Netherlands: Heewone Lim (We’re Not in Madison Anymore)
We’re Not in Madison Anymore
The biggest difference between UCU and UW is the number of people on campus. UW has a whopping student body of 50,000 whereas UCU has a student body of only 750. Since UCU is so small, class sizes have a maximum of 28 people. This means you keep seeing the same faces over and over and start recognizing people pretty quickly (and conversely, people start recognizing you!).
Something else that stuck out to me was the bike culture. Of course, I had heard about the Dutch affinity for cycling but I wasn’t expecting how deeply ingrained it is in the city infrastructure. There are bike racks and parking garages everywhere! In fact, biking is often more efficient than taking public transportation. For example, getting to the university library in the city center is only 7 minutes on bike but 20 minutes via bus. Bikes also have the right of way in the Netherlands and cars will stop to allow bikers to go, which is unheard of back home.
Most students at UCU live in the dorms, which is pretty typical back home (especially for first-year students) but highly unusual here. Older students do have the option to live off campus, like at UW, but since housing is guaranteed in the dorms and the Netherlands is also in the middle of a housing crisis, it seems like most people stick around. Something I didn’t expect was the addition of a “bedroom sink”, which is common in the Netherlands.
UW campus and the Capitol are entwined with each other, so it’s a pretty seamless transition between student life and “the real world”. UCU is known for a bit of a bubble, since housing, study spots, and classes are all on campus which is gated. But once you step off campus, it’s pretty easy to get to the city center and spend an afternoon wandering around.
Heewone Lim
Major: Journalism
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
Program: University College Utrecht Honors Exchange in the Netherlands
As a Madison native, I felt that spending time abroad would challenge me to grow in a way that staying in Madison wouldn’t. I feel incredibly fortunate to represent UW while abroad and having the opportunity to share experiences with my community here. I know just how important platforms are, as a Journalism major.
I’m planning on writing my senior thesis on the Dutch Golden Age and mass communication during the era, so I’m excited to understand what academic research looks like and getting a better idea if I want to grad school. Utrecht, in my humble opinion, feels more like a “real” Dutch city where I could truly understand what life in the Netherlands is like, in comparison to Amsterdam, which was full of cool things to do and see but felt too busy.
It goes to show that you can have a diverse range of experiences as a Badger, and that the university aims to support their students in whatever they choose to pursue.