Beckie O’Neill and Gemma Cromie are Erasmus exchange students from Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. These two chemical engineering students are studying at Delft Chem Tech and are so far among very few students from Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom who have dared to cross the sea to study at TU Delft.
br />Gemma Cromie (22)
“I’m doing my MSc studies in chemical engineering here and must admit that I was worried when I first came to Holland. I had never been here before and had only heard a little bit about Dutch culture. However, Holland is much different than I thought! It has a very international atmosphere, the people are friendly and there are loads of fun things do to outside of the study routine.
My university back home in Belfast is a good one, but the chemical engineering department is very small. There are only 18 students in our program. Needless to say, I also haven’t had much exposure to the industry either, because there are very few chemical companies back in Northern Ireland. So, I already have a clear view of my future: I will definitely have to eventually leave my country to find a job!
I came to Delft because I somehow felt that I needed to experience something more than just my home university before I graduated, and the Erasmus program seemed perfect for me. I wanted to do something interesting, where I’d experience different cultures and meet new people. I also felt that studying abroad would make me more confident.
I did have to make a choice of where to study between TU Delft and Chalmers University, in Sweden. But who can doubt TU Delft’s reputation and the renowned work of its Chemical Engineering department? I think I definitely made the right decision to come here. I think TU Delft’s very well equipped for exchange students and I’ve found it very easy to get used to the way of life here.
It would be nice if the university provided a bit more help for students during our first week here, though, especially with helping us to get the timetables sorted out and deciding on modules. The computer facilities here are excellent, though, and the professors friendly and helpful. So, even if the studies are harder, it’s been well worth it!
I’d say the major difference in student life between here and Queens University is that in Delft I am able to a socialize with so many other students. Here, we all live in a shared building and this provides so many opportunities to socialize, whereas back at home, students live in houses with only a few other students. In fact, at home my friends didn’t even take the same courses as me.
Belfast does however have better clubs and the university’s Students’ Union is always a great place to go and hang out. But my experiences here in terms of nightlife have been just fantastic! Wednesday nights at Cafe de Ruif are great! Although for clubs, Rotterdam is definitely the place to go and is only a short train ride away!
As far as a job is concerned, I’d like my first job after graduation to be a bit closer to home, although I would prefer to live in a bigger city for a while. Holland does have lots of companies and opportunities for chemical engineers, so I’d certainly consider coming back here to work after graduation.”
Beckie O’Neill (22)
“Coming to TU Delft as an Erasmus student was the first time that I have ever lived away from my family and outside of my country, so the first few days here were terrible! I was really homesick, but soon I settled in, thanks to the good student life in Delft!
To be honest, the main reason I left Belfast was because I was bored of the same old routine there. I wanted to experience something new, fresh and totally different in terms of my studies, friends and culture. And that, I am happy to say, I have done here!
The hard work starts a lot quicker here at TU Delft, for sure, and our courses are 12-weeks long, so there’s a bit longer to settle in before exams start. There is a lot more computer-based work here than at Queens University, which I’ve found quite difficult, because I wasn’t familiar with many of the programmes we regularly use here. And there are far fewer lectures here. In Belfast, we are generally in lectures from 9 in the morning until 4 or 5 o’clock, five days a week! I’ve found people within the faculty here to be very helpful, and a lot of the older students are willing to offer help and advice, which is really cool.
Belfast has better clubs and pubs than Delft, but a night out here is a lot cheaper than it is in Belfast.
The student housing in Delft is better, though. In Belfast, students usually rent houses from private landlords, with about four or five students sharing the house. And a lot of the houses are really, really run-down . the last student house I lived in Belfast had a slug infestation at one point, which was nasty! I was a bit surprised to see the student space boxes here though – there is nothing like that at home!
I would possibly think about moving back to Holland after graduation, but the language barrier would probably put me off a bit. I’m not sure whether I would like to work in a typical chemical engineering company. Actually, I dream of going into the teaching profession after I graduate.”
