RA Students on the Road...

Paul Boot (Dutch), University of Cambridge - Fall 2006/Spring 2007

"Studying abroad has been an extremely enriching experience for me. Apart from the academics, you will probably update your definition of Friends, Home, and RA, improve your English (a bit), and meet people from East-London (South-Africa), Chicago and Hilversum. Do it, and I know it will change your life… Here are some observations on the differences between Cambridge and RA:

1. The Bubble-feeling

Especially foreign students in Middelburg sometimes feel the need to get out of M-city every now and then. Theoretically speaking, Cambridge students do not have to leave their college for three years. You study, sleep, eat, sport, meet your friends, get drunk, crawl out of the river Cam, go to the library and go to the movies in your college, if you like. The only thing to do after three years is get some new clothes, although being a fashion-freak is not compulsory in Cambridge. If you do decide to explore life outside your college, you will see that you can find many restaurants, shops and sport facilities within a 1-mile radius. Only once you go to a nearby town like Ely you ‘re-realize’ that there is a world outside of The Bubble.

2. Supervisions and Lectures

True, you will find more professors than cashiers in Cambridge. Discussing your essays with them on a 1-to-1-basis, your main concern every week, is a joy. You will be amazed that you did not even know how much you do not know. On the other hand, the lectures are not as amazing as I expected them to be. I was hoping for a revival of my experiences during the 2005 International Summer Schools, but it seems that only the best presenters work during the summer. Some lecturers are excellent, but many read their texts out loud, without any intonation. Lectures are not as interactive as they are at RA, and I found this makes a big difference. Furthermore, I feel Cambridgians exchange less information during and after classes. This could be caused by the competition between students at Cambridge. You do not want your friends to get a better grade than you, would you? This could be different in courses other than history, however. My main focus lies on reading and writing essays. I have not had any exams yet, but I would be surprised to find students studying together for a test, as they do in Middelburg.

3. Social Life in Cambridge

I write Cambridge, not England, on purpose. Many students told me that Cambridge is not representative for the whole of the England. regarding prices in supermarkets and concerning social life. Quite some students in Middelburg greet each other on the street, or at least look each other in the eyes, nodding politely. No such thing in Cambridge, at least not as far as I and many internationals with me have noticed. In a way it is similar to the difference between international students and Dutch students at RA. Cambridge has truly opened my eyes when it comes to the sub-grouping students this way. For those of you who are planning to go on exchange: speak to anything with ears in the first couple of days, and join every society you can find.

Once more, these are my experiences. No doubt many students have a completely different view of studying, be it at RA, Cambridge or anywhere else. Remember to enjoy student life: many have done so before, and they still do not regret it!"

Lukáš Veselý (Czech), UCLA - Spring 2006

"RA has been a successful adventure. Multidisciplinary undergraduate study is not so common in Europe and some outsiders are skeptical -- but a horde of very motivated students and hand-picked faculty are creating a program of high-quality and high-intensity. Combine politics, economics and law -- or math, IT and linguistics… If you have a plan and work hard, you will develop enormously and the doors to the world’s best grad schools will be opened...

Of course study is not everything only: RA life therefore abounds with extracurricular activities. I did Cabaret, Choir, Academic Affairs Council, Rowing and worked on the Yearbook -- you can do Field hockey, Debating, the Student bar, Political Society or Photography. The ultimate advantage of a small campus is that you can actively shape the student life yourself: it’s so natural to become involved!

Middelburg is a provincial capital with charming 17^th-century architecture and spooky alleys overgrown with ivy. There is a bustling nightlife and there are cozy pubs, you get a big Thursday market, the best Dutch beaches are within cycling distance, and it’s not too far from Utrecht, Amsterdam, Antwerpen, Brugge, Ghent or Brussels. The campus is inside the town center -- yet you are in a distinct international student community. (So you dine in front of your house with Lithuanians, barbecue in a shopping cart with Ecuadorians, and organize snow-fights against guys from Cameroon.)

A final twist to your university experience can be the semester abroad. My six months on exchange at UCLA were extremely stimulating intellectually and I made sure to do some hiking in Joshua Tree and Yosemite as well. It is a tense yet rewarding feeling when you are somewhere in California and depend on yourself. But in fact, as an RA student you can access dozens of Utrecht University’s exchange programs, so Singapore is an option as well.

To summarize, RA is becoming a prominent undergraduate college, so come and do your part!

P.S. Hitch-hiking Middelburg-Paris takes only 11 hours."

 

Joost van der Veen (Dutch), UC-Santa Barbara - Spring 2006

"Studying in Santa Barbara, California is completely different and still a lot like RA. For me, studying abroad has been an amazing experience, better than any expectations and definitely worth all the paperwork. This exchange has been about more than taking courses RA can’t offer, or about improving my fluency; it was about plunging into a different culture and exploring it thoroughly. My exchange was about meeting dozens of new people, making new friends, doing new things, seeing new places. The University of California in Santa Barbara is a great place for all of this.

Going abroad for a semester, six full months in my case, had its ups and downs. With Nina, my girlfriend, still in Holland, 6000 miles is a long distance. On the other side, having her come over twice was simply amazing. Also, visiting Death Valley, Yosemite and San Francisco are a definite must for anyone going to California. Very interesting is also the early intervention program for people getting caught drinking in the dorms, since the legal drinking age here is 21, rather than 16. One tip: those big closets in your room can fit up to four (intoxicated) people in case your house-elder comes checking. UCSB earned that top ranking among party campuses.

The academic aspects of my exchange were great as well. The number of available courses is stunning and my courses on American politics were very interesting. At the same time, I learned most in between my classes: in countless discussions with peers, in watching the State of the Union live in a diner, in going to teach-ins and watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Watching the gubernatorial elections in California next November (with Arnold ‘Governator’ Schwarzenegger as the republican incumbent) is going to be great.

For everyone considering going on exchange to California I have only one advice: Take that chance, because it indeed is an experience never to forget. And make sure you end up at UCSB, where the ocean is your neighbor and Del Playa your friend..."