Erika R., Bachelor of Design
University of TU Delft, Netherlands (Semester 1, 2018)
Life at TU Delft is a student’s dream in my opinion. The university covers a significant portion of the small town of Delft in the Netherlands. This means majority of the people are students. The faculty of Architecture, which is where I was, is full of motivated students. The students treat university like a full-time job, as they roll into faculty at 9am and leave by 6pm. I was lucky enough to have my classes in the model hall, which is a huge, light-filled atrium space filled with students model-making all day long. After a big day, the architecture faculty has its own bar, open Tuesday and Thursday evenings which is a great way to end a hard-working day.
Academic culture at TU Delft involves constant hard working ethic. For my course assessment was in groups, this made the motivation drive to become stronger within the group. Class time was an informal environment. Studio time is a very social atmosphere, a place to express ideas and reflect. This was also the same when meeting with tutors. It was a very comfortable environment. In my opinion having informal class time is a positive. It strengthens my ability to express design ideas and overall become more confident in public speaking.
TU Delft provided me with student accommodation, this was perfect as home was only a 3 minute cycle from class. Having the opportunity to live on campus along with many other international students has been the best experience and my highlight. I shared a floor level with 6 other internationals and will be friends I will remember forever.
Living in the Netherlands has been both challenging and exciting in so many ways. Being such a small county in Europe getting to destinations was not hard. Being able to cycle around town and to surrounding cities was a lot of fun, something I will respect about the Dutch. I have absolutely loved cycling everywhere, in the rail, hail and snow! However, one aspect I did find a challenge was the lack of sunshine and never-ending rainfall. Although it has definitely made me appreciate the Australian sun, which I am forever grateful for.
Having the opportunity to go on exchange has being one of the best decisions. Not only have I made many more friends, I respect the hard-working culture they have in the Netherlands and I am grateful for what I have learnt from studying at TU Delft.
