After having posed as a bookworm for a week and a half, the feat was done as I finished the last of my exams. It was as usual exam seasons go: I completed three exams in a week, which was no small deed, however, during the week I only had one lecture. This granted me a break from the usual studying, so allow me to bless the soul who planned that so considerately!

What was the examination like?

As I entered the lecture hall, an army of Dutch grandpas with a certain air of command directed the students towards their row of seats, where we would sit silently, daring to meet only the eyes of other students. There, with a very Dutch accent, I was told that to take the exam, I had to leave everything but a pen behind, so I did.

As with many things, the examination is a systematic and efficient process here at the university. To ensure fairness and prevent cheating they outsourced some of the work to a company – the army of Dutch grandpas, who print and apply tests to university students. There are no complaints towards them from any of my peers or me, on the contrary, it was impressive to see them organise the international students without speaking a word of English. This outsourcing is a novelty to me, that I think must be a pretty efficient process for the professors of my courses.

Another super cool thing is that the university seems to be ten steps ahead of any concern you might have. For example, a student can be allowed extra time for their examinations should he or she need it.  This might be helpful for those suffering from a disability, such as depression, anxiety or ADHD. Naturally, there is a formal process behind it which should be followed accordingly, but the mere idea that the university understands these situations and makes the process easy for those in need is amazing and shows that there is interest in everyone’s personal development.

It was fun to hear my friends plan ways to celebrate after the exams, naturally we all agreed on sleeping. Some also treated themselves to concert tickets or a visit to the cinema; and me? I enjoyed ironing the mountain of clothes I had awesomely created in the past weeks. Anyhow, it took only one of us to remind us all that in spite of exams being  over, we still had vigorous work to do within the weeks ahead – It is all an illusion boys! So, in the end, the plans for my weekend downgraded to house chores with a side of studying.

But that was not all the fun that I had this week: a friend and I encountered a scammer while searching for an apartment who involuntarily made our entire week. When we inquired about the apartment, he carefully explained using high-level persuasive techniques, that he was a “Highly skilled engineer in Africa” and that we should “Just send the first month rent, no worries.” Needless to say we totally fell for that one. Careful out there guys! They are on top of their game! 

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