Thank you for your interest in EuroScholars, a unique research study abroad program in Europe. In each edition, this newsletter aims to keep you updated with the latest developments on the program!

Students Report on Mid-Stay Program in Munich

We went to Munich on the 20th of April for our EuroScholar mid-stay visit at Ludwig-Maximilians Universität. We were greeted at the airport by a German LMU student, Simone Glasl, who acted as a wonderful guide and companion for the next four days. In Munich, we were given tours of the science faculties, learned about the European Union and higher education in Europe, and experienced Bavarian culture at its best.

For our directed EuroScholar activities, we were given tours of various faculties which catered to our individual interests. For the medically-inclined Scholars, we were shown the extensive anatomy exhibