Field of study in Wageningen: Business and Consumer Studies
Study period exchange: 14/02/2024 – 28/06/2024
Country (exchange): Italy
City (exchange): Rimini
University (exchange): University of Bologna – Campus Rimini
Faculty (exchange): Faculty of Economics
2. Motivation for exchange
Why did you choose to go on study exchange?
In my bachelor there was the option to go on exchange in the last half year of the study. For me it really seemed like a nice opportunity for an adventure and have and make friends abroad. I wanted to enjoy the culture of a different country and have the chance to study some different things than what I studied in my bachelor.
What is the reason you chose for this country?
Italy has always been one of my favourite countries, I really liked going on holiday there and the culture is really nice. A big part is also the weather and location for me, and Italy was a perfect choice then.
What is the reason you chose for this university?
I chose this university because of the tourism courses than were available, because for my exchange I wanted to choose some courses related to that to also help me select my master, which I was planning to choose in the same direction. I also chose Rimini because of the location along the sea, which I really enjoyed my whole exchange and I also chose Rimini because it had more available spots than some other universities.
3. Accessibility to reach destination
The easiest way is definitely by plane, you can fly to Bologna airport and take the train or bus to Rimini, which isn’t too long or expensive. You could also fly to Rimini airport but it’s really small and not many flights go there I think. Furthermore train is really difficult and takes long, and by car also takes long but then you can take a lot of stuff with you and it is not that bad to travel that way.
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, there are a lot of courses to do in English, you can basically go to the website and see all the bachelor degrees and select courses from there. You do have to pay attention to the period the courses are given and if they are all in English of course.
I had sufficient possibilities to select suitable courses in my field of interest:
Yes, there aren’t that many fun options but enough to make a good selection of your interests if you look through all the bachelors or master degrees.
I am satisfied with the level of the courses that I followed:
I am satisfied, but in general in Italy the courses are a bit lower level than in the Netherlands I think. Some courses were fun and challenging with new information, but some classes also had a lot of information I already knew or even high school subjects, which made it a bit easy.
I am satisfied, in the end, with the selection of courses I followed:
Yes, I am satisfied because I learned quite some new stuff about tourism, which I wanted in help of selecting my master course. And most subjects were interesting in their own way, while some were also less interesting because of the less challenging subjects.
What is it like to study there?
Studying in Rimini feels a lot different than the WUR. There is a lot less stress about everything, teachers and students are very relaxed and can just be late half an hour for your first class. The academic level is lower than in NL, because I think all students can enrol for university there, and the level is definitely less challenging and teachers help a lot to make students pass. The workload is fine, I had a lot more hours in class than at the WUR, but no classes are mandatory. The exams for me were pretty easy, but teachers also help a lot in making the exam easier for you like I said. So I wouldn’t worry too much if Rimini is difficult to study in, especially if some of your courses are quite overlapping with your bachelor.
What is the culture of the university?
The big difference is how relaxed everything is in Italy. No stress, just do the things you have to do (or don’t), the teachers don’t really care as long as you pass the exam. The lecturers are very approachable, but also the classes are 3 hours long and there are a lot of open class discussions and a lot of time for questions. The engagement with local students is fine, I was in class with some Italians who chose to study the courses in English, and the rest of the class were Erasmus students. I had more contact with ESN students than locals, but the bachelor or master students that lived here longer are still very nice and welcoming. But the main difference with WU is still the strictness, because you can come as late as you want or not show up for any class and no one really cares.
What does the university offer the student additionally?
For lunch it is smart to go to La Tavola Pitagorica which is next to the University and all students get a cheap warm lunch there. In terms of sports facilities there wasn’t a lot, the university doesn’t offer a lot and its very expensive. But when you make some friends it’s a lot easier to just organise things, like playing beach volleyball, which is very big in Rimini and there are a lot of fields along the beach. I also wanted to maybe join a football team, but that isn’t really possible there so ESN once organized a football game and after that I sometimes played together with friends in a park or a small pitch, which a lot of Italians do. And I also started running there which is really nice along the beach. In terms of other facilities I don’t have a lot to mention, the campus isn’t that big and doesn’t have that much to offer I think.
5. Housing-travelling-living
What are the possibilities for housing?
Finding a room might be pretty difficult, I got housing via an email from the university with email addresses of landlords, but joining the ESN WhatsApp group is also very helpful or looking online in Facebook for example. The rent in general isn’t very high in Rimini, a bit lower than in Wageningen for me.
What is the culture like?
I really enjoyed the culture and cuisine of Italy. People are very relaxed and you can always go for a cheap coffee, people eat dinner very late compared to NL, and there are a lot more smokers everywhere than in NL I noticed. But in general was amazing for me and you can just eat pasta or piadina every day.
Could you give some information about public transport infrastructure?
For in Rimini you can walk almost anywhere. I lived 10 min from the beach and 20 min from the University and center which is close to each other and easy to reach. But I would recommend to get a bike so you can traverse all of Rimini pretty fast. I sometimes used a lime scooter which is pretty cheap and easy to use and they are everywhere. Then there is the train station in Rimini, train prices aren’t too expensive in Italy and its really easy for a day-trip or something. I didn’t really use any other form of transport, besides just walking a lot.
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:
I think in general the prices were slightly lower than in the Netherlands, but it isn’t a big difference and I didn’t watch my money that closely. There are some really cheap bars which you don’t really have in the Netherlands, and I think groceries are slightly cheaper.
7. Free time
What are must-sees in the area?
I think any weekend can be really fun to plan a small trip, and in a semester you usually have 5 weeks of classes and after that is the perfect time for a trip, because you still have 2 or 3 weeks before exams then. San Marino is definitely a must visit, there is a bus for 5 euro from the train station, and there you can visit everything. Ravenna and Cesenatico are nice towns along the coast and nearby, easy to go with the train. Then bologna is 10 euros by train and a big student city which is cool to visit. And I also did an amazing hike south of Rimini along the coast from Pesaro to Cattolica, you can go there also by train. For the rest there are obviously a lot of beautiful cities in Italy, small or big.
7. Challenges & best moment abroad
What challenges did you encounter and how did you overcome them?
Sometimes its challenging with the language, because definitely not everyone speaks English, but google translate helps a lot especially in the supermarket. For the rest it’s just a lot of things to discover in the beginning, but at some point when you are more used to things its really enjoyable.
What is your best memory of your time abroad?
For me its probably the ski trip organised by ESN, which was amazing to just ski and have a lot of fun for 4 days straight. Also the gala night at the end is really nice, and the whole life from being at the beach the whole day to playing beachvolley and having drinks in the center.
8. Contact Details
Would you like to ask Tim more questions about his exchange?
Send him a mail: Tim.tenbrinke@wur.nl