I’m probably the wrong person to be writing a balanced article on moving to Leuven simply as I have only good things to say about it.

Due to the bursting of an insane property bubble, Ireland’s economic recession is apparently more severe than those experienced by other European countries. With everyone from the army to the Department of Foreign Affairs unable to recruit, and with many multinationals pulling out of the country, job prospects were looking bleak...

Ireland’s (currently) free third level fees make the university student lifestyle an attractive option and the Erasmus Programme means deferring employment seeking for another year. The Erasmus Programme appealed to me immensely; the possibility of expanding my horizons, learning a new language, experiencing a new country and culture, as well as escaping the bleakness of post-Celtic Tiger Ireland.

As far as university choices go, it was a fairly simple decision to choose K.U.Leuven. I had visited Leuven a few times before and was a massive fan of the place. A university town with a vibrant student population, combined with beautiful architecture, fine bars and a historical link with Ireland (The Irish College was founded in Leuven in 1607 to educate Irish priests) made K.U.Leuven a fairly natural choice. It also has both a history and law faculty, facilitating the two areas of my degree.

I was fairly apprehensive when I arrived in Charleroi airport, I had some savings from summer work and national service (Irish Army Reservists receive some cash if they attend summer training camps) but was unsure as to how far they would stretch, I was quickly put at ease; Leuven is significantly cheaper than Ireland. I was also struck by the sunshine; the Irish summer is nonexistent (being mostly overcast and rainy); my first day in Leuven was marked by a cloudless sky and 35 degree heat.

To someone accustomed to the weighty Irish university system, the K.U.Leuven registration system was jaw droppingly simple. Within minutes of arriving in the university, I was being given my student/sport card and a free bus pass and told to head to check out accommodation. Again a painless experience where after being directed to the K.U.Leuven housing database, I was soon signing a contract for a spacious room 5 minutes from the town centre. Not bad for €55 euro a week, all in. While my friends’ Facebook updates involve bitching about the unrelenting Irish weather, I’m usually basking in the Belgian heat and gorging on ice cream. Indeed, everything from opening a bank account to dealing with the landlord has been characterised by remarkable efficiency (contrary to the stereotype of Belgians as being red tape obsessed bureaucrats). The shop assistants and university staff responding to my paltry Flemish with better English than I have.

K.U.Leuven promises to be a fantastic experience, it’s a truly historic university (oldest Catholic university in the world) with a high proportion of students (so I admit I’m slightly apprehensive about weekends if all the domestic students head home), although this is quickly offset by how beautiful the town is as well as my completely positive experience with the university administration so far. I’d advise Erasmus students to link up with the Leuven History Society as they’ve been a great help so far.

Hopefully we’ll all have a savage experience. |