Field of study in Wageningen: Management and Consumer studies
Study period exchange: 20/02/2019 until 01/06/2019
Country (exchange): Italy
City (exchange): Forlì
University (exchange): University of Bologna – Campus Forlì
Faculty (exchange): Management and economics
2. Motivation for exchange
Why did you choose to go on study exchange?
I was ready for a new experience and I love travelling. Studying abroad gave me the chance to travel and study at the same time, which is a great opportunity. Furthermore I also think it is really cool to live somewhere else.
What is the reason you chose for this country/university?
I have been to Italy before and I love the food and the beautiful cities there. The choice for this university was because of the courses they offered, they fitted my BBC courses. But I am also really lucky with the location, from Forlì it is really easy to take the train to all the cities that are close. So on the weekends you have more than enough time to travel through Italy.
3. Accessibility to reach destination
Do you have any tips to reach your exchange destination?
You fly to the airport of Bologna, then take the bus to Bologna central station and from there it is about 45 minutes by train to Forlì.
4. University and studying
Could you provide some general information about the followed courses?
How is the study formalized?
The lectures are a lot longer than in Wageningen, on average 3 hours, but most teachers stopped a little early. Outside the lectures you have a lot of free time, you do not have a lot of groupwork and assignments. The level of the lectures was similar, but a little bit slower and with a lot of examples. On the other hand the exams were short, (1 or 2 hours) and I think they were easier than in Wageningen.
What is the culture of the university?
For me the difference was that I had lectures in groups between 10-25 people, so the classes are a lot smaller than in Wageningen. For this reason teachers were able to learn names more easily and it was easy to talk to teachers.
What does the university offer the student additionally?
There is a canteen on the campus and also sports are offered, there is an office called CUSB, were you can get information on all the different sports that are offered.
5. Housing-travelling-living
What are the possibilities for housing?
You can easily find a room through Koine (student association), but I found my room through Facebook, there is a group called Erasmus Forlì, I posted something on there and different people contacted me.
What is the culture of the country like?
The opening hours of offices are limited, in the beginning you have to organise some stuff and the offices are only open one hour a day. Furthermore the people are more relaxed, nobody is stressed or rushed, it is a really nice environment to live in.
Could you give a general price indication of the place of residence compared to living in Wageningen?
Living in Forlì is not more expensive than in Wageningen, I paid €300 for 15m2.
Could you give some information about public transport infrastructure?
I walked to university in 10 minutes, and to the city centre in 15 minutes. Some people buy a bike, but almost everything important is in walking distance. Public transport is also not expensive.
6. Free time
What are must-sees in the area?
There is so much to see! I went to Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Milaan, Cinque Terre, San Marino, Verona, Padova, Rimini, and a lot more smaller cities close to Forlì. The fun part is to also visit these smaller places, because if you would go on holiday to Italy you would probably visit the bigger cities and now you have the opportunity to see everything.
What does not appear in the travel guide, but is worth a visit?
I really liked Padova, even though I didn’t hear of this city before, you could combine it with Verona, these cities are located close to each other. Also Cinque Terre is a must see!
Do you have general tips and tricks about leisure time?
When the weather got better we also went out in Rimini which was a lot of fun. But my experience is that it was really easy to meet Erasmus people because the town is relatively small. Once I found my group of friend we ate or did something together every evening and travelled on the weekends.
7. Challenges & best moment abroad
What was a challenge you have experienced?
The challenge was that I did not speak any Italian, once I met people who were on Erasmus too it does not matter that much, but in the beginning it was hard that locals do not speak a lot of English. It would be good to have some Italian knowledge, but you can also follow a course here.
What was your best memory abroad?
I met so many lovely people from all over the world, which I will definitely keep in contact with and visit when this is possible.
8. Contact details
Would you like to ask Hannah more questions about her exchange?
Send her a mail: hannahvanlith@hotmail.com