faculty of arts
University of Groningen, NL Groning01 Erasmus+ KA1 Mobility 2019-2020
ERASMUS+
Study Report
This form needs to be completed by every student who has completed an Erasmus+ mobility.
Last name*As shown in your passport Schuit
First name*As shown in your passport Ilse
RUG student number S 3472760
Please enclose a 2-page report on your experiences abroad, using the following headings:
1. Your study programme 2. Language
3. Finance and other conditions
4. Preparation and contacts with the faculty before, during and after your stay
5. Housing 6. Culture 7. Free time 8. Travelling
9. Your host and home institution’s response to Covid-19, and the extent to which the virus (countermeasures) affected your mobility
10. Other
I hereby give permission to the International Office to publish my report on the Faculty of Arts
Repository to inform future students
Yes No Future students may contact me for additional
information Yes No
Signature Participant
……… Date:
1
Your study programme
Innitially, I had signed up for a semester abroad, which would fit into my study programme as a minor. However, the University of Glasgow has some of there Exams for the first semester at the end of the academic year and therefore they asked me to stay for the full year. This meant that some of my courses had to count towards my major. In each semester, I followed two level four courses on English Language and Linguistics, in line with my degree, and one level one course on a different subject. In the first semester, I followed a course on the history of Scotland and in the second semester, I followed a course on Scottish literature. The fourth level courses on my degree subject were a great expansion of the subjects I had learned in previous years at my home university and the first level courses were an interesting and fun way to learn more about Scotland, its history and its literature.
Language
My classes and daily life were fully in English, which I was partly used to since both my studies and part of my social life at my home university had been in English as well. Initially, I struggled occasionally with understanding people speaking Scottish when they spoke too quickly, mostly in stores, but I also quickly picked up some Scottish phrases and expressions which have unintensionally made their way into my regular vocabulary.
Finance and other conditions
Before my departure, I made an estimate of how much everything was going to cost me throughout the year and throughout my stay I mostly stayed on budget. I had some plans to take some extra trips through Scotland towards May, but since I could not, I actually spend less than I estimated this year.
Preparation and contacts with the faculty before, during and after your stay
I am going to assume this header is about my home faculty and not my host faculty. Before my departure, I had a lot of contact about the type of courses I could take and such. During my stay I did not have much contact with my home faculty, except for the time I spend in the Netherlands during my Christmas break. After my return, I had a lot more contact with my home faculty about the finalising of my grades and the way that the completion of one of my courses was affected by the decisions of my host university in response to Covid-19.
Housing
The University of Glasgow had guaranteed housing for me in student residence. I stayed in a student flat shared with four others. This was my first time sharing a bathroom and a living-kitchen with others and it taught me a lot about myself. Namely, that I like having a bathroom and a kitchen to myself.
It was great to not have to worry about housing before I left. Additionally, the residence was within walking distance of the University, which was ideal.
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Culture
I learned more about the Scottish indigenous languages through multiple events that I joined throughout the year. Additionally, I danced multiple ceilidhs, which is so much fun to do. Oh, and haggis is absolutely delicious, especially on a hamburger or a pizza.
Free time
Throughout the year, I went to social events from different associations and made a lot of friends that I would have coffees and dinners with. I joined the Linguistics society and we had weekly events that I went to. I also went to events of the Harry Potter society and multiple performing arts societies.
In the first semester, I joined the theatre association and spend a lot of free time working on different plays as actor, backstage crew and stage manager. I also spend a lot of my free time socialising with the friends I made through the association.
In the second semester, I joined the Shakespeare Society and I became the Venue Designer for their mainstage production of a Midsummer nights dream.
Additionally, I spend a lot of my free time walking around campus and the rest of Glasgow, sitting in the park reading, studying in different coffee shops and so on. I really spend quite a bit of time on my own, which I absolutely loved.
Travelling
The big trips to and from Glasgow with all my stuff, I had my parents bring and get me by car and boat.
Over Christmas break, I went back to the Netherlands by plane, which went very smoothly.
In the ‘reading week’ of the first semester, which was basically a week without classes, I booked a three-day tour to the Isle of Skye, which was absolutely amazing.
I had many more trips planned toward the end of my stay abroad: a trip to Edinbrugh with friends, a study trip to the Isle of Arran with the Scottish Literature department, a trip to the Isles of Mull and Iona. Sadly, all of these were canceled due to Covid.
Your host and home institution’s response to Covid-19, and the extent to which the virus (countermeasures) affected your mobility
I will start off with saying that this question makes me very emotional. Not because of either institution’s response, but because I had to (understandably) leave Scotland and I did not have a chance to say goodbye to a lot of the people who had come to mean so much to me throughout the year.
My host institution updated their students very clearly on what was happening as well as what they were discussing. I think they responded very well, trying to help students as much as they could. Luckily, I did not have many classs left, and those that I did have were recorded by lecturers or done through online discourse channels. My home institurion really confused me. They sent an email telling students abroad that I was obligated to return to the Netherlands. This email was sent right after the
3
announcement by the Ministry of foreign affairs that travel for any reason was not advisable. Other than this I did not receive much from my home institution about the situation around Covid.
Other
I do not really have anything else to add. Other than that I had so much fun staying at the University of Glasgow and I learned so much about myself through this
