Which countries are free to study abroad in?

denhaagenite wrote: »

I've lived in the Netherlands for almost 8 years and started studying in Maastricht 1.5 years ago. I'm currently doing an Erasmus semester in Ireland. Much prefer the learning environment in NL, more group work and more hours per week meaning I'll get a degree in 3 years instead of (the imo totally unnecessary for full time study) 4 years. In my Uni, tutorials are mandatory meaning you get to know your classmates quite well and quite quickly. The tutorial groups change every 2 months aswell which means it's not cliquey.

Add to this, because I've been living and working there for more than 5 years I am entitled to a small monthly allowance (means tested, can be topped up with a very low interest loan) and free travel. If you work for 56+ hours per month you can also claim this. The fees are about €2000 per year so the small allowance I get covers this.

I started when I was 28 in a class of around 120. They were mainly Dutch and German, some English, French, International students. The Dutch tend to be 18/ 19 starting, as do the International students. The Germans generally do civil service or work as au pairs so can be anything up to mid twenties starting. A lot of the Germans tend to leave because they were waiting on courses in Germany which they get accepted to in either October or March, there are about 80 in my year now. There were around 4 other "mature" students (my age) when I started but now I'm the only one left. This is worth keeping in mind, mature students barely exist in the Netherlands. I think the only reason I've lasted is because actually, I'm not very mature :pac:. I think the others had issues with getting used to studying again but also expected respect for being 30+ from the younger students. I got on because I am aware that age really doesn't afford you any wisdom and I'm quite happy forget about mortgages etc for a while to go drink tequila.

In my Uni in Ireland, there are a lot more mature students. Honestly, I find the ones in my classes a bit irritating. Not that I begrudge them an education, but I find that they are really only there for the academics. Sometimes they seem to carry on like they know more than the lecturers which ends up taking up too much class time for my liking. Having said that, I have met some who are lovely and are really embracing all aspects of the university life.

Bottom line, while Uni in NL is something I definitely prefer, I have seen that it's difficult to just move to a country without really understanding what it's like to live there beforehand and this is more difficult when studying. You have limited funding, have to pay for all the normal things (rent, bills, health insurance etc etc more mandatory costs in Western Europe) and this is more difficult to do when you're older. Unless you have a good support network when you arrive, I would advise against it.