I spent a semester in Leiden as a part of my Bachelors program in biomedicine.

During our third semester we were allowed to go to Leiden and I choose to apply as I always wanted to live abroad and this was a perfect opportunity to try it out for a shorter period. The overall communication with Leiden University was really good and the international coordinator had all information you could possible need.

If you choose to apply for an exchange to Leiden University it involves some paperwork in advance.

Primarily you first need a nomination from the international coordinator, which involves applying with a CV and a motivational letter. When you received the nomination you need some additional paperwork from Leiden University to apply for the appropriate courses.

The process is not complicated and the international coordinators from both Leiden and KI were very helpful during this process, however you need to have completed all your courses from previous semesters and send them your grades with an official KI stamp which you can pick up at KIs library.

No vaccinations were necessary but for our exchange we didn't have any clinical work so it might vary depending on what you study and which courses you take.

Traveling wise going to Leiden is easy. As the Netherlands is a part of EU you don't need to apply for a visa, it was recommended to have a European insurance card and a birth certificate with the appropriate stamps and signatures but I personally never got any use for those.

If you are staying for a longer period is would be necessary to go to the city hall and fill in some forms but not if you only stay for one semester. Erasmus grants were applicable for this exchange, this was also a simple process and the international coordinator can help you out in doubt. Erasmus wants you to do an English proficiency test before you travel and when you return. The test is an hour long, and can be done online.

Traveling to the Netherlands is quite easy. If you are a European citizen you don't require paperwork except your passport. When you have arrived you need to get a student number which includes a student card to access the university facilities.

Leiden University offers you to join a weeklong event called the OWL week, which is an introduction week where you will be grouped with other exchange student and explore the city and university with the help of local students.

I would recommend any exchange student to sign up for this event as it is a perfect way to meet other students and get to know the city and the University. If you sign up for the OWL week the guides there are happy to help you with all appropriate paperwork.

The OWL week starts roughly a week before the semester start. You can also join ESN, an international student network which arranges events, trips to different countries, pub crawls and social events which is a good way to get to know people and the city in general.

There were no mandatory costs from the university except a 20 euro deposit for the access card to the hospital building and the OWL week cost approximately 70 euros but it is not mandatory.

Overall things were a bit cheaper than in Sweden.

I rented a room from an exchange student who went to Sweden. I had a room in a student dorm which was incredibly affordable. It cost me approximately 270 euro a month, it is not luxurious but you get great value from it.

CSN was still applicable for the exchange. I got a full studiebidrag and you can apply for a student loan including merkostnadslån if it feels appropriate. Erasmus funding is also covered.

Personally I applied for a student loan which was a bit unnecessary; my studiebidrag covered my rent while the Erasmus money covered most of the other expenses.

However I recommend that you have a bit more money than you expect to spend. From the Netherlands it is incredibly easy to travel through Europe during weekends or if you got a weekend off.

Leiden University offers a housing service, however its reputation is not the best. You need to pay a deposit which is over 600 euro, and they do not guarantee that they can find a place for you. If they don’t find a place for you, you will not get the money back unless you request it and go through a lot of paperwork.

I have personally no direct experience with the housing service, but I didn’t meet anyone who used the service and had a great experience with it.

Instead I would look for exchange students who travel to Sweden and see if you can arrange a switch of housing with them. KIs international coordinator helped us to get in contact with students going to KI and it helped me to get a perfect room in the center of the city really cheap.

There are also several Facebook pages such as "Leiden Housing" who offer affordable rooms, if you have problem finding anything there consider looking at "Den Haag Housing". It’s a neighboring city 10 minutes away by train, which is not that bad if you are willing to buy a train ticked and commute.

The educational system in the Netherlands is similar to the system used at KI but a bit more demanding.

There were several lectures every day, but in addition there also were workshops and seminars almost every day for some of the courses.

Each required a few hours of preparation, on top of that there were written assignments every now and then; with practical laboratory work including a written lab report for each lab. The studies were very intense and required a lot of dedication, but in the end I think it taught me how to properly plan my studies which will probably be quite useful in the future.

The teachers were in general very helpful, but they expected a lot from you.

Leiden University focused a lot on communication, and we had a course called communication in science which ran in parallel with all of the other courses. Some assignments included an oral presentation where tutors from communication in science attend and give feedback and constructive criticism to improve the presentation for the next time.

During one course we made a short scientific study during one week which was presented using the knowledge and skills the communication in science course gave us. This system was really nice, and something I think KI could learn from. It is one thing to learn about a subject, but another to present relevant information in a good structured and interesting way. The knowledge on how to present findings and data to a scientific community is an incredibly valuable skill to have in your future carrier.

All our courses were in English, and most people in the Netherlands are proficient in English so I never had problems communicating. The university offered language courses, but I didn't apply for them as I would not stay in the country long enough to make it worthwhile.

The Dutch culture might feel a bit strange at first; the first thing you will notice is that everyone rides a bike. Cars and buses are quite redundant, the city is quite small and it is simply a cheaper and faster mode of transport.

Another thing I noticed is that you rarely eat hot meals for lunch, generally my classmates brought sandwiches. Not just any sandwiches, but sandwiches covered with peanut butter and chocolate sprinkles.

I brought a proper lunchbox to the school every day, but during my 5 months I only managed to find 2 microwaves in the entire school! Compared to KI where you can find dozens in every building.

Dutch people also tend to be very straightforward, sometimes they might seem rude because of it. A classic example of “Dutch directness” is if you don't ask directly for help they will assume you can manage on your own.

As I mentioned earlier in the report the university arranged something called the OWL week.

During this week you could try out several sports and activities for several organizations within the university.

There were several information events where dozens of organizations took in new exchange students.

The university also had a sport center with several clubs and a gym available for students quite cheaply. ESN arranged social events quite regularly and on every Wednesday at a pub called "The Einstein".

My personal recommendation is that you join a club or organization of some kind.

You will never be bored and it’s a great way to make new friends and try out new things.

One of my fellow exchange students from Germany started playing lacrosse which she continues to do to this day, another one from Brazil joined a rowing team.

Personally I joined an acting group called LEF and played Van Helsing in a classic Bram Stoker "Dracula" play at a local theater which was an amazing experience. I made so many friends I still keep in touch with.

The exchange was one of the happiest periods of my life. It was awesome to move to a new country and meet new friends. I returned last fall to visit some of them, and several traveled to Sweden to visit me this Spring.

I have made an international network of people from my field on 3 separate continents, something I surely couldn’t have made in Sweden. The overall workload was intense and required a lot of effort, but the city and people were amazing which made the visit truly memorable.