The Gender Studies RMA Program is the perfect academic opportunity to immerse oneself in the fundamental theories and debates in the field. The program is challenging, intellectually and in the terms of work load, but provides one with more than the necessary knowledge to further one’s academic career.

I studied abroad at Utrecht University in the fall of 2019 and it was probably the best few months of my life. The city of Utrecht is absolutely beautiful, with its charming canals, architecture, and plentiful bicycles. It is not as big as Amsterdam, so it’s easy to find your way around as soon as you arrive, as well as to navigate by bike or even on foot, but it’s big enough to still feel very urban. It’s got a charming, cosy feel (“gezellig,” as the Dutch would call it), but still has so much to do. The classes I took at Utrecht University were led by highly-qualified and professional teachers who encouraged collaboration amongst students. I learned a lot from the local Dutch students and the other international students in my classes as we worked together. The classes moved quickly, but never at an overwhelming rate. I would highly recommend studying at Utrecht University.

I’m studying at Utrecht University for three years already; I started studying Pedagogical sciences, but switched to anthropology. I think it’s a high-quality university because they have a really diverse and broad offer of both bachelor’s and master’s programmes, which include courses that are given by the best experts of the field. All courses are organized really well: all necessary information is easily accessible and always available on time. Not only do I think education of this university is excellent, I also think their facilities are really good and their support for student organizations is fantastic. For instance, I got a lot of funding for doing a board year at AEGEE-Utrecht, so it is possible that I can spend a full year in a full-time board and can finish my studies right afterwards. They also have many possibilities for students to have a right of say in the decisions the university is making, such as the student participation council, students council (with yearly elections), students council per bachelor’s programme, faculty council, etc. Etc. However, I do notice that the university puts more effort in all beta studies than in all alpha studies, while all students pay the same fee every month. You can spot this difference amongst other things: buildings, facilities, support for study-related associations, equipment. They could improve this! Next to that, I think they could do a lot more for student housing. They accept more and more students every year, but they don’t do much for student housing, which is a big problem, because there already is a huge shortage of student’s housing.