Hi! My name is Catarina I’m 19 years old and I’m from Portugal, Lisbon. I’m currently in the third year of my bachelor in business and administration at Católica Lisbon SBE.
My experience started 2 weeks and a half ago. I arrived at Brussels airport (Zaventem) and took a flixbus to Maastricht because, even though it required waiting a few hours at the airport for it, it was much cheaper (7€) and easier than taking the train. I came to Maastricht alone, but at the brussels airport met some girls that were also coming to Maastricht on their Erasmus experience, so we took the bus together. When I arrived at the Maastricht station I took the Minivan of ISN to the guesthouse where I was staying, as I signed up for their free pick-up service! If you arrive at the introduction week you should use this service!
Housing in Maastricht
I live in the M building which is located in the GuestHouse. I live in a shared room with a toilet inside. I really like my floor, I think you have everything you need and the building was renewed 3 years ago so the conditions are really good. Be prepared to have a lot of parties and a messy kitchen! If you want to live in the guesthouse you can choose between 3 Buildings, C, P and M and the main differences are the parts of the habitation you share. I was really hesitant between going to a house or the guesthouse but I opted for the guesthouse because i was only staying for 5 months and in this place there is always something going on.
First week of PBL system
As you probably know Maastricht University uses the PBL system (Problem Based Learning). At my home university we use the regular system with lectures and some practical classes which is totally different. I was a bit nervous about my first tutorials because i didn´t really knew what to do and expect, but I guess you will be fine because you get used to it really quick. The only downside of the PBL is the amount of work and reading you need to do during the week, but if you organize you schedule well you will have time to study, party and travell a lot!
Trip 1 – Rotterdam
In my second week here, me and my friends decided to go to Rotterdam. If you are travelling with a group (4 minimum, 10 maximum) the cheapest way to travel around Netherlands is the GroupTicket that you can buy online at the ns.nl website, it will be between 6€ and 7€.
We stayed the nigth at a hostel but i think that you can do a one day trip and you will see everything.
Tips of the month
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- Students Service Center -As the PBL demands a lot of work the library is always full so i always study at Students Service Center. They have some rooms to study, a printer and a really nice cafe (Coffee Lovers) and usually is not full so it´s a nice alternative to the library.
Swapfiets
– One of the first things you should do when you get to Maastricht is to get a bike! I rented one to Swapfiets for 12€ a month and i think this is the best option if you are only staying for a short period of time.
- Action – This is THE store you need to know! It’s basically a store where you can find almost everything you will need (bedsheets, kitchen essencials, notebooks, etc) with the cheapest prices!
I hope my post helped you in some way! See you soon,
Catarina
Today is 11 of November and it´s the day Maastricht celebrates the first day of carnival!
Study abroad 