Field of study in Wageningen: Business and Consumer Studies
Study period exchange: 18/01/2023 – 16/06/2023
Country (exchange): Spain
City (exchange): Alicante
University (exchange): University of Alicante
Faculty (exchange): Tourism
2. Motivation for exchange
Why did you choose to go on study exchange?
I lived abroad before I started studying in Wageningen and I really enjoyed that so I wanted to have another abroad experience.
What is the reason you chose for this country/university?
I’ve been to Spain a few times in my life and a really liked the country. I also really wanted to go to a country where the weather is warm and preferably a city next to the beach. So Alicante was perfect. Besides that, I liked the courses they provided at the University.
3. Accessibility to reach destination
Do you have any tips to reach your exchange destination?
There is an airport 20 minutes to from the city. You can go by bus from the city to the airport which goes every 20 minutes and is very cheap. If you have a lot of suitcases you can take a cab which also only costs 20 euros to go into the city.
4. University and studying
Could you provide some general information about the followed courses?
How is the study formalized?
Not so many contact hours (about 10-20 per week), the workload differs a lot per course. Almost all the courses have lectures and seminars, where you are graded in the seminars and the grade is a (small) part of the final grade. All the exams in the last three weeks.
What is the culture of the university?
The lecturers are in general very approachable, they are really willing to help the exchange students. For me there was not much engagement with local students because all my classes are in English and the Spanish people generally take there classes in Spanish. I think the UA is very similar to the WUR in for instance the size and the campus.
What does the university offer the student additionally?
There is good catering on the campus, besides that there are also sport facilities which you can use for around 50 euros per year. There is a pool, tennis field, gym and way more.
5. Housing-travelling-living
What are the possibilities for housing?
There is housing available at the university but I stayed in the city. I didn’t hear a lot of good stories about the housing at the university because it is more expensive and far away from the city centre. So I would recommend hiring a room in the city centre. Most rooms are found via Facebook or Idealista and the rent is very low around 300-350 for a very good room.
What is the culture of the country like?
The biggest difference for me was the eating times because in the Netherlands we are used to have dinner very early but in Spain you can even get dinner at a restaurant around midnight. But you will get used to it fast.
Could you give a general price indication of the place of residence compared to living in Wageningen?
The price for residence is in general lower than in Wageningen. I paid 320 euros for a very good room in the city centre and everyone I talked to and all the rooms I saw were around this price and very good. Besides rooming, the city itself is also not so expensive. Restaurants are quite cheap and alcohol as well. The supermarket prices are currently I think a bit lower than in the Netherlands and you can get to other cities by bus or train for very cheap.
Could you give some information about public transport infrastructure?
You can get to the university by bus and tram. During my stay people under the 30 could get a free card for the tram (and later also for the bus) but I think this was only until the 31st of July 2023 so I don’t think it will work for future exchange students. But, the public transport is cheap, you will pay around 75 cents for a one way trip to the university (and anywhere else) if you buy an public transport card. In the city itself you can walk everywhere because the centre is not so small. I have never taken public transport to get to somewhere else in the centre.
6. Free time
What are must-sees in the area?
From Alicante Railway station you can basically travel anywhere within Spain in a few hours which is very good. If you plan on time the train tickets are very cheap. There are also a lot of cute villages near Alicante which you can visit by tram or bus.
What does not appear in the travel guide, but is worth a visit?
The villages around Alicante (Altea, Villa Joyosa, Calpe, etc.)
Do you have general tips and tricks about leisure time?
The beach is for sure the place where I spend most of my leisure time, because the city is not so big and the beach is basically in the centre of the city you are at the beach very fast, the water is very nice. The beach can be a bit crowded in the summer so you can also take the tram to go to San Juan and go to a less crowded beach over there. Furthermore for going out I would recommend to go to the ESN parties in the first few weeks, so you can get to know the clubs and bars a little bit and of course meet new people.
7. Challenges & best moment abroad
What was a challenge you have experienced?
To be honest, my experience was all really really good. The live in Alicante is not so expensive so money wise it was fine for me, I also had a good experience with finding a room and making friends. So the biggest challenge for me was leaving because I had such a good time over there.
What was your best memory abroad?
The best thing about living in Alicante was definitely the friends that I made there. And about memory I think it would be the trips I made, specifically my trip to Barcelona and Ibiza.
8. Contact Details
Would you like to ask Fieke more questions about her exchange?
Send her a mail: fieke.hesselmans@wur.nl