language and culturestudies/taal- en cultuurstudies PREPARATION

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1 Report 1 faculty/college humanities level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme language and culturestudies/taal- en cultuurstudies exchange application process PREPARATION The exchange applicationi process takes a lot of time, so I would recommend to start preparing as soon as you know where you want to go. You have to make a financial plan, write a motivation letter and find out which courses you are allowed to take at the guest university. Besides that, you also have to sign a lot of documents by your student-advisor and the international office. This all may seem as not much work, but don't underestimate. Not everything will go as planned and it takes time to find out the guest university's website and stuff. counselling & support at Utrecht University The support at Utrecht University is perfect, but you have to ask questions your own. You will not get that much guidance, as you have to do everything on your own. But as soon you have questions or don't understand what you have to do, you will get most likely a quick respons from the internation office or your student advisor. academic preparation I did an internship in Sheffield and was therefore obligated to take a course "Onderwijs in het Nederlands" to be well-prepared. Besides that I also did some volunteering as a Dutch teacher for Eramus students in Utrecht. This really helped in Sheffield with preparing classes and how to teach the Dutch language. language preparation Language preparation was unnecessary for me, since my level of English was quite good already. finances England is a really expensive country, so keep that in mind while making your financial plan. My university room was really expensive as well, so in the end I was really lucky with my savings for England. I would not have managed it with just the Erasmus grant and the college grant. It is optional to get a job in Sheffield, but I did not have time left for a job in Sheffield. Although it is really expensive, it is totally worth it and I do not regret any of it. I did a lot of travelling and daytrips as well, thus if you want to choose to not spend that much money you could not go with the daytripts (but I would really recommend going with Give it a Go!) study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD Internship Dutch as a foreign language English for Erasmus students proficiency (C2) Spanish for beginners The english course for English was really good for improving my English and the classes were fun as well. The teachers are so nice and the student-teacher relation is informal, which I really like. If you think you can improve your English a little more, I would definitley recommend this course. The Spanish for beginners was just an extra course I took, because all the others ones were full or not available for me. I am a communication major student and Sheffield does not really have courses related to communication. But it has a lot of language,

2 journalism and culture courses as well! academic quality of education activities I think the academic quality of education activities were a little lower than in Utrecht. Maybe that is also because I took Erasmus courses and not the real uniersity courses. From others who did do some "real" courses, I didn't hear difficulties either though. So it seems to me the level of the courses is not too high. counselling & support at receiving university abroad Sheffield of University is really welcoming to international students. They can help you with anything and everything. I didn't have any problems with the support in Sheffield. So for that, I think the University of Sheffield is amazing transfer of credits Sheffield credits are different from ECTS. This is important to notice when choosing your courses. Sheffield credits are always double of ECTS. So if a course is 20 Sheffield credits, it means that it is 10 ECTS. One of my classes was 10 ECTS, but I have to say: it did not feel like it. I did not have that much work for this class, so I think the effort you have to pun in the academic English class is just fine and probably less than you would expect. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE Since I went to Sheffield in february, I didn't have a full orientation programme. However, we did have a short one from 3 days and it was great! I met a lot of Erasmus students instantly and immediately knew where to find what on the campus and in the Student's Union. In the end, I think the orientation programme was quite standard, but just fine. We did some activities, like dancing and going to Meadowhall together and we did some tours as well. Besides that we obviouisly got a lot of information. You will probably forget a lot of it as well, but that is so great about this university: there is always someone you can ask! accommodation I lived in Endcliffe Village, which is the University housing. For me it was okay. I had my own bathroom and lived with 5 other girls (all from different countries which was really cool). However, I think it is quite expensive as I said before. It is also a 20 minutes walk to the University and I think the closest supermarkets are a 10 minute walk (except for the little village store on campus). So if I would go again, I would go for private accommodation. However, I still had a great time living there. A lot of Erasmus students lived there as well so every weekend there would be an international house party somewhere. leisure & culture Sheffield is a real student city. When my parents came to visit I didn't really know what to show them, because there is simply not much to show around in Sheffield. They have a small museum which is nice to visit sometimes. And the university buildings are nice to see and of course there is the peak district, which is absolutely stunning, but that is just it. However, for students it is great! The university organises a lot of parties and events like the Student Colour Run and the international parties in the Student's Union. The nature is great in Sheffield and they have a lot of parks as well, whichi is nice! suggestions/tips I would definitely suggest going to the Peak District. It is great! Besides that I would recommend going on daytrips with Give it a Go and not with Viva Sheffield! Viva Sheffield is the organisation that organises the big international parties, which are fantastic, but it also organises daytrips and they were not really good organised. Give it a Go daytrips, however, are amazing. They take you somewhere and you can just walk around on your

