Study Abroad in the Netherlands

Forum-Nexus was incredibly well organized from start to finish. Travel between cities was efficient, and I still had the freedom to explore on my own. The Independent Cultural Visits pushed me to get out and discover each place. Laura did a great job in International Business, and I learned a lot. The teachers and staff were nice and caring, and Adam was the best! It was the adventure of a lifetime, and it showed me I can do new and scary things. I’d recommend it 100%. You won’t experience anything like it.

My experience studying abroad in Barcelona with CEA CAPA was one of the best experiences I have had in college. I chose Barcelona because I have always loved Spain and wanted the opportunity to experience Spanish culture, travel, try new foods, and explore a new city. From the beginning, CEA CAPA made me feel welcomed and supported. Moving to a new country can definitely feel overwhelming, especially at first, but the CEA CAPA staff were always there to help and made me feel much more comfortable throughout my experience. One of the things I appreciated most about CEA CAPA was how safe and supported I felt while abroad. The staff were welcoming, approachable, and made it easy to ask questions or get help whenever I needed it. Knowing that I had people there who cared about my experience made being so far from home feel much less intimidating. I also loved that CEA CAPA helped create a community where I could meet other students and feel like I was not alone in a new country. I was able to become more independent while still knowing I had a support system if I needed one. Overall, studying abroad in Barcelona was an experience I will never forget. CEA CAPA gave me the opportunity to experience a new culture, meet amazing people, travel, and grow as a person while also making me feel safe and welcomed. I would definitely recommend CEA CAPA to anyone considering studying abroad, especially students who may be nervous about living in another country for the first time. It made the entire experience feel more comfortable, supported, and exciting.

My experience studying abroad in Barcelona with CEA CAPA was one of the best experiences I have had in college. I chose Barcelona because I have always loved Spain and wanted the opportunity to experience Spanish culture, travel, try new foods, and explore a new city. From the beginning, CEA CAPA made me feel welcomed and supported. Moving to a new country can definitely feel overwhelming, especially at first, but the CEA CAPA staff were always there to help and made me feel much more comfortable throughout my experience. One of the things I appreciated most about CEA CAPA was how safe and supported I felt while abroad. The staff were welcoming, approachable, and made it easy to ask questions or get help whenever I needed it. Knowing that I had people there who cared about my experience made being so far from home feel much less intimidating. I also loved that CEA CAPA helped create a community where I could meet other students and feel like I was not alone in a new country. I was able to become more independent while still knowing I had a support system if I needed one. Overall, studying abroad in Barcelona was an experience I will never forget. CEA CAPA gave me the opportunity to experience a new culture, meet amazing people, travel, and grow as a person while also making me feel safe and welcomed. I would definitely recommend CEA CAPA to anyone considering studying abroad, especially students who may be nervous about living in another country for the first time. It made the entire experience feel more comfortable, supported, and exciting.

Forum-Nexus was a wonderful experience, and I would rate it 9/10. I loved traveling to so many places, meeting new people, and learning through the classes and professional visits. The program was well balanced, and the staff were supportive and helpful. I especially enjoyed the independent cultural visits and the opportunity to experience different cities. Some professional visits, such as Heineken, felt a little long, and the Paris hotel was not ideal. Overall, I learned a lot, made great memories, and would definitely recommend Forum-Nexus to others.

Forum-Nexus was an amazing experience. I made many new friends, enjoyed the professional and cultural visits, and loved the balance between school and fun. The staff was amazing, and I would definitely recommend it.

I graduated from high school a semester early, and the only way I wanted to spend my semester was by being abroad. I've known about Semester at Sea for around 6 years and I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. I searched up the requirements to be accepted and luckily fit all the requirements most importantly being 18, so immediately I applied. I then got an email back the next morning saying I got accepted into the program and that email brought me to tears in the middle of one of my classes. I couldn't wait to board the MV World Odyssey and embark on this journey of a lifetime. On the ship, I gained so much knowledge about different cultures and I was able to be fully immersed in them, not just sticking to the touristy things offered. Semester at Sea does an amazing job keeping the students' safety in country as a priority with having mandatory “Pre-Port meetings” the night before arriving in a country, and offering field programs which are ship run excursions with ship faculty leading them. The community on the ship was nothing I have ever experienced before. We were so close knit and it felt like I was truly in a connected, caring, and welcoming environment. I met the people I never imagined I'd connect with, and they ended up becoming the best connections I've ever made with people. Semester at Sea also helped me get out of my comfort zone which led me to have experiences I would have never imagined I'd have, best example being running a half marathon in Vigo, Spain even though I'm not a runner and have never been a runner. Semester at Sea has given me the world and the opportunity to appreciate it to its fullest. I left the ship with my passport full, but my heart is even fuller with people, memories, and connections I will forever cherish. Semester at Sea was truly the best experience I have ever had and would recommend it to anyone as it was life changing.

One of the most underrated aspect of semester at sea is the ship campus itself. Being able to live so close to your friends and just walking a few flight of stairs to your classroom and being able to sit down with your professors for lunch is such an amazing experience. It's eternal sunsets, it's endless travel stories from your friends, it's lifetime of memories. Highly recommend. One of the best decisions I made. And still day dream about this experience, still talk and travel to meet my SAS friends 4 years later.

I have not experienced anything like semester at sea before, therefore giving me a whole lot of different lenses to look at the world with. I completely enjoyed my experience and understand the importance of understanding others concerns, communication, communities, and countries. A overall wonderful experience that has changed my views as well as the way I live and who I am as a person.

