IES Abroad Amsterdam – Social Sciences & Humanities

When I was first looking into studying abroad, Amsterdam was not on my radar. Originally, I wanted to go to a bigger city like London or Paris. I was very confident I was going to go to one of those locations. After doing more research, I realized that Amsterdam aligned with what I wanted in a city. It was small enough for me to know where everything was, but almost everyday I was able to learn/explore something new. Whether it was walking by the canals or exploring a new museum, I was never bored. It sounds cliché, but Amsterdam will forever hold a special place in my heart. When I would travel on the weekends to other places, I would be excited to be back in my home country. I felt so safe and so at peace with where I was at. Also, I took classes at the University of Amsterdam. Unlike Penn State (My home university), the University of Amsterdam classes were spread across the city. I had to plan out my day to get to class, which was very different compared to what I am used to where I would just walk a couple minutes over to my class.

IES Abroad Amsterdam is a great hybrid between a direct enrollment option and an American study abroad parent program. I was fortunate enough to take classes at the University of Amsterdam and with guest professors at the IES Center. The IES liaisons to the university were very helpful and accessible, but as a whole I wish I'd spent more time at the university itself, and some people on my program didn't have any classes there at all. The IES workers planned free social gatherings in the city for us, as well as mental health breaks like yoga classes and paid field trips, like to see the Dutch National Football Team and spending a weekend in Belgium, to help us get to know the area. They were always available in case of emergency and helped those who needed medical support. Amsterdam is a great place to go for a semester abroad because it's very easy to travel around Europe from the city by bus, train, or plane, and the Netherlands is a wonderful country to explore. Amsterdam itself is huge, but IES made sure to place me in an apartment close to my university and was willing to help me acquire a bike to travel the city, which is by far the most-used means of transportation. Dutch adults are usually fluent in English, so even if you don't take a Dutch course, you'll be able to get around fine – though I strongly suggest trying to pick up some Dutch, which will require a lot of effort because of the prevalence of English. Grading in the Netherlands is very harsh, and students don't have GPAs at the universities, so be prepared for a very different academic sphere. Many classes base the overwhelming majority of their final grades on a single final exam or project, which is very intimidating. I enjoyed all of my classes and professors, both in and out of the university. Amsterdam is an expensive city, especially near the center. Groceries are a good price, but going out to eat or grab a cup of coffee can be costly. Bring your own cold medicine and pain medications, because you will have trouble finding those things in the Netherlands. I wish more advice like that was given to me pre-departure, but after the first couple weeks I figured everything out. IES makes sure to send a newsletter with events around the city every two weeks so we have plenty to explore. Overall, a very well-organized, well-run, kind program.

Studying abroad at IES was the best experience of my life. In fact, I had such a good time that it feels like a dream when I remember it, as if it did not even happen to me. Of course this would not be possible without IES. The IES staff within Amsterdam were some of the most friendly people I've ever met. Additionally, I experienced the same kindness from the professors who gave lectures through IES.