3 own, do whatever you like, as long as you are back at the bus sometimes. Also, if you live at the Endcliffe Village you get discounts on those trips. Besides that, Give it a Go organises a lot of other activities. So as soon as you arrive in Sheffield, make sure you get your hands on this little book from Give it a Go at the Student's Union. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes! Sheffield is a great student city and the people are so friendly. The university is also great and the Student's Union is an attraction on its own! do you have any additional advice or comments? Book your trainticket in advance from the airport to Sheffield, it s a lot cheaper! Report 2 faculty/college humanities level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Language- and Culturestudies exchange application process PREPARATION The application process was puzzling sometimes, since there were many things to figure out from an inconvenient distance. However the most important part of it was the excitement for all that was coming and that made it all worth it. counselling & support at Utrecht University Both the meetings arranged by Language- and Culturestudies and the services offered by the international office were as good as possible. It was comforting to hear from other students' experiences and to receive all the advice. I must say I could have asked more information and help from the international office, I just did not want to waste anyone's time, but they are very willing to help if possible. academic preparation I was not that much preparation for me to do for my modules, because I was not sure which ones I would end up doing until I arrived in Sheffield. I did however think of some useful books to bring (for instance a book on different referincing systems). In addition I mostly prepared for my internship by reading literature on teaching and conversationclasses. language preparation I was really happy to go to an English-speaking country, because the majority of literature I have to study normally is in English and I speak English quite regularly with a friend from the United States. Therefore I could use our skype-conversations to prepare myself for speaking English in Sheffield. I also brought an advanced English dictionary with me. finances It was good to have the financial plan as a requirement, because this was an additional motivation to figure out the exact expences I could expect. Life in the United Kingdom is definitely more expensive than in the Netherlands, so I was really happy to receive the Erasmus grant. In addition I requested the reimbursement for

4 not using public transport as a student in the Netherlands and the rest of the expenses I paid with my regular student-grant, some money I saved up for this experience and some money I received from my parents. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD In addition to my internship I signed up for two additional modules, both from a different department. This is something to keep in mind when applying for a university abroad, because in my case the options to choose from were initially limited to Germanic studies, the department with which Utrecht has an agreement. Eventually there were additional modules for all Eramsus-students in general (this is where I chose the module Language Culture and Identity in England) and I chose my other module (International perspectives on communities) from the Department for Lifelong Learning, a special department with extra flexibility for special cases, which was perfect for my situation. academic quality of education activities The University of Sheffield has a lot to offer in my opinion, both my modules were taught by very friendly and helpful experts on the subject. Some aspects of the classes were perhaps a little too easy for me to complete, but other aspects were definitely challenging enough and I think that is inevitable when dealing with students who come from different programmes. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The supportsystem at the University of Sheffield was almost overwhelming (in a good way), because they seem to offer any possible service one might need. From mental and physical care to difficulties with academic requirements, there's an phone number and initiative for everything. transfer of credits The transcript of records were made available through a special website/service, which seems to work well. It did take a while, which made me question myself for a moment, but again the staff at the university were happy to get back to me quickly, reassuring me that an would soon arrive. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE The University of Sheffield sent a lot of information in advance to help us prepare for the arrival. Then there was a full week of orientation activities organised by the Student's Union, which offered a lot of opportunities to make new friends and learn about the city in a fun way. The following week was an introduction week to register for modules and again there were a lot of fun activities as well as possibilities to reach out for support in any way. These two weeks made it very pleasant to adjust to everything new and it set the tone for the rest of the semester. accommodation The university-accommodation was pricey, but very good. The services were good and quick in most cases and the security made everyone feel safe. And most of all, staying in university-accommodation is the best way to stay in touch with other students and to participate in many fun activities. leisure & culture The Student's Union is overwhelmingly big and varied. You can join any club you like and there are a lot of activities, parties and trips for a fair price. What I liked most were the organised daytrips to a list of cities and cultural places throughout England, which were perfect for the Erasmus-experience. Moreover, Sheffield is a fun city to live in as a student, because the many pubs and bars are filled with students and the ambiance is

