Reviews of Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) | Belgium

Useful | 0

naipaise

University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, United States
Language, Graduate, La Communauté française de Belgique

Academic

Course recommendations

Ask about the level (undergraduate or graduate) before you register as most courses will be taught in French. Don't be shy to ask classmates for notes or help.

My academic experiences

Quality of courses

Variety of courses

Access to resources

Interaction with teachers

Interaction with international students

Interaction with local students

Personal comments

none

My opinion of the university assessment

Exams at end of course

Exams throughout the course

Essays and/or projects at the end of course

Essays and/or projects throughout the course

Overall

Useful | 0

ariane p

Sciences Po Paris, Paris, France
European Union, Graduate, Erasmus

Expenses

Main source of funding:

Personal savings

Other sources of funding:

none

Work opportunities:

It was not legal for me to work

Personal spending habits

Belgacom, the local phone company, charges far too much to give you a number, and they charge again when you cancel the line at the end of your stay. Even if you don't phone a lot, you pay every month, and it's quite a lot. Try to live in a flat where they already have a phone ! Local supermarkets are expensive : they're well aware of the fact tat most students have no car, and therefore have no choice : they shop in Louvain. Find friends to go shopping in the surrounding malls.

Telephone:

was more expensive than at home.

Food:

was the same price as at home.

Overall, Housing, Travel, Nightlife:

was less expensive than at home.

Accessibility of student needs

Second-hand text books

Second-hand household items

Second-hand bedding

Administrative

Money from home

Personal comments

1/ The railway company allows young students to buy 10-journey travelcards called "Gopass", it's a cheap and handy way to discover Belgium. 2/ Food : See 3.

Useful | 0

Andreas K

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Graduate, CEMS

Languages

Language of instruction: English

Local language was: Different than language of instruction

Was learning English a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my English

Was learning the local language a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my the local language

How much did you improve your English?

My level before: No problems in any areas (including slang)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)

How much did you improve your the local language?

My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

A good advice is to get to know a lot of belgian people; Do not stick with all the Erasmus people, try to improve your language by speaking with the Belgians.

Useful | 0

ariane p

Sciences Po Paris, Paris, France
European Union, Graduate, Erasmus

Languages

Language of instruction: French

Was learning French a key decision factor?

No, it wasn't.

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

For french-speakers : funny Belgian accent and language odd tips, such as the general incapacity to distinguish two verbs ("savoir" and "pouvoir"). You may be surprised to be asked in French whether you "know" how to open the door, or how to read... They only ask you if you CAN open the door, or if you can read althought it is dark, for example. Many weird local words, funny to discover.

Useful | 0

PATRICIA H

UNIVERSIDAD DEL PACIFICO, LIMA, Peru
Business Studies, Undergraduate, University Agreement

Overall

I wish I had known...

Maybe more information about the culture and traditions, especifically in this campus.

In my opinion:

Everybody loved it, you will too!

Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important

Academic reasons

4

Culture

4

Costs

1

Activities

4

Campus life

4

Party / people

3

Weather / location

3

Personal recommendation

One recommendation could be to improve the inscription system, give more information about the courses and teachers.

During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot

Became familiar with another culture

4

Traveled

4

Improved language skills

4

Met people from other countries

4

Became more independent

4

Partied a lot

4

Experienced a change in life

4

Advanced my studies & career

4

Final comments

This university is great to experienced living in a real university campus, where you have a lot of facilities for students (sports, theater, cinema, events, ....) and also for travel.

Useful | 0

Sergej K

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Graduate, CEMS

Expenses

Main source of funding:

Family

Other sources of funding:

An ERASMUS grant

Work opportunities:

I didn't want/need to work

Personal spending habits

In general the expenses were similar to those I incur in Austria. I spent more on travelly due to the simple fact that I travelled more than I usually do

Travel, Overall:

was more expensive than at home.

Telephone, Housing, Food, Nightlife:

was the same price as at home.

Accessibility of student needs

Second-hand text books

Second-hand household items

Computers / Internet

Administrative

Money from home

Personal comments