Economics and Business Management student Olivia studied at Erasmus University, in Rotterdam in 2024–25. Here are some of her reflections on her year abroad in the Netherlands.
My study abroad experience in Rotterdam began in August 2024. I took my flight by myself and, after a short train from Amsterdam, I arrived outside my new flat in the heart of Rotterdam.
Finding accommodation had been difficult. It had taken me months to secure my apartment, requiring a lot of my time over the summer. I had originally booked an Airbnb for the first two weeks of my exchange, with the hope that I would find something when I moved to Rotterdam. However, I got lucky in confirming my apartment two weeks before my flight out.
I lived in a flat with a shared kitchen. I had my own bathroom and bedroom, which came fully equipped with a TV, fridge, and so on. It was perfect for me! The location was great – right by the Erasmus bridge – and I was living with other students. I made two great friends via my shared kitchen; a German first year student and an Italian Master’s student.
I enrolled in the International Bachelor of Economics and Business Economics (IBEB) programme at Erasmus University. It was very similar to my Economics with Business Management course at Newcastle.
I was really surprised by how easy it was to make connections. The University is around 80% international students, so they hosted a lot of events where you could network and make friends.
They have an outstanding number of societies, as well as the Erasmus Student Network. The Network is based entirely around international and exchange students meeting up, so I was able to meet my best friends really quickly.
I settled into university life within the first few weeks thanks to all the events that the university had organised for us. There was an introduction day with a pub crawl finish, a boat party, exchange mixers, and I also joined the EFRs society, which meant I met lots of lovely Dutch people too. My university timetable was also pretty busy with in-person seminars, so this also helped hugely in making friends.
It felt like the work I was involved in while studying abroad was valuable and contributed to society.
For example, at the start of the semester we did a project for welfare economics. We worked with an individual who was producing an app that could be a buddy for new healthcare workers. We worked in groups alongside him to advise him on how the app could be most effective in practice. This ended in a presentation where we shared our ideas.
As part of my sustainability module, the ex-prime minister of Holland delivered a really interesting talk on how he conducted his climate policies alongside the economic welfare of the Netherlands.
My final module – economics of markets and organisations – was based around sustainability too.
My favourite thing about studying abroad was how many friendships I made with people from all over the world. I met the kindest and most incredible people from every continent. I loved hearing about their cultures and traditions, and they loved hearing about ours too. I also enjoyed immersing myself in the Dutch lifestyle. Visiting and living in a place are two completely different things.
My exchange went so quickly, and I left Rotterdam in July 2025 with so many incredible memories, best friends and valuable life skills. Experiencing day-to-day life in a different country gave me such a valuable insight.
This year abroad has definitely affected my future plans. I now have lots of different options for what I will do after university: moving back to the Netherlands, living abroad in a different city, or moving to London. City life really suits me as a young person.
I'm really grateful for how the year abroad allowed me time to clarify what area of economics I would like to pursue. I know I will venture into environmental economics after my degree.
I've also now got a lot of contacts in Rotterdam, so I'd be able to help anyone hoping to move there in the future!
Interested in adding an international experience to your degree but unsure where to go? NUBS has several partners around the world, with teaching available in English in all destinations.
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