5 very personal and comfortable. And the Peak District right outside Sheffield offers beautiful nature to enjoy as well. suggestions/tips Bring good shoes, because enjoying Sheffield and the Peaks requires you to walk and hike a lot. And join the many Facebook-groups an -lists to receive updates on the many fun activities the city has to offer. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain If you dream of going to a place with pleasant weather or jaw-breaking architecture, then Sheffield is not the right place for you. However, if you want to make a lot of friends from many different places, have fun trying new things and experience the authentic English culture, Sheffield is the right place for you. In addition, you will learn new things from experts who will make sure that you can bring back good grades for high-quality classes. do you have any additional advice or comments? Try to keep yourself updated on all the deadlines and registration-requirements to save yourself a lot of stress Report 1 faculty/college Humanities level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Language and Culture Studies exchange application process PREPARATION Sheffield was my second choice, after Stellenbosch. I had to write a motivation letter for Stellenbosch, but not for Sheffield. Just signing up via in Utrecht and Osiris was enough. I received an from the International Exchange Office in Sheffield on the second of April that told me I was accepted as an incoming student (in the autumn semester). The first preparations (particularly filling in forms) before the deadline in January were most of the work. After that, I had to get some approvals from the student adviser and apply everything in/on Osiris. counselling & support at Utrecht University The is really helpful, although most of the information is stated quite clear on their website. But if I had any questions, I could easily them and they always answered my questions within a couple of days or even the same day. academic preparation There wasn't any acadamic preparation I had to do. The courses I wanted to do were quite in line with (?) my courses here in Utrecht, so there wasn't any problem attending them. language preparation None. I had already attended English courses in Utrecht, so the change wasn't really big for me. Just by being in England and talking English all the time, your 'skills' will already improve a lot.

6 finances I saved a couple of thousand euros and that was quite enough. I had the 'uitwonende beurs', an ov compensation and the Erasmus grant, so that helped a lot as well. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD Because you had to get an approval from the student adviser, I had already chosen my courses. I read a lot about having to change courses when you're in Sheffield, but I could attend all the courses I planned to. However, some of my friends weren't able to do the courses they wanted to, because they were full or not able for Erasmus students. English students get priority to courses (logically), so you have to keep in mind that if you want to do a course that is not specifically for Erasmus students, it can happen that you can't do that course. My major in Utrecht is Literature, so I attended Victorian Fiction and Gothic fiction, which were really nice courses if you like (English) literature. The teacher Dr. Helena Ifill was really good, enthousiastic and also very helpful with everything. The other course I attended was more for 'fun', although it was really interesting from time to time: Language, Culture and Identity in England. In this course, we learned a lot about England, about the language, the class divisions (which are still really present in England), etc. It also made you think about your own country in comparison to England or other countries. All three courses were special courses for Erasmus students (or we were just in a class full of Erasmus students) so everything was well arranged for us. academic quality of education activities I think the quality of especially the first two courses was really good. I had to do a lot of reading (that's logical if you study literature, but still), the seminars were quite intense and the assignments were also a lot of work. I had to write one mid-term assignment, one final assignment, assignments on Blackboard every week and we had to do a presentation. It wasn't really different from courses in Utrecht, of course depending on the courses. The Language, Culture and Identity course was also a lot of work: a journal, a big final assignment, two presentations and I forgot the last thing. Everything is really comparable to the UU. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The University of Sheffield is really well organised and their is really helpful. transfer of credits Because the University receives a lot of international students, the transfer of credits is all well arranged. There are set or fixed rules for that. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE I can really recommend you to go to the orientation week, which is the week before intro week. It's a lot of fun and I met all my friends there. It was really like a week of vacation. The intro week is more directed to the university and signing up for courses, the student enrollment, etc. The introduction is not obligatory, but really worth it! accommodation I signed in for university accommodation because that sounded easier for me and less to arrange. It is less to arrange because the university does it for you. Signing in for university accommodation is not a guarantee for a room! Keep that in mind. Friends of mine also signed in for university accommodation, but had to find their own a couple of weeks before departure, because they didn't get a room from the uni. If you are on time, you

