Academic experience
I took finance, public entrepreneurship, process management and ERP/Business Intelligence. Maastricht university uses the PBL problem based learning approach so the focus is on small group size tutorials and lectures are not common for most courses. The content is of similar difficulty as UQ but the amount is significantly more since you have to do a lot of reading for each subject and they are very time demanding. Although it was a lot more work than I expected it was interesting to experience the different teaching style and I feel like you learn more from it .
Personal experience
I gained many new friend's especially through ISN which is the International student network trhat organises a range of events from weekend trips to weekly parties. I was also able to do a lot of travelling around Europe as Maastricht has a very central location especially for accessing Belgium and Germany.
Accommodation
I lived in the student guesthouse which is where most of the exchange students stayed and this was good as we could have joint dinners in the communal kitchens. This option was also good as housing is difficult to find in Maastricht especially when you canno t be t here to inspect other places.
Costs
Rent was 20€/day, I had a bike for 12€/ month so I didn't need any public transport around Maastricht. You can can take a train to Belgium for 8.5€/way. Food is slightly more expensive than in Australia but alcohol is a lot cheaper.
Challenge
Balancing the demanding workload with my desire to travel as much as possible- you real lly need good time management skills!
Professional Development
I joined the trips committee of ISN Maastricht which was super nice as I got experience with planning group trips for 40 people,working in a team and also leading the trips.
Highlight
Experiencing carnival in Maastricht - it's a week long holiday where everyone gets dressed up and parties for the whole week, there is music all throughout the streets and the city.
Top tips
Maastricht is a very vibrant student city and is a good location for accessing central Europe. Uni wise the workload is a lot more so make sure you are prepared to actually study more than you are used to.