2019 - 2020
MARCO POLO FUND Study / Traineeship report
This form needs to be completed by every student who has received a scholarship from the Marco Polo Fund.
Last name*Please write your name as shown in your passport Top
First name*Please write your name as shown in your passport Jantina Kornelia
RUG registration number (S) Top
Please enclose a 2 page report on your experiences abroad, using the following headings:
1. Preparation
1.1 Study Abroad Application
How did you inform and prepare yourself for the study abroad application?
1.2 Application to the host university
What did you have to arrange for the application to your host university once you had been selected and nominated?
1.3 Visa
If applicable: What did you have to arrange in order to apply for a visa? In how far did the host university support you with this?
1.4 Language
What was the required level of proficiency in the language(s) of instruction and how did you prepare for it?
2. Stay abroad
2.1 Arrival and orientation 2.2 Your study programme
Which courses did you follow? Was it possible to select courses outside of your major and if yes, were there any restrictions? How well did you manage to follow classes in the language(s) of instruction?
2.3 Housing
Did the host university provide you with suggestions for housing? How difficult was it to find a room? What is the price range for a student room in your host city?
2.4 Grant and costs 2.5 Free time/ Student life 2.6 Travelling
3. Return
3.1 Contact with the host university before, during and after you stay 3.2 Your perspective on the culture of your host country
I hereby give permission to the International Office to publish my report on Study Info to inform future students
Yes Future students may contact me for additional
information
Yes
Signature Participant
………
Date: 21-01-2020
Study Report
Preparation
Throughout my first two years of my Bachelor I already had a strong urge to go abroad during my third year. However, it was after the Minor-orientation in October that I was completely convinced that this would be the right decision for me. That is why I would advice every student to go to the orientation programmes. These programmes will either confirm or change your ideas about a Minor abroad. At that point I was not completely sure about where to go. I wanted to go outside of Europe as I was looking for an environment totally different from the one I am used to. The map at the RUG- website and the study reports really helped me choosing a university. The stories I read about South Africa combined with my interest in the country already from a young age, made me choose to go to Pretoria.
Once I was nominated to go to UP, I had to arrange a lot of things. Make sure that you start with all the paperwork as soon as you can! That you have been nominated by the RUG does not mean that you have been accepted at UP. This university still has to accept you. During this process they are not always clear about what is expected from you. However, just bombard them with emails. They will eventually tell you what to do. However, the paperwork of the university is not your biggest concern.
Your visa is! It is a hassle to arrange a student visa for South Africa. You have to collect a lot of documents and you have to be willing to make some trips to the embassy in The Hague. My advice would be to read everything carefully and do what they ask you to do, in time! Then it will all work out.
You have to select some courses in advance. However, do not bother to much about your course selection. You can still change them once you have arrived in Pretoria. In fact, it might be that some courses you selected turn out to be unavailable once you have arrived.
Stay Abroad
In Pretoria I stayed in Tuksdorp. My housing was arranged through the university and it was next to the main campus. I would advise to apply for this university accommodation as soon as possible as some international students had to find a room by themselves. I paid around €1250 for the entire semester for my room. Upon my arrival someone was waiting for me at the office. She showed me around and brought me to my accommodation. I remember that I had to arrange a lot of things at my first day. The security is really strict as South Africa is not really a safe country and therefore, I had to obtain entrance passes etcetera. However, during my first week there was an orientation day
scheduled and they seemed to be really proud of the fact that international students are coming to their university. As such, I felt really welcome.
I was free in the selection of my courses. The IRIO curriculum did not have a lot of requirements for what courses to select. I could choose whatever I wanted as long as it was something different than what I had already done in Groningen. I took Anthropology, History, Sociology and Development Frameworks which was more credits than I needed to do. All courses are taught in English which makes it easy to follow. In fact, in my experience the level of education was lower than at the RUG.
That is also why I took more credits than necessary.
For this exchange you can apply for the Marco Polo grant. The total amount of this grant is around
€1250, and it is paid in two parts; before and after your stay in South Africa. I also tried to get the Holland Scholarship but unfortunately, I was not selected for this one. However, the grants you get won’t cover all your expenses. South Africa is cheaper than the Netherlands, but you will probably spend more. It is likely that you want to travel and also, the flight to South Africa is not cheap. In total I spend around €7000 to €8000. However, I also stayed two months longer to travel through
neighbouring countries before going back home.
As the study load for the courses is less than in Groningen, you have a lot of free time. That makes that you have a lot of time for relaxing, chilling with your roommates, sports, going out and of course, travelling! South Africa can be a dangerous country but as long as you are cautious and aware of your surroundings it is fine. In Tuksdorp you can just spend your afternoons while chilling in the sun. You can also easily go to the sports campus which is a 20-minute walk. Moreover, there are a lot of clubs as there are many students living in the area. If you want to go clubbing just grab an Uber (don’t walk at night!) and you can party through the night! Furthermore, you can easily take the weekend off and explore the country. I made a lot of trips with my roommates during long weekends and holidays.
There is so much to see in South Africa! Make sure you do not miss out on seeing different parts of the country!
Apart from travelling through South Africa I also travelled through Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. As the semester starts already in July you will be done by the end of November which makes that you will have two months left before the second semester in Groningen starts. Therefore, I decided to stay on the African continent a bit longer. Your South African visa will probably expire soon after your exchange semester ends. However, there are many more beautiful countries in Africa that are worth a visit. I you like travelling I would really advise you to take these two months and live the backpacker life!
Return
Before and after my stay the contact with my host university was somewhat difficult at times.
However, when I was there in person, communication is no problem anymore. After I left, they send me my Transcript of Records which I needed to finish my documentation for my exchange. While it sometimes can take a while, I call that African relaxedness, they will get it done in the end. Just something you have to get used to!
Do not forget to complete your Marco Polo – After Mobility once you are home again. If you do not complete this, you have to pay back the amount they gave you before your exchange!
Advice for future students
For me, this was one of the best decisions I made in my life. Such an opportunity was perfect for me as it was a way to escape from sometimes stressful Groningen while I could also proceed with my studies. I think it was really good for my personal development. I learnt so much. About myself, about the world, about other cultures but also about South Africa itself. It is such an interesting country!
Sometimes the beautiful part of the country is overshadowed by the dark side of criminality and racism. However, this great contrast makes it the most interesting, but complex, country I have ever been to. For example, I lived there for half a year, but I still cannot form an opinion about the
Apartheid debate. I discovered that there are two sides to it. In fact, South Africa has two sides. If you are not quite sure what is meant by this, try and discover it by yourself by spending six months in South Africa! I would really recommend it!