7 can find a lot of private accommodations, via Facebook or other websites. They are a lot cheaper then uni accommodations. Anyway, I got a room from the uni, in Mappin Court. I was really lucky, because it was in the city centre and just 5-10 minutes walk from the uni. Other uni accomodations are for example in Endcliffe, which is a nice campus with a lot of other (international) students, but it is further away, say 25 minutes walk to the uni. Mappin Court is a flat with 40 students and has 6 appartments. I shared my appartment with 5 other international students, which was really nice. It has almost everything you need, except a living room. One big disadvantage of university accommodations is that you have to buy all the cutlery, pans and other things for cooking and beddings yourself. Go to Primark for your beddings and go to Wilko's for your cooking utensils and cutlery. If you buy it with your roommates, it can save you a lot of money. For the accommodation, I paid quite a lot: around the 500 euros a month. But: it was all worth it! leisure & culture Sheffield is not really a city for tourists. It's not as pretty as other English cities, but it is great to be a student in Sheffield and to live in Sheffield! It has everything you need except beach. A lot of parks, it has the Peak District where you can enjoy the English countryside, it has Manchester, Liverpool, York, etc. everything in its surroundings so a good base to go travelling. The Student Union is the best in England. It has everything you need: cafés, bars, salad bar, restaurants, seminarrooms, offices, studyspots, clubs, everything! And: people in the North are really friendly! They help you with everything. You don't hear the Northern accent that much, mostly when you're talking to the cleaning lady or with people from the maintenance. So don't worry about that, most people talk really understandable English. suggestions/tips Go to Sheffield! Save some money and go travelling in England, because it's a really beautiful country. I went to Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Lincoln, Cambridge, Oxford, Nottingham, London, York, Grimsby and Dublin (20 pounds return by Ryanair). If you book train tickets in advance, they can be really cheap. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes I certainly do. Sheffield is a big city, but has a small city centre with a lot of nice people and everything you need (pubs, clubs, restaurants, tearooms, everything). Go to the orientation week, because you will meet all your friends there. do you have any additional advice or comments? - Report 2 faculty/college Humanities (Geesteswetenschappen) level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Nederlandse taal en cultuur exchange application process PREPARATION The exchange application process involved many forms to fill out, which was a bit difficult sometimes, because you needed different signatures from your home university as well as the university you were going to. However, when you start on time with all the administration stuff, it is not that hard.

8 counselling & support at Utrecht University The counseling & support at Utrecht University was fine, we had a presentation about what we all had to arrange before we had to leave, and if you had any questions or difficulties you can always or call the. Also, the always responded quickly, which was very helpful. academic preparation The academic preparation was not difficult. I looked on the website of the University of Sheffield which modules I wanted to take and discussed these with my my student counselor/student advisor. language preparation I didn't need any language preparation because my English was on good level and the University of Sheffield does not ask for an extra language test. However, if you think your English is not good enough, the University of Sheffield provides extra English modules for which you can subscribe when you arrive there. Also, the professors always want to help. finances England is an expensive country, also compared to the Netherlands. I would recommend to save some money before you go there, so you are sure you have enough money to live from. I also received the Erasmus grant, which was helpful. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD I did modules at the department of English, because I was a modern language student these were special Erasmus modules. This means the courses were only meant for Erasmus students, so I had no native English speakers in my class. For me personally this was a good thing. The English modules I took were about English literature and I found it very interesting. However, we had to subscribe for the modules when we got there, so we could not do this online in advance of our arrival. I hope Uni of Sheffield will make online registration ofor courses available for incoming international students in the future, this would be more practical and save some time during introduction. academic quality of education activities The academic quality of education activities was good. The level was not too high or too difficult for me and the modules were do able. I have to say I was worried if my English academic writging would be good enough, because I had never wrote an essay in English before, but eventually this was not a problem, it only took a bit more time then when I had to write in my native language. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The counselling & support at the University is Sheffield is, in my opinion, very good. When you need help with anything, there are many options where you can go. Also the professors always want to help you. transfer of credits I do not know yet about my transfer of credits, because I did not receive my transcript of records yet. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE The student life in general in Sheffield was very good. I am full of praise for the welcome & orientation programme. I went to Sheffield for the Spring semester, and there was a special orientantion programma for

