Finding an accommodation: ''Students from all over the world are literally just around your corner.’’
One of the most important things, if not the most important thing, about moving abroad is finding a place to live. When you are an international student at Saxion you have various options: applying for accommodation Saxion provides or looking for a room yourself. You can find more useful information about finding an accommodation on the website. But to give you an idea of what it is actually like to live in the dormitories and to find your own place as an international student, I have asked two fellow students of mine to share their experiences!
First, I asked International Human Resource Management student Polina Guzvjia from Latvia about living in the dormitories, arranged by Saxion.
Hi Polina! How do you experience living in the dormitories?
‘’Actually, the main reason I love the accommodation is that it is like one minute away from Saxion so you don’t have to wake up super early. Besides, I really like the fact that the accommodation you get is your own room, you don’t share it with anyone which is nice. For me that was quite unexpected because in the eastern part of Europe, you would share your bedroom with 2 or 3 people so coming here, it was a surprise that I didn’t have to. You have your own with your own stuff. You also get your own sink. Personally, I don’t want to see people in the morning so this was great for me as I wanted to be by myself.”
‘’Also, you get to see other students in the dorms and have more chances of finding friends because you meet people outside of your study programme. It’s mostly international students so you can find people from anywhere. Or you will meet people from your own country, which is very nice! A lot of people from the Netherlands or Germany don’t get to see many people from other countries so you have that advantage.’’
At a Saxion accommodation, you have more chances of finding friends because you meet people outside of your study programme.
That sounds great, meeting people from your own country and from all over the world. Literally just around your corner!
‘’It’s for sure a great aspect of living in a dormitory. However, having other students around can also be a negative thing when they are untidy and do not clean anything. They also tend to be loud when they have a party in the evening or something. This is hard, because not everyone wants to be loud. If you’re unlucky with the people you live with in terms of personality it could also affect your experience.’’
‘’If you’re not very extroverted it can get quite depressing in there as half of the people are having fun and partying while the other half are alone in their rooms. For some people this can be hard but this completely depends on your personality.’’
Do you have any tips for dealing with other people in your dormitory?
‘’Sure! If you’re thinking about going, have patience and have good communication with the neighbors you share your shower and kitchen with so you can divide responsibilities. This way you can prevent many problems!’’
Of course, not everybody decides to stay in a Saxion accommodation. That’s why I’ve also gathered some tips and experiences about moving into a student room! For this experience I asked Timothy Iborg from Germany about what he has gone through when finding a place.
Hi Tim! Tell me, how did you manage to find an accommodation yourself?
“The first time I was lucky with accommodation because my mom’s friend had a room that I could rent for very cheap. The second time was harder, as I had to find a place completely on my own without any help from the outside. I knew a very popular website that many students used at the time, called kamernet.nl, and I began my search process there. I put in all the inputs I wanted such as the place, how far I wanted to live from the center, and most importantly, I could fill in how much rent I wanted to pay. But this is where the hard part comes in a place that was decent, affordable, and one that would take me.”
So how did it go?
“I think I tried a total of seven times and I would say half of them I got rejected because they were looking for Dutch speaking people. For two of them I got an invitation for a conversation. One I didn’t get and the other I didn’t hear back from. And then, just when I was about to give up and was going to live with my friend, I saw a listing of a room that wasn’t that far from my original place. Very affordable, so I sent the person a message asking that I’m looking for a room. The person said: ‘’yeah sure let’s meet!’’ So I just went there. When I opened the door, it wasn’t a student that greeted me but the landlord, this was the first time that had happened. The landlord showed me around the house, kitchen, bathroom, and my room and then he strikes a question that I was quite confused by which was “Do you want the room?” This was different because it was directly from the landlord instead of the students themselves. In the reflex of getting rejected seven times I answered “I’ll think about it.” But, of course, a few hours later I messaged him and said that I wanted the room.”
The first time I was lucky with finding an accommodation myself, because my mom’s friend had a room that I could rent for very cheap. The second time was harder, as I had to find a place completely on my own without any help from the outside.
And do you have some tips in general when finding a room?
‘’Sure! Just make sure to use your connections (if you have any). Also, you can make use of Facebook groups as well. I would also recommend to don’t give up and keep on going. Finding a room by yourself can be challenging, but you will eventually manage. Just start on time!’’
In case you would like to know more about our Saxion accommodation or arranging a student room by yourself, you can check out this page or send your questions to internationaloffice@saxion.nl. Good luck with arranging your accommodation!