“You will get so much more than you expected out of exchange.”
Program: Wageningen University Exchange, Spring
Collin’s Major: Dairy Science
Academic Life: In my courses I participated in some sort of group work. Since Wageningen University has 40% international students in their Masters Programs I worked with many other international and Dutch students. I took a course on the frontiers in veterinary and medical biology, covering topics like the cutting edge ways to control existing and emerging diseases like malaria and zika. I also took a course on animal nutrition and physiology, working in the respiration chamber facilities doing energy balance on pigs and working in the dairy barn studying degradation and passage rates in the cows. My final two courses were in sustainability of livestock systems and the other in genomics. In sustainability, I learned methods to evaluate innovations that are used to improve the sustainability of livestock production.
Housing: I lived in a student housing flat. Each corridor had eight single rooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms and a small den. We shared the kitchen and sometimes took turns cooking meals. I lived with six Dutch students and one Chinese international student. The rent was only 250 Euros per month.
New Perspective: I learned that when working with people from different cultures it is important to be open to new ways of understanding things. Sometimes two people can be arguing over the right answer when really they both have the correct solution but are solving the problem from different directions.
Advice for Someone Considering this Program: You will be at the No. 1 Agricultural School in the world and you will learn a lot. You will have the chance to interact with and experience so many different cultures due to the large percentage of international students. You are in Europe and will have time to explore the continent.