Sammiejo Stubb, student of Dutch Studies, in the Keep of Leiden

"I found myself drawn to the Dutch Studies program because of the unique opportunities that it offered: the chance to learn a new language, to simultaneously learn about and experience a new culture first hand, and at the same time earn my bachelor’s degree. I actually knew almost nothing about the Netherlands before I came here. I thought perhaps that my ignorance would be an obstacle, but now I feel like it only increased my ability to enjoy immersing myself in a new surrounding.

The university system in the Netherlands doesn’t always work the same way as the American system, which I am familiar with, and it took some getting used to. But I have very few complaints about the Dutch Studies program. The pace may seem intimidating in the beginning, but the teachers here really know their stuff. They will challenge you to learn without setting the bar too high. And there is a good balance between diversity and focus in the Dutch Studies program: in the first two years of the program you follow history, literature, art history and linguistics classes, and in the third year you choose which direction you would most like to pursue. Sampling all of these classes helped me realize where my own interests lie: with linguistics, which I begin this fall."