Sophie in Wageningen, Netherlands

Hello from the Netherlands! Since September I have been studying "International Equine Business Management" at the Aeres Hogeschool. Who is hesitant is right - Aeres is not one of our partner universities, so I'm very happy to be here with a DAAD scholarship. Since I wanted to specialize my studies with the semester abroad, I dared to jump into the deep end with the support of Ms. Neukirchen and Mr. Faulstich. Studying in the Netherlands is different than in Germany. But once you get used to taking a lot of exams during the lecture period and addressing your lecturers by first name, you quickly feel at home. In the first few weeks we not only visited the university's own research farms and stables, but also went on excursions to the surrounding cities. I left out the tourist magnet Amsterdam due to the Corona, but smaller cities like Zwolle also offer lasting impressions of Dutch culture with wonderful old town quarters. It is characterized by a very open and relaxed manner, so that the "internationals" are quickly integrated. Our 11-person study semester is mixed, which makes the group work exciting and enriching. It is not uncommon for the courses to take place in the pasture or in the horse stable. Excursions are unfortunately not necessary due to Corona, but small trips to nature parks are possible. With a bit of luck you can even end up in the middle of a herd of wild horses. Conclusion: Corona does not make it easy, but if you want to specialize, it is worth looking out for opportunities and getting to know like-minded people from all over the world.