Beckie O’Neill and Gemma Cromie are Erasmus exchange students from Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. These two chemical engineering students are studying at Delft Chem Tech and are so far among very few students from Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom who have dared to cross the sea to study at TU Delft.
Gemma Cromie (22)
“I’m doing my MSc studies in chemical engineering here and must admit that I was worried when I first came to Holland. I had never been here before and had only heard a little bit about Dutch culture. However, Holland is much different than I thought! It has a very international atmosphere, the people are friendly and there are loads of fun things do to outside of the study routine.
My university back home in Belfast is a good one, but the chemical engineering department is very small. There are only 18 students in our program. Needless to say, I also haven’t had much exposure to the industry either, because there are very few chemical companies back in Northern Ireland. So, I already have a clear view of my future: I will definitely have to eventually leave my country to find a job!
I came to Delft because I somehow felt that I needed to experience something more than just my home university before I graduated, and the Erasmus program seemed perfect for me. I wanted to do something interesting, where I’d experience different cultures and meet new people. I also felt that studying abroad would make me more confident.
I did have to make a choice of where to study between TU Delft and Chalmers University, in Sweden. But who can doubt TU Delft’s reputation and the renowned work of its Chemical Engineering department? I think I definitely made the right decision to come here. I think TU Delft’s very well equipped for exchange students and I’ve found it very easy to get used to the way of life here.
It would be nice if the university provided a bit more help for students during our first week here, though, especially with helping us to get the timetables sorted out and deciding on modules. The computer facilities here are excellent, though, and the professors friendly and helpful. So, even if the studies are harder, it’s been well worth it!
I’d say the major difference in student life between here and Queens University is that in Delft I am able to a socialize with so many other students. Here, we all live in a shared building and this provides so many opportunities to socialize, whereas back at home, students live in houses with only a few other students. In fact, at home my friends didn’t even take the same courses as me.
Belfast does however have better clubs and the university’s Students’ Union is always a great place to go and hang out. But my experiences here in terms of nightlife have been just fantastic! Wednesday nights at Cafe de Ruif are great! Although for clubs, Rotterdam is definitely the place to go and is only a short train ride away!
As far as a job is concerned, I’d like my first job after graduation to be a bit closer to home, although I would prefer to live in a bigger city for a while. Holland does have lots of companies and opportunities for chemical engineers, so I’d certainly consider coming back here to work after graduation.”
Beckie O’Neill (22)
“Coming to TU Delft as an Erasmus student was the first time that I have ever lived away from my family and outside of my country, so the first few days here were terrible! I was really homesick, but soon I settled in, thanks to the good student life in Delft!
To be honest, the main reason I left Belfast was because I was bored of the same old routine there. I wanted to experience something new, fresh and totally different in terms of my studies, friends and culture. And that, I am happy to say, I have done here!
The hard work starts a lot quicker here at TU Delft, for sure, and our courses are 12-weeks long, so there’s a bit longer to settle in before exams start. There is a lot more computer-based work here than at Queens University, which I’ve found quite difficult, because I wasn’t familiar with many of the programmes we regularly use here. And there are far fewer lectures here. In Belfast, we are generally in lectures from 9 in the morning until 4 or 5 o’clock, five days a week! I’ve found people within the faculty here to be very helpful, and a lot of the older students are willing to offer help and advice, which is really cool.
Belfast has better clubs and pubs than Delft, but a night out here is a lot cheaper than it is in Belfast.
The student housing in Delft is better, though. In Belfast, students usually rent houses from private landlords, with about four or five students sharing the house. And a lot of the houses are really, really run-down . the last student house I lived in Belfast had a slug infestation at one point, which was nasty! I was a bit surprised to see the student space boxes here though – there is nothing like that at home!
I would possibly think about moving back to Holland after graduation, but the language barrier would probably put me off a bit. I’m not sure whether I would like to work in a typical chemical engineering company. Actually, I dream of going into the teaching profession after I graduate.”
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