Field of study in Wageningen: MSc Resilient Farming and Food Systems
Study period exchange: 22/01/2024 – 30/06/2024
Country (exchange): Denmark
City (exchange): Aarhus
University (exchange): Aarhus University
Faculty (exchange): Natural and Technical Sciences
2. Motivation for exchange
Why did you choose to go on study exchange?
I had never travelled on my own before, and I was curious about the experience of studying in a complete new environment and meeting new people. Even though I had my doubts if it would be something for me to go away for so long, doing an exchange felt like the perfect opportunity to explore and find out!
What is the reason you chose for this country?
I preferred going to a Scandinavian country, because I always wanted to go there. I had heard many positive things about the friendly people, beautiful nature and in general good education where the English language is not a problem. Eventually I choose Denmark, because I liked the idea that it was still close to home (it was quite easy for friends and family to come visit me for a weekend!) and most of all the university just appealed to me.
What is the reason you chose for this university?
I had the idea that the way of teaching, organizing and just in general the level of study would be comparable to the WUR. Personally, I really prefer a university with good communication, knowing what I can expect and what I have to arrange beforehand. The university provided courses that I found interesting and would fit within my master program. Additionally, I just searched on Google and Maps for information and the location about several universities to compare and decide which area I would find interesting. For example, Aarhus is a harbour city with a beach, which I thought would be really nice!
3. Accessibility to reach destination
I was lucky and could join someone with a car, which took about 7-8 hours. I know others went to Aarhus by plane, mostly it’s cheaper to go with the plane to Copenhagen and take the train/FlixBus to Aarhus. I’m sure it would be possible to travel by train as well, however I don’t know how long this will take.
4. University and studying
Could you provide some general information about the followed courses?
I had sufficient possibilities to select suitable courses that were taught in English: Yes, almost all (master) courses are taught in English.
I had sufficient possibilities to select suitable courses in my field of interest: Yes, although it was a bit of work to search for enough ECTS of courses that fit my field and would not overlap with each other.
I am satisfied with the level of the courses that I followed: Quite satisfied, the level was a bit lower compared to WUR and not everything I had to learn was new for me. I was surprised with the amount of free time. However, this gave me the opportunity to have sufficient spare time for doing fun times as well, and explore the city and environment!
I am satisfied, in the end, with the selection of courses I followed: Yes.
What is it like to study there?
The teachers are very friendly and easy to talk to, leading to a very open and approachable environment. Most of the exams are oral, which was very new for me and I was really nervous. However, the teachers were very patient and understanding, so in the end it was really nice to be already done with your exam in only 20 minutes!
What is the culture of the university?
Like mentioned above, a very open and approachable environment. The introduction days, studenterhus and ESN offer opportunities to meet new people. The biggest difference with WUR was that the smaller classes led to a more open and personal atmosphere, where everyone could share their thoughts and ask questions really easily, and the teachers were easy to talk to.
What does the university offer the student additionally?
Mostly I just brought my own food to uni. But I know that the catering, especially in the royal library, was very good and compared to city prices very okay! For a bit over 5 euros, you could fill up your whole plate with all kinds of food from the buffet. Also, every Saturday morning there is a brunch buffet in the royal library, accessible for everyone. I would recommend to go there at least once, but be on time! As far as I know it is possible to join all kinds of sports or international teams. I don’t know much about this as I just went to the gym in my student housing.
5. Housing-travelling-living
What are the possibilities for housing?
You can sign up for a room via WUR. However, it is not guaranteed you will actually get a room, and it took quite a long time before a room was actually assigned to me (somewhere a month before I would go). I wanted to be sure I would have a room, so I started to look for myself through Facebook, internet. I ended up at Basecamp, a new building for student housing. Even though it is quite expensive compared to other rooms, in the end it was really worth it for me, as it is very community based and I met all my friends here!
What is the culture like?
The first thing I noticed was that people are super friendly, patient, and you can always ask for help! The student culture is very present at the campus, and a bit less in the city itself. Every Friday, the Friday bars on campus open already in the afternoon. Almost all studies have their own bar, some are more popular to go to. It’s very common among the Danish students to go here, and it’s really fun to go bar hopping with your friends and celebrate the start of the weekend and learn some Danish songs! The Danish cuisine is not that special, but you should definitely try some pastries, my favourite is the cinnamon bun! Every Saturday morning, I went to the ‘Havnebadet’ with my friends to do a Nordic dip and go into the sauna, which was for free!! Additionally, I also followed Danish class every Tuesday evening. This was fun to do with my friends, however way harder than I expected and not sure if it was really worth my time. However it’s nice that I can say I can speak some (really) basic Danish!
Could you give some information about public transport infrastructure?
There is a bus and tram which you can use, you should download the app ‘Midtraffik’. I believe you pay about 3 euro’s for a 2 hour ticket. Most people bike here, and even though as a Dutch student I expected myself to bike everywhere, I almost never did. Especially because of the hills, you will for sure develop some leg muscles! Most of the time I just walked, as the university was very close. When I wanted to go to the city centre, it took me about 25 minutes to walk via a really nice route.
6. Expenses
Can you give an indication of your expenses for/during your exchange?
The price levels were in general [higher; lower; equal] in comparison to in the Netherlands:
In general higher, especially for going out for dinner/coffee/museums/etc. But the groceries were quite comparable.
Additional remarks regarding expenses?
Expenses of course really depend on how much you want to do!
7. Free time
What are must-sees in the area?
Aarhus itself has a lot of nice museums and areas to visit. Just google and all the highlights will pop-up!
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- Copenhagen:
- flixbus: in 4 hours for about 15 euros!
- Roadtrip through Denmark with rented cars:
- Møn and Møns Klint: beautiful island in the south, highly recommend!
- Cold Hawaii in Klitmøller: You can go surf here!
- Copenhagen:
Further away travelling:
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- Roadtrip through Norway with rented cars:
- With the ferry from Frederikshavn to Oslo
- Rent your cars here in Oslo instead of in Denmark, that’s often cheaper
- This has been one of the best travel experiences!
- ESN offers very cool trips as well, and gave me the opportunity to go to Swedish Lapland, which I probably would never have done otherwise!
- With the ferry from Frederikshavn to Oslo
- Roadtrip through Norway with rented cars:
What does not appear in a travel guide, but is definitely worth seeing/doing?
Nordic dip and sauna at the Havnebadet early on Saturday morning, then go to the royal library brunch! Best start of the weekend, but you need to be an early bird!
7. Challenges & best moment abroad
What challenges did you encounter and how did you overcome them?
Honestly, no challenges for me. A golden tip is to be on time with your CPR registration! Don’t wait with your application but do it as soon as you receive an email for this!!
What is your best memory of your time abroad?
The friends I made from all over the world, and all the adventures and travelling we did together. I never expected my exchange to turn out this great! I would highly recommend students to experience being abroad for half a year!
8. Contact Details
Would you like to ask Jasmijn more questions about her exchange?
Send her a mail: Jasmijn.schoonhoven@wur.nl