CIEE College Study Abroad in Amsterdam, Netherlands

I had an excellent experience in the CIEE Amsterdam: Social Sciences & Humanities program. The staff was helpful and kind, and they made the transition seamless. The CIEE courses I participated in did a great job of integrating us into the culture while also challenging us academically. The social scene in Amsterdam was so much fun and fairly easy to navigate. The city has a great variety of activities, including expansive flea markets, museums with amazing history, and unique attractions such as the Red Light District. I would absolutely recommend this program and Amsterdam as a city itself.

I have never been abroad and Amsterdam has been in must for SO long so when I found out about this trip I was incredibly excited. This trip has been great, it was definitely a rocky transition to adjust myself not only to the time zone but just being alone in a new place. After I felt more settled and there was a schedule things began to get better. The culture here and the art and especially the architecture is amazing here. It was nice having to go to class everyday because it forced you to go into a new part of the city and explore that area on lunch breaks. Learning to ride a bike as soon as possible in the city here was very helpful and I’d definitely recommend biking everywhere. It helps you really experience Amsterdam!

CIEE did an amazing job in making us feel supported while abroad. It was hard adjusting to a different environment without any familiar faces, but CIEE did their best to try and give us immersive cultural excursions and activities, while also giving us the freedom do do our own outings. I really enjoy the flexibility they gave us, this allowed me build my own itineraries on certain days and learn about Amsterdam and the Netherlands in my own way. CIEE also supplied many resources abroad, making the process easier. They were amazing every step of the way!

I really enjoyed my time in Amsterdam, and it has become one of my favorite places to live. I definitely recommend studying in Amsterdam and at the University of Amsterdam. It is so accessible, and with my bike, I have been able to go anywhere in the city. The CIEE staff were extremely friendly and helpful, and somewhat accessible. I do think the Orientation was awful, as it started the day we arrived, only a couple hours after we left the airport. It was only a couple days long, and was basically just a massive information dump with no ice-breakers or get-to-know-you activities. We then had two weeks here before classes began, which was nice to have time to get settled and explore, but CIEE held nothing for us during this time. Because of this, I never even met most of the other people in my program.

While I understand most if not all programs, work environments, schools, etc all over the world were all re-acclimating and recovering from the global pandemic, I was unfortunately quite disappointed with many parts of my time studying abroad in Amsterdam with CIEE in Spring of 2022.
I would like to start by saying that I overall had a wonderful experience. I met amazing people, was fortunate enough to travel, and felt I personally grew a lot. But with that, those experiences were not due to CIEE and the program isn't was almost completely unhelpful the entire time.

I loved my experience with CIEE because they took care of a lot of logistics. This included housing and my visa. From there on, I got to focus on enjoying the culture of the Netherlands and engaging with Dutch locals. They really gave me a lot of freedom in class choices and were very hands off — which I preferred. Then I got to explore however I wanted.

Regarding academics, it was great to learn economics in another country. Economics is very popular in the Netherlands and finance is an elite field in the country too. I found the courses were very easy, and so did many of my peers. I almost never attended classes, certainly never took notes, and only completed the finals. I received the equivalent of a 3.8 with very minimal effort. This can be great if you're focusing on learning in the culture, rather than within the classroom.

I recommend this program for very independent students who are looking to grasp global insight through experience.

I studied abroad with CIEE this past fall in Amsterdam. I was impressed by how receptive and helpful the staff in the Amsterdam office were, and I really built a strong connection with them. I participated in CIEE teach, I was a member of the Student Representative Council, and I participated in a homestay up one weekend up north in Groningen - these are examples of my favorite activities that I got to do as a CIEE student. My favorite memory was through CIEE teach, when my Dutch students said goodbye to my friends and I by performing a dance for us and giving us chocolates for their Sinterklaas holiday.

CIEE was very helpful during orientation (and after) in getting us accustomed to how the UvA operates. I also took courses with CIEE, as they had a more familiar grading standard. Both my UvA and CIEE courses were challenging, and it was cool learning about European politics and social policies while living there. As far as housing goes, that is the factor that influenced me choosing this program - CIEE guarantees housing in Amsterdam, which is an incredible promise that they uphold for students, since the housing market in Amsterdam is very competitive. I stayed in a single with a full size bed and private bathroom in The Student Hotel Amsterdam West, which was a ~25 minute bike ride from UvA. I loved this experience, the friends I made through it, and the memories I created will be cherished forever -- and I didn't go in thinking this is how I'd feel. Trust me, the folks at CIEE really did their best in shaping this experience for me and 90+ other students, and they are always receptive to improvements. If you're looking for a program thats challenging, with good staff support, independent housing, and in a central location for European travel, this program is for you.

Want to to go to a place where everything looks like a movie? Amsterdam is the place , if that's not already intriguing then listen to why Amsterdam may want to be the next place on your list . Amsterdam is known for it's beautiful tulips along with their canals found all over the city , along with flowers and architecture you will be amazed in learning the transportation services in The Netherlands . The Dutch are HUGE on biking so a lot of the time you will deal with bikers instead of cars , as there are many different things you may not be used to in your home country there's no need to fear on being different because this country is known for their acceptance of all people . Whether you like to go out for a night in the city , or sit at a canal and relax peacefully what ever you are into I can almost guarantee you will feel at home in Amsterdam , if you are considering studying abroad , don't consider it any more , just do it.