I recently studied abroad in The Netherlands at University College Utrecht. Below I compiled a list of experiences that students at my home university, the University of Connecticut, and most U.S. university students, aren’t used to.
Mandatory Attendance
The official policy at UCU states that if students are absent for more than 25% of their 28 classes, or 7 classes, they fail the class. While not every professor adheres to this, many do, and students can never be too sure. If anything on this list would genuinely kill a UConn student, it’s this. Because UCU is so small, class sizes are also small and discussion based. Professors usually take attendance and factor participation and presentations into grading and feedback, something UConn lecturers can’t do for 100+ students.
Knowing everyone at your university
UConn has a total enrollment of 18,000 undergraduate students on the Storrs campus alone, while UCU has only 750. UConn students don’t know most of the people they pass daily, while many UCU students recognize more than half. Even as an exchange student, I had some tie to at least half the school. This is because UCU students not only live together in units of six to ten people and take (very small) classes together, but the campus bar hosts Thursday night parties, encouraging social interaction too.
Silent Dinners
Silent dinners are semi-formal dinners where everyone brings a bottle of wine that they must finish before they’re allowed to talk. These events are hosted by groups of people, whether they be social organizations, residential units, or friend groups, and oftentimes everyone involved in hosting brings someone else a blind date, creating a bigger, less familiar group. When first hearing about this I assumed it to be characteristic of European universities, but was surprised to find out this is a tradition unique to a tiny school in Utrecht.
P.S. I know this sounds literally insane but I’ve found through attending a few myself that intense reactions are very uncommon, perhaps due to everyone participating being used to having around five drinks.
the Ice Pitcher
The goal of the UCU campus bar is to build friendships and help students get to know each other, so the classic hookup culture of bars is viewed as an obstacle. Therefore, the University College Student Association has created a tradition where if any of the bar staff, who’re all UCU students, sees people making out on the dance floor, they can dump a pitcher of ice water over them. Due to the humor and unusualness of this punishment, it’s pretty common and can be spotted any party night.
Lack of Green Spaces
As the weather improves over the spring semester, students begin rushing to outdoor spaces at both UCU and UConn. However, the minimal grass on the UCU campus could only accommodate about 50 people, contrasting the thousands of people I’d see on such days at UConn. I missed having outdoor tables, hills, lakes, and lawns on campus, as the contrasting campus size of UCU prevents it from having its own green spaces as opposed to nearby off-campus green spaces.