane, and the Netherlands is a wonderful country to explore. Amsterdam itself is huge, but IES made sure to place me in an apartment close to my university and was willing to help me acquire a bike to travel the city, which is by far the most-used means of transportation. Dutch adults are usually fluent in English, so even if you don't take a Dutch course, you'll be able to get around fine – though I strongly suggest trying to pick up some Dutch, which will require a lot of effort because of the prevalence of English.

Grading in the Netherlands is very harsh, and students don't have GPAs at the universities, so be prepared for a very different academic sphere. Many classes base the overwhelming majority of their final grades on a single final exam or project, which is very intimidating. I enjoyed all of my classes and professors, both in and out of the university.

Amsterdam is an expensive city, especially near the center. Groceries are a good price, but going out to eat or grab a cup of coffee can be costly. Bring your own cold medicine and pain medications, because you will have trouble finding those things in the Netherlands. I wish more advice like that was given to me pre-departure, but after the first couple weeks I figured everything out. IES makes sure to send a newsletter with events around the city every two weeks so we have plenty to explore. Overall, a very well-organized, well-run, kind program.

I didn’t want to be that person who said study abroad changed my life, but now that I’ve studied abroad......

This summer (2019) I had the incredible opportunity to travel abroad with IES to Amsterdam. Making it to Europe has always been a dream of mine, and when I saw the immerse and customizable curriculum that IES has to offer, including a course on Intersexuality and its history in Dutch medicine as well as a gendered approach looking at 17th century art history, I knew this program was right for me.

Since pre-departure, the IES Staff made the process incredibly easy — consistent emails and working alongside the study abroad office kept me ahead of schedule and prepared for in advance of boarding my flight.

This communication remained if not flourished as the program began and I was starting my summer in a new country. The summer went by quick (sad), but by the end I can say that I left with a completely new cultural perspective, an expansive amount of knowledge, a ton of new experiences (and photos!), and of course 20 new friends.

I thank the IES Abroad Faculty for the incredible experiences I got to live out this summer, and hope that the many prospective students of the program have an amazing time in the upcoming semesters!

Spending a semester abroad in Amsterdam was an experience that I have absolutely zero regrets about. Not only did I meet amazing people in the program, I got to live in the business district of the city and experience so many different things about Dutch culture. The food especially- wow! The living accommodations were great and I was able to survive off of my savings comfortably and travel quite a bit. Not to mention the school system in the Netherlands allowed me to have a lot of extra time and learning outside of the classroom. I visited world class museums and saw masterpieces. The program was very supportive and I really enjoyed my time abroad. They even organized a trip to Poland that was quite possibly my favorite trip when abroad. The history of World War II is so much more ingrained in the culture of Europe and I definitely felt like my eyes were opened very much during my experience abroad.

This is experience was an incredible way to try something new. I really pushed myself to explore things I had never done before. With the support there to catch me when I would fall and stumble, I was given the unique opportunity to do what I wanted without the fear of being on my own if I needed help. I made life-long friends, travelled to places I had never even heard of and tried to make the most of 4 short months in a new environment. I especially liked feeling more and more like a local as the days and weeks went on. Arriving as a total tourist in Amsterdam, I began to learn more about the parts of the city that one does when you have the time to explore. I particularly loved how easy it was to get around in Amsterdam and the rest of Europe. Cycling is a must when living in Amsterdam. You really get to appreciate the gorgeous scenery so much more on a bike. There are cheap flights to all the capitals of Europe that you can visit. The main struggle is trying to appreciate studying in Amsterdam and at the same time, make the most of travelling Europe. As long as you try to push yourself to try new things and get out of your comfort zone, you are guaranteed to have an amazing time abroad.

IES Amsterdam was the most incredible time of my life. This city provided unlimited amounts of opportunities to get involved in the community and explore the in's and out's of this city! The staff was extremely helpful in providing us with the knowledge of what was going on every week and providing options of all different interests and costs. They facilitated our academics, housing and periodic events in new parts of the city to keep us engaged. Amsterdam is unique in that it doesn't look like any other city in the world with the canals and the architecture. Considering how small Amsterdam is, there are so many different pockets to explore and each area has a different vibe to it! Its incredible to be in such a historically significant city and I had an amazing time in Amsterdam and everyday I wish I could go back.

IES Amsterdam set me up for a great semester at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. While the academics were very different than my home school, I was given resources for a smooth transition. Overall, I enjoyed my classes and was glad I was exposed to a different educational system. Outside of academics, I was given the opportunity to participate in the Erasmus Student Network international orientation weekend, where I made amazing connections with students from both America and other countries from all over Europe. This was a defining factor in my abroad experience and I recommend any student studying abroad in Amsterdam to participate. This orientation weekend was one of many events offered for international students studying in Amsterdam, and there was a constant stream of resources about traveling, night life, culture and music.

Overall, my experience was better than I could have imagined. The classes were fun, engaging and I learned tons of material I would not have back at my home university. The IES teachers were well versed in their subjects and had interesting life experience. It really helped me get a better picture of career options and ways to get there. The program staff was extremely helpful and down to Earth. They were always willing to help but did not try to micromanage everything. They also do a great job of sending out weekly emails to tell you whats going on in the city and ways to get involved. In addition, they send links to tons of volunteer activities that are a way to meet locals and really helped me feel like I was doing something to give back during my free time. It was really nice and helped push the students to be independent! I stayed in a more residential area with tons of families and animals really close to campus which was so convenient. I enjoyed the area but my only wish was to be closer to the action. Like I said, overall, the experience was wonderful and I glad I picked IES.