9 the international/erasmus students before the official start of the semester. I really recommend this programme, since you get to know a lot of people and you learn more about the University of Sheffield and what the Uni as well as the city have to offer. accommodation I was in university accomodation. This meant I didn't had to look for a room, which made it al a bit easier. I lived in Endcliffe village, which is a campus outside the city centre. From there it is an half hour walk to university, but after one week you get used to that. The biggest advantage of living here was that we lived with all the international/erasmus students in the same buildings. We became really close and did many activities together, like barbecues, dinners, sports and games, drinks et cetera. Also, all the rooms in Endcliffe Village have a shower and toilet (En Suite room), which means you do not have to share this with other people. The kitchen/living room was shared with your flatmates, but this was nice, because you could hang out together. Once per week a cleaning lady cleaned the common areas of the flat, but we also made a cleaning schedule ourselves. Another advantage of living in university housing is that he reception of the campus is open 24 hours at day. This means that when there is a problem, like a broken window, or a toilet that does not flush, or anything else, you can always go there and it gets fixed as soon as possible. leisure & culture Considering leisure & culture, Sheffield has many things to offer. If you want to go out at night, there are many clubs, bars and pubs. There are also many restaurants, like Indian restaurants, Italian restaurants etc. When you want to see some nature and want to go hiking for example, there is the national park The Peak District, which is very close to Sheffield (you can go there by bus). Also the Botanical Gardens are a 10 minutes walk from Endcliffe Village. There is also a big shopping mall in Sheffield (Meadow hall), this is a bit outside of the city centre, but you can go there easily with tram. When you want to do sports of other activities, the University of Sheffield has many sport societies and every training is open to go. There are also some group sport activities in Endcliffe village, like yoga for example. The Students Union of Sheffield also organises many parties and day trips to different cities and places. For example, I went to York and the Harry Potter studios. suggestions/tips - Go on the daytrips the Students Union provides. They have big discounts and it is an easy way to see more of England (You can go to York, Liverpool, Oxford etc.) - Participate in the orientation programme, this helps you to get to know people before the actual lectures and seminars start. - Do not be ashamed to ask help to native speakers or your professor. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I definitely would recommend Sheffield to others. Like I have written before, the University is very friendly towards international students and organises many stuff for their students. do you have any additional advice or comments? Report 3 exchange application process PREPARATION

