CIEE College Study Abroad in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Name: CIEE College Study Abroad in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Brand: CIEE
SKU: 268382
Rating: 4.76 (33 reviews)

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4.76 Rating

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Location

Netherlands
- Amsterdam

Term

Fall, J-Term, Spring, Summer

Subject Areas

Ecology Economics Education Entrepreneurship Environmental Studies European Studies Film Finance Gender Studies Geography Geology Health Sciences History Information Technology International Business International Relations Journalism Language Studies Law Liberal Arts Life Sciences Literature Marketing Mathematics Music Philosophy Photography Political Science Public Health Public Policy Social Sciences Sociology Sustainable Development Tourism +24

Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships

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Program Details

Program Type

Provider

Degree Level

Bachelors

Housing

Dormitory Host Family

Language

English

Pricing

Price Details

You get more for every dollar when you study abroad with CIEE! Our high-quality programs include tuition, housing, on-site airport pick-up, field trips and cultural activities, 24/7 on-site professional staff, and automatic iNext insurance. There are no hidden charges or surprises when you arrive, and scholarships opportunities are available!

What's Included

Accommodation Some Activities Classes Some Meals Travel Insurance

Last Updated: Jun 04, 2024

Last Reviewed: Dec 12, 2024

Wish List

12 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

If you find yourself wondering why it’s so easy to feel at home in Amsterdam, chalk it up to “gezellig.” Roughly translated, that’s Dutch for cozy or home-like – a sensibility commonly associated with this city. Compact and easy to navigate by bike or on foot, Amsterdam houses more than 6,000 buildings from the 16th century forward that are protected for historic importance. It’s loaded with charm and treasures, from the gabled houses that stand shoulder to shoulder along the canals, to glorious masterpieces by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Matisse, and more.

The center is located conveniently across the street from the University of Amsterdam and is embedded in a thriving, student-friendly neighborhood with cafes and restaurants and picturesque canals.

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Video and Photos

CIEE College Study Abroad in Amsterdam, Netherlands

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Program Highlights

CIEE Amsterdam is located conveniently across the street from the University of Amsterdam and is embedded in a thriving, student-friendly neighborhood with cafes and restaurants and picturesque canals.
Trips to Rotterdam, Maastricht, or an island off the Dutch coast.
Bike tours through Amsterdam’s countryside.
Tours of medieval castles.
Depending on their program of study and availability, students may be able to participate in an internship or volunteer.

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Program Reviews

4.76 Rating

based on 33 reviews

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Rating Spread Study

5 rating 75.76%
4 rating 24.24%
3 rating 0%
2 rating 0%
1 rating 0%

Academics 4.2
Support 4.5
Fun 4.75
Housing 4.55
Safety 4.9

Good for Students, Solo Travelers, Adventure travelers

Showing 33 - 33 of 33 reviews

Studying abroad was a decision I almost made on a whim. I had only left the US a couple times before and for brief periods of time, so the move to Amsterdam for four months was a big change in my day-to-day life. Going with CIEE was one of the better decisions I made. They helped a lot with the paperwork of applying to study/live in the Netherlands as well as housing and getting into classes, so I highly recommend them for that. The staff for CIEE Amsterdam are fantastic people. The second you arrive they make you feel so welcome. All of them are very knowledgeable and helped calm our concerns before arriving with two live-streams to answer questions and go over the agenda for arrival.

Upon arrival, you'll be picked up by some CIEE staff to take you to your hostel for a couple days of orientation. These first two days are a great way to make some friends and know some faces before you're thrown into the ISN introduction week. If I'll be honest, the ISN week was tough. I barely felt like I was settled before we were being taken all over the city 'til late hours. Sure partying is fun, but when you don't know many people and you have nothing setup in your apartment, it's a little awkward. Obviously the timing can't be helped too much and it's not CIEE's fault, but that was probably my only concern with arrival/orientation.

