I cannot believe I will be leaving Adelaide, and all the comforts of home, to go live alone for six months. In a different country, with different customs and at a foreign university. I am not looking forward to leaving behind fresh home cooked meals with no effort on my part, as well as someone to do my laundry for me! I am diving into the deep end living out of home for the first time in a new country.

Maastricht will be a fresh experience, filled with challenges and (hopefully) many successes and not many failures. I am excited to learn more about problem based learning (PBL) which is practiced at Maastricht University. PBL involves discussing problems, while using the literature to come to an answer to the learning objectives of the problem. It is self-motivated learning, with not a lot of guidance from tutors, which may be challenging at first. I will have to be prepared and do my readings so I can keep up with the discussions

I am excited to get a bike, as all the locals in Maastricht (and The Netherlands) ride around instead of driving. I want to fit into the Dutch culture so this is a priority when I arrive in Maastricht. I am also excited for the European food; Dutch cheese, stroopwafels, pizza and pasta, and belgian waffles, to name just few. As well as study, I will use my spare time to travel. Maastricht is in a good spot to travel Western Europe, it boarders Germany and Belgium, and is also very close to France.

Although I am excited to go, I still have a lot to organise, like my classes, Visa application and where to travel before starting study. I am working hard at saving money so I can make the most out of my six month experience!

I can’t wait to study in Maastricht and to use the opportunity to make lifelong friends, gain knowledge into Neuropsychology and to experience how other Universities and cultures operate.

Megan Broadbent,  Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) student, Semester 2 2017 exchange at Maastricht University, the Netherlands