10 After a long orientation and a lot of troubles with my coordinator about my placement, I did not decided to go for Sheffield, but for Berlin. I made a motivation letter and arranged everything for my application, like a study and financial plan. But then I received an that they placed me in Sheffield, which turned out to be a good choice in the end! counselling & support at Utrecht University I got offered a special place in Sheffield, because I was going to do an internship that was arranged by my own faculty. My coordinator, Emmeline Besamusca, was very helpful and also gave me some contact information of students who went before me. I have asked them a lot of questions while filling out my forms. I did not really contacted the. academic preparation I had to follow a course (Nederlands als Tweede Taal) before I went to Sheffield. I knew this, so I followed the course in the semester before I went to Sheffield. language preparation I haven't done anything fot language preparation. My English was good enough to go the England, live there and follow my courses. finances I had enough money to finance my trip. I saved money, got some money from my parents and I had my study grant and my Erasmus grant. Besides that, I was also earning money at the department I was following my internship. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD I went to Sheffield for my internship. Therefore I had to give conversationclasses and I had to help the Dutch teacher. For this, I will receive 10 ECTS. I also earned 10 ECTS with my course 'Language, Culture and Identity', which I found really interesting. My last 10 ECTS I earned with my course '19 th century American Literature', which is a course I would have never followed in Holland, but it was really nice as well. Before I left for Sheffield I already filled in a form with these courses. When I arrived, I had to officiale sign in, which was kind of chaotic. But since I had chosen only Erasmus courses, there was no problem. Other courses can be full. academic quality of education activities The quality was good. The amount of work over the semester is equal to the amout of work that we have in a periode. This makes that you have some more spare time. It was not difficult, but definetly not too easy; just good. counselling & support at receiving university abroad There were a lot of opportunities for counselling, which I thought was really nice. There was support at your arrival, there was a nice introduction, but also during the semester you could go to a lot of people for help. They also had a really good writing centre, which I made use of a couple of times. transfer of credits 10 credits in Sheffield of 5 ECTS. So I earned 60 credits, which makes 30 ECTS. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE There was a special programme for international students; orientation week. This was really good organised

11 and I met a lot of great people. They arranged a place to sleep for the week and there were a lot of activities you could participate in. These were nice events, but also necessary events about working in the UK etc. After this week, there was also a normal introduction week for all the students. This was also a nice week, but I would really advice to also go to the orientation week. accommodation I lived in university accommodation. This was quite expensive (around 500 a month), but it was nice. I had a room in the city centre, so everything was within a walking distance of 5 minutes. I lived with 7 international students. I choose the university accommodation, because I knew that it would exactly cover the time I was going to stay and Sheffield and they offered a lot of services. But it would also be easy to find yourself a room, which will definitly be cheaper. leisure & culture England is a really nice country to live in. The English language makes it really easy to communicate with people. People in Sheffield are really friendly and helpful. Sheffield is a very modern city, and it misses out on the old English culture, which was a little disappointment for me. But, the nature around Sheffield is really nice and beautifull. There are a lot of shops, clubs and pubs. It is a real student city suggestions/tips Like I already said; join the orientation week, because I think that is a really great way to get to know the city, university and get to know people. And if you decide to go to Sheffield, make sure you plan a lot of trips to the Peak District and cities like York, Cambridge and Nottingham. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I would! If you are interested in going to England, you should definitly consider Sheffield. It is a real student city, the people are nice and everything with the university is really well organised. do you have any additional advice or comments? Don't be scared to go and look for a room yourself! It is much cheaper and you have the change to live with English people, instead of other international students. Report 4 exchange application process PREPARATION Sheffield was my second choice, after Stellenbosch. I had to write a motivation letter for Stellenbosch, but not for Sheffield. Just signing up via in Utrecht and Osiris was enough. I received an from the International Exchange Office in Sheffield on the second of April that told me I was accepted as an incoming student (in the autumn semester). The first preparations (particularly filling in forms) before the deadline in January were most of the work. After that, I had to get some approvals from the student adviser and apply everything in/on Osiris. counselling & support at Utrecht University The is really helpful, although most of the information is stated quite clear on their website. But if I had any questions, I could easily them and they always answered my questions within a couple of days or even the same day. academic preparation