CIEE the program was great. The excursions are soooo much fun and well worth taking advantage of (especially the overnight trips!) Schiermonnikoog was my absolute favorite part of the CIEE Amsterdam program, hands down. CIEE also hosts numerous "clubs" that meet to try different activities, games, book discussions, or trying different foods. I didn't do too many, but the ones that I did were loads of fun (bouldering became a new hobby of mine). My CIEE classes were very informative and gave me enough to work with while not being overwhelming. Bonny and Annabel were my two CIEE teachers; both of them were great. Beginning Dutch and Intercultural Communcations gave me a perspective of Dutch culture that I greatly appreciated both in my time over there as well as post study abroad. They also planned some fun excursions such as visiting an authentic Amsterdam canal house or visiting a voting booth on election day.

I also recommend taking advantage of the weekend home-stay that CIEE offers (included!) If you're staying in a dorm, it's a great way to gain some insight into Dutch lifestyle and culture. My home-stay was in Arnhem, NL. CIEE pays for your train ticket and I ended up being able to stay with my host family for two nights. I got to see the sites of historic WW2 battles that were fought during Operation Market Garden in and around Arnhem as well as see the production tulip fields in Noordoostpolder in Flevoland. Homemade Dutch food was also a massive bonus :)

My UvA classes were alright, but generally I felt underwhelmed with them. Some of it was the difference in academic environment from my home university, some of it was my awkward "this isn't my major" feeling since I was mostly taking elective classes during my study abroad. Overall they weren't bad, just not what I was expecting either.

Housing was alright. The location couldn't be better (I was in Prins Hendrikkade dorms) which are just outside of the city center. The accommodations were slightly underwhelming. My kitchen came with nothing and had no freezer or oven. My room was clean and comfortable though, so I can't complain there.

Top recommendations for things to do while studying in Amsterdam:
1. Get a bike. Learn how to ride if you don't know how, but seriously get a bike. Two locks, two lights, and awareness of your surroundings and you're ready to go. Biking in the city is so much fun and soooo much easier than dealing with public transit (which is still pretty good here). I recommend either renting one or finding a decent used one for sub 80 euros (any more than that and you're just overpaying for four months).

2. Try the various cafes and markets in Amsterdam. Waterlooplein is a great flea market and I highly recommend Two for Joy Coffee Roasters, Sweet Cup, and Lot Sixty One for some great third-wave home roasted coffee.

3. Travel around the Netherlands! Europe is awesome too, but if you spend all your time planning a trip around Europe, you'll miss out on the amazing Dutch towns and cities. Delft, Utrecht, Maastricht, and Haarlem were among my favorite that I visited. They're super easy to reach by train, though if you and your bike are up to it there's also bike "highways" between all of the main cities in the Netherlands.

4. Don't be afraid of being alone. If you spend your whole time worrying about not being alone, you'll lose a lot of sleep over nothing. Find your groove and your people. Try new things. Studying abroad isn't just posting cool instagram pictures, it's a time to learn more about yourself and the world around you.

My overall feeling about studying abroad in Amsterdam (in general) is that I would do it again. I would've made more of an effort to put myself out there in the first few weeks and make friends though. I struggled being alone a lot in the Netherlands both in travel and in day-to-day activities. Being away from my support system of my family and friends at home was big challenge for me. If you decide to study abroad (in any capacity), be ready for this.

What would you improve about this program?

Allowing time for getting settled before the ISN week? I'm not sure how you could change this, but I just felt very out of place coming into that week. No bike, no dishes, no food, no debit card. It just felt all very off for the first week or two until I got this stuff together. Not that this is totally a bad thing (woo learning independence!) but it gave me a weird start to the program.

Sun over a bridge near Binnenkant classroom

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Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

My study abroad office at the University of Scranton had a connection with the CIEE Amsterdam program, so when I found out I could knock out most of my elective credits there, I jumped aboard.

I knew I wanted to go to Amsterdam after I discovered an extensive blog written by a previous study abroad student who stayed in Amsterdam for a full year. The stories of stroopwafels, canals, and extensive biking culture all just pulled me in until I knew I needed to experience it for myself.

What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

CIEE Amsterdam helped with so many things both within the registering process as well as throughout the semester. They provided assistance in applying for classes both with CIEE and at the UvA. They also took care of finding housing for us, hosted extensive orientations for the first few days, and was also a constant resource for questions or concerns throughout the semester. They also assisted in setting up meetings for us to register at the IND and at the UvA.

I had to get my classes approved before the end of my previous semester at my home university. I also had to organize travel to and from Amsterdam, food, and transportation within Amsterdam, and most of your day to day activities are on your own.

This program will be there to help and takes care of a lot of the bureaucratic aspect of studying abroad in another country (minus registering at the IND and setting up a bank account).

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

I wish I had known that you can only take one humanities class at the UvA. Due to the limited number of CIEE student openings in these classes, you'll likely only be able to get into one humanities class. The rest will be social science classes. So if you planned on doing this program for the humanities electives, be aware.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

During an average day on the CIEE Amsterdam program, you'll likely only run into CIEE if you either have a CIEE facilitated class or physically stop by the office. The rest is up to you.

My day consisted of me waking up, showering and eating breakfast, biking to class (which is very easy via the bike pathways all throughout Amsterdam), and usually stopping by a new cafe or section of the town after class.

The program itself isn't overly structured, so it leaves you a lot of time to travel and do your own thing when you want to.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

My biggest challenge studying abroad was loneliness. I didn't make a solid group of friends in the first couple weeks, so most of my time exploring Amsterdam and traveling was done alone. I'll be honest, there were times I didn't feel too great. Sometimes I would just force myself to get out of my apartment every day just to see other people.

Eventually, I discovered Meetup groups and befriended some local coffee cafe owners, so I did get to know some locals. I also made an effort to take advantage of the CIEE activities. I started doing the day trips to other cities and I went on both overnight excursions (Utrecht and Schiermonnikoog respectively). I also participated in the weekend homestay opportunity that CIEE offers, which I can honestly say I'm very happy I did.

In terms of traveling in Europe, I also learned how to travel on my own. Since most of my trips were done by myself, I learned how to navigate airports, book hostels/Airbnbs, figure out buses and train schedules, and overall just became more independent.

I'm far more confident in my ability to travel and manage a new culture than when I left for Amsterdam this past January.

What is Dutch culture really like?

I believe it is important to understand that while most Netherlanders speaking English, they are not like their English neighbors from across the North Sea.

Now, of course, this is just my observation, so none of this is set-in-stone fact. However, I noticed the Dutch were classically Northern European. In other words, they tend to be a little cold. Not unfriendly, but just a little different from my usual American perspective. By cold, I mean that they tend to stick to their own groups and mind their own business.

You'll also get used to "Dutch Directness", which is a fancy way of saying that they like to get to the point. If you go to a restaurant, you'll typically find that the waiter or waitress won't introduce themselves or go out of their way to greet you or ask how you're doing. To me initially, this came across as slightly off-putting or rude. However, this isn't considered rude. Politeness for the Dutch is getting to the point and not wasting each other's time with pleasantries.

Once you do get to know a native Dutch person though, you'll find them to be as warm and friendly as anyone else. The initial barrier is a little awkward, but rewarding in the end. If worst comes to worst and you still haven't made that connection with a Netherlander, just wait until the weather gets warm.

By the end of my time in Amsterdam (May and June), I saw a noticeable change in how open people were in Amsterdam. Personalities come alive as the rainy season is finally gone. Suddenly cafes will be filled with locals having a beer on outdoor tables and kids of all ages having fun in local parks. It'll never be as warm as say Italy for example, but keep an eye out for the small changes as the seasons progress.

About CIEE

A nonprofit, non-governmental organization, CIEE is the world leader in international study and exchange programs. For more than 75 years, CIEE has helped thousands of students, professionals, and educators gain the knowledge and skills necessary to live and work in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world by offering the most...