I cannot believe my semester has already come to a close; my only true regret is not trying to savor every moment even more than I already had. Prior to this semester, I had never been abroad, so I did not know what to expect. In the end, however, this experience has been everything I could've hoped for and so much more.
As I've mentioned, the class structure was quite different and took some getting used to. The course load felt heavy in terms of reading, but much lighter in terms of the quantity of assignments (of course, this does put much more weight on each assignment). There is also a completely different grading system, where I found it much harder to score high grades, but not necessarily harder to pass. I also did feel that Vrije Universiteit (or maybe European universities in general) felt much more independent than I was used to. This also took adjusting but I certainly enjoyed this independence.
As for the social aspect, I made lots of friends through my program at Vrije Universiteit, and many more through my accommodation: Hotel Jansen (which includes a mix of study abroad students at different schools, as well as young professionals staying in Amsterdam short-term for internships or career opportunities). I often did find myself gravitating towards many other Americans, but I think I did a good job stepping out of my comfort zone and befriending people from all over the world. Unfortunately, I do feel that it was much more difficult to befriend Dutch students than it was to befriend international students: international students all primarily speak English to each other, while Dutch students primarily spoke Dutch to each other. Despite almost all Dutch students knowing a lot of English, I found it more difficult to strike up conversations with them due to this. However, I did still manage to make a few Dutch friends.
Although Amsterdam is not a huge city, it is very central (making it an excellent home base if you plan on traveling (particularly in North, West, and Central Europe). I took the opportunity to travel to Paris, the Alps, Belgium, Berlin, and London (and I hope to take a few more trips before leaving). Amsterdam also has an excellent cultural, art, and music scene, with amazing concerts, clubs, and festivals (particularly lots of small, independent artists). Amsterdam is also quite well known for its museums, but I found many small art galleries that I also enjoyed.
Despite my semester ending, I decided to extend my stay by about a month to keep traveling here in Europe. I worry about when I will get the opportunity again. I honestly have not missed home as much as I thought I would, mostly just my family and friends, but I certainly am not excited to leave and wish I could stay here longer. Perhaps I will live abroad in the future; this semester has made me realize that.
Gavin Gammon
GW Exchange - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Spring 2023
Columbian College of Arts & Science
Political Science major