12 There wasn't any acadamic preparation I had to do. The courses I wanted to do were quite in line with (?) my courses here in Utrecht, so there wasn't any problem attending them. language preparation None. I had already attended English courses in Utrecht, so the change wasn't really big for me. Just by being in England and talking English all the time, your 'skills' will already improve a lot. finances I saved a couple of thousand euros and that was quite enough. I had the 'uitwonende beurs', an ov compensation and the Erasmus grant, so that helped a lot as well. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD Because you had to get an approval from the student adviser, I had already chosen my courses. I read a lot about having to change courses when you're in Sheffield, but I could attend all the courses I planned to. However, some of my friends weren't able to do the courses they wanted to, because they were full or not able for Erasmus students. English students get priority to courses (logically), so you have to keep in mind that if you want to do a course that is not specifically for Erasmus students, it can happen that you can't do that course. My major in Utrecht is Literature, so I attended Victorian Fiction and Gothic fiction, which were really nice courses if you like (English) literature. The teacher Dr. Helena Ifill was really good, enthousiastic and also very helpful with everything. The other course I attended was more for 'fun', although it was really interesting from time to time: Language, Culture and Identity in England. In this course, we learned a lot about England, about the language, the class divisions (which are still really present in England), etc. It also made you think about your own country in comparison to England or other countries. All three courses were special courses for Erasmus students (or we were just in a class full of Erasmus students) so everything was well arranged for us. academic quality of education activities I think the quality of especially the first two courses was really good. I had to do a lot of reading (that's logical if you study literature, but still), the seminars were quite intense and the assignments were also a lot of work. I had to write one mid-term assignment, one final assignment, assignments on Blackboard every week and we had to do a presentation. It wasn't really different from courses in Utrecht, of course depending on the courses. The Language, Culture and Identity course was also a lot of work: a journal, a big final assignment, two presentations and I forgot the last thing. Everything is really comparable to the UU. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The University of Sheffield is really well organised and their is really helpful. transfer of credits Because the University receives a lot of international students, the transfer of credits is all well arranged. There are set or fixed rules for that. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE I can really recommend you to go to the orientation week, which is the week before intro week. It's a lot of fun and I met all my friends there. It was really like a week of vacation. The intro week is more directed to the university and signing up for courses, the student enrollment, etc. The introduction is not obligatory, but really worth it! accommodation

13 I signed in for university accommodation because that sounded easier for me and less to arrange. It is less to arrange because the university does it for you. Signing in for university accommodation is not a guarantee for a room! Keep that in mind. Friends of mine also signed in for university accommodation, but had to find their own a couple of weeks before departure, because they didn't get a room from the uni. If you are on time, you can find a lot of private accommodations, via Facebook or other websites. They are a lot cheaper then uni accommodations. Anyway, I got a room from the uni, in Mappin Court. I was really lucky, because it was in the city centre and just 5-10 minutes walk from the uni. Other uni accomodations are for example in Endcliffe, which is a nice campus with a lot of other (international) students, but it is further away, say 25 minutes walk to the uni. Mappin Court is a flat with 40 students and has 6 appartments. I shared my appartment with 5 other international students, which was really nice. It has almost everything you need, except a living room. One big disadvantage of university accommodations is that you have to buy all the cutlery, pans and other things for cooking and beddings yourself. Go to Primark for your beddings and go to Wilko's for your cooking utensils and cutlery. If you buy it with your roommates, it can save you a lot of money. For the accommodation, I paid quite a lot: around the 500 euros a month. But: it was all worth it! leisure & culture Sheffield is not really a city for tourists. It's not as pretty as other English cities, but it is great to be a student in Sheffield and to live in Sheffield! It has everything you need except beach. A lot of parks, it has the Peak District where you can enjoy the English countryside, it has Manchester, Liverpool, York, etc. everything in its surroundings so a good base to go travelling. The Student Union is the best in England. It has everything you need: cafés, bars, salad bar, restaurants, seminarrooms, offices, studyspots, clubs, everything! And: people in the North are really friendly! They help you with everything. You don't hear the Northern accent that much, mostly when you're talking to the cleaning lady or with people from the maintenance. So don't worry about that, most people talk really understandable English. suggestions/tips Go to Sheffield! Save some money and go travelling in England, because it's a really beautiful country. I went to Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Lincoln, Cambridge, Oxford, Nottingham, London, York, Grimsby and Dublin (20 pounds return by Ryanair). If you book train tickets in advance, they can be really cheap. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes I certainly do. Sheffield is a big city, but has a small city centre with a lot of nice people and everything you need (pubs, clubs, restaurants, tearooms, everything). Go to the orientation week, because you will meet all your friends there. do you have any additional advice or comments? Just me if you want more information about Sheffield! I already told a lot, but I certainly forgot a lot of things :)