My special and memorable experience abroad at Maastricht University has been greatly shaped by the support and care the Center of European Studies (CES) team has provided for us. The team went above and beyond in ensuring we were accompanied by help in every way possible, and in every step of the way. I felt comfortable in approaching all of the advisors as they made efforts to establish that friendly and warm relationship with us students since day 1. Our cohort all became very close and appreciated the every activity, event and trip that the CES team had so kindly organized for us. This has been an incredible experience, beyond anything we could’ve ever expected and imagined. The people we’ve met here in Maastricht will never be forgotten! Thank you to the CES team for being the wonderful people they are, and I couldn’t imagine going abroad through any other program :)

I thikn the most worthwhile is when all of us go through things togther and work together the last two days to finish our final project. I think it is a great idea to put a big final projectd combined both art and graphic design

I had a really good experience with Forum-Nexus overall. The program gave me the chance to travel a lot, meet great people, and learn more about different countries in a way that felt interesting and personal. I liked that the staff was friendly and helpful, and the hotels were some of the best I’ve stayed in. Some visits were better than others, but the overall balance of academics, free time, and cultural experiences made the program worth it. I’d recommend it to other students, especially if they want to make friends and grow through travel.

This summer abroad program was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had as an undergraduate.” “It was thoughtfully organized, with a great balance of academics, cultural exploration, professional visits, and enough independence to grow on my own.” “The instructors were engaging, knowledgeable, and encouraged real discussion, which made classes feel useful beyond the classroom.” “I especially liked being able to connect what we learned to our travels.” “The staff was welcoming and supportive throughout, and I’d absolutely recommend the program to other students.

I would recommend CIEE Study Abroad to a friend easily. I had such a great time, with my peers and teachers throughout these three months. I was always able to ask a CIEE staff member any questions and they would help me immediately. I felt straight at home when arriving, and I believe many people I recommend will feel the same.

My semester with SIT was one of the best of my life. My class on queer and feminist theory grew my comfort and knowledge within the subject, both academically and practically. The hands-on experiential learning component is central to the SIT curriculum and allowed us to continuously apply what we learned in the classroom to the real world. I've learned so much about the Netherlands and its history, peoples, and politics. From classes to my homestay to the people I met when I explored the city, I have grown significantly in my understanding of myself, the Netherlands, and the world at large. The homestay was absolutely a highlight of my time with SIT. I felt loved, cared for, and greatly supported. I was able to continuously work on my Dutch language skills with my homestay, too. Overall, I could not recommend this program enough.

My program experience was great. The program was set up so that half of my classes were only with students from my home university -- relatively small classes with 6-8 others--- and the other half were regular classes at the local university (which was more immersive and I preferred those classes). We had scheduled weekend trips to visit other countries and local areas around the host country, which accounted for about 1/4 of the total weekends. My favorite experience was visiting the shops and doing interviews with the local students for my cultural awareness final project. I was able to meet really cool people, which led me to dinners with strangers, book recommendations, free drinks, great conversations, artworks, and lifelong friends.

From a very young age I've always enjoyed new experiences, and as I grew up I knew I wanted to go far for school. However, due to familial situations I decided to stay close to my family for my undergraduate experience. As my family situation calmed down, CES Maastricht allowed me the opportunity of a lifetime to go and live not just in the Netherlands, but in the province my family originates from. With CES Maastricht, every step of the process was easy and help was readily available from the application stage to arrival and travel whilst on the program. The CES Program also offered a wide variety of classes to help students immerse into the culture of both the city and the Netherlands. One of my favorite parts of this program was the built-in travel that took students to Berlin Germany, Paris France, and a trip around several Dutch cities. I cannot recommend CES enough to friends curious about Europe, and I truly think that it is a perfect fit for anyone; whether you're focused on cultural immersion like I was with the Netherlands, or if you're curious about Europe in a broader sense. I was able to travel so much of Europe and even get to Africa on this program, and the experiences I had were downright life-changing.

I studied abroad Spring 2024 in Maastricht, Netherlands. And I really did have the time of my life. Studying in Maastricht, I was very challenged with academics. UM’s problem based learning strategy encourages students to lead class discussions, take an active role in choosing what to focus on, and collaborate with other students. Maastricht’s location in the heart of Europe allowed me to travel to other European countries by train with ease, making weekend travel easy. CES’s group trips and orientation helped me make friends immediately, whom I cooked dinner with, traveled with, and studied with, and who I still keep up with. If you have one choice - study abroad at Maastricht through CES!!!

I went to Maastricht to study in the summer of 2024. At first, I almost knew nothing about this city and I chose Maastricht as my destination simply because my major is Dutch Studies. But after arriving and studying for a while, I realized that I had made a best choice in my life. The teacher there were very nice and I made a lot of international friends. We hung out together and talked about our countries. If I had the chance, I would choose to go to Maastricht again and again.

The Psychology and Neuroscience program stood out to me because I knew I wanted to study abroad in western Europe and Maastricht had a perfect central location and the tailored coursework fit seamlessly with my major at UC San Diego as a Cognitive Neuroscience student. I knew all the classes would transfer and be relevant for my career goals. I can't even a choose a favorite memory from study abroad! Was it biking with my friends across town, rain or shine? Hiking down to the scenic Howth cliffs or trying to blend in with the kids at the Miffy museum or celebrating Halloween at Thuis with Riya in our horrendously bad costume? My study abroad experience was definitely the highlight of my college career and I recommend everyone to step out of their comfort zone and immerse themselves in a new culture and lifestyle for a few months when anything is possible at our age!

I did the CES program in Fall 2022. I was nervous because I was coming there all on my own but everyone, from the program administrators to the students, made me feel so welcome. I had the opportunity to immersive myself in the Dutch culture through the program, and travel to many neighboring cities and countries. I met some of my closest friends through this program and for that, I’ll always be grateful!