Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL)

Watch out ! The accomodation in this university is almost entirely in the hands of private investors. Their agencies own a great number of apartments (individual or collective). Students who can afford to go to Louvain during the summer or in early September can choose flat location and accomodation, but most foreign students have no choice. Local accomodation agencies tell them they had to book them a room (a "kot", as they say in Belgium - a Flemish word for "corner"), and it's too late to change, even if your classes are a 40-minute walk away from your "kot" - and classes usually start at 8 in the morning. (Cars or buses are not allowed in the city - Bring your bike, roller-blades, or donkey).Or you may be at ground level on the busiest street of Louvain, unable to sleep before 3 AM or after 7 AM (night life is rather busy there, except during week-ends). So tell the agency from the beginning what kind of accomodation you expect (find out in wich part of the city your classes will take place, it depends on your academic area) and make sure you can change if your "kot" is not suitable for you. If they refuse, DO insist. They seem to be used to consider foreign students a handful tribe to fill in the lousiest "kots", and they ask you to send up money to book the kot long beforehand. The whole thing seems to be a hell of a money-making business, but it's not very honest. And the university itself will be of no help, as they're not in charge.

Louvain la neuve is a big university campus, so every activities take place in this student town. The night spots are connected with the university and they called "cercle", which university have your own "cercle".

The main problem is that the classes end in juin and the contract is 12 months long (until september), everything else with out problems.

No.

Not knowing french can be really annoying in a place like this. But the interation with local students, professors eases allot the learning of french. So in a couple of months the language left to be a problem.