3 tips for first-year international students in the Netherlands

Budgeting

Creating a brand new start in a foreign country where everything is new and unknown, might put pressure on your wallet and in most cases your parents’. A lot of students underestimate this aspect of living alone and forget to plan ahead and keep an eye of their finances. Of course, when we talk about financial capabilities, there is not one concrete rule to follow as everybody has different statuses and ways of living. Some start working directly from their first year and some decide to depend entirely on their family. My advice for you is to concentrate on your studies the first year and leave the finances for your parents if possible, but at the same time learn to be more careful with your finances.

As students we also want to go out and have some spare money for ourselves. That is why I have prepared several tips, which I hope help you as they helped me throughout these years:

1. Try to cook your own food, instead of ordering as restaurants can be quite expensive.

2. Make yourself a monthly/weekly/daily budget plannings, in order to have a clear overview on what might be your maximum spending a day. This will for sure prevent negative surprises at the end of the month.

3. Do your groceries at less expensive supermarkets like Jumbo, Lidl, Aldi or the local market which takes place every week, usually in the city’s main square.

Friends

One of the main reasons why going to study abroad might be hard is being away from your already established social circle in which you feel comfortable. Nowadays we do live in a world in which video calls are possible and keeping in touch with our loved ones is easier than ever. However, do put some effort not to rely on this fully! Making your new group of friends might be crucial for your overall experience in the Netherlands. Friends are important because they reduce your loneliness and homesickness, make studying easier and to some extent less stressful and last but not least they are your helping hand in any situation that might occur. For that reason my advice for you is to participate in as many social gatherings as you can, try to join some study associations present at your university and of course, be proactive yourself and initiate contact. Creating your network from your first year could really benefit your stay and open new opportunities for you. That’s why try not to be shy and catch every chance possible to get to know someone new!

Time Management

To be honest, when I started my studies I never thought that time management would play such a major role in my day-to-day life and to be even more fair with you, I still struggle majorly with it! Time management does not only concern your studies but also your free time and work, if applicable and we all want to make the best out of our time, don’t we? That’s why learning to organize your time accordingly could save you a lot of stress at the end. I mean... what does Benjamin Franklin say: “Time is money.”

Here are my tips to organize yourself better and balance your life out:

1. Online Apps

There is an abundance of apps which provide you with to-do lists, agendas, reminders, etc. That is personally my first go-to option because it is easy to access and I can set reminder times, which help me stay on top of deadlines and tasks all the time. Some examples which I am using are Google Calendar or TeuxDeux

2. Agenda

During my first year I tried to write everything on a paper. Agendas or also called planners are a perfect example of something that almost every university student has in them all the time. It is the same as the online apps, but it depends on your personal preference to write your plans down digitally or not.

3. Routine

Creating your own routine is the best option to increase productivity! It is hard to start with it but once you get in the rhythm, you will recognise how much easier it gets. Create a daily flow that works for you and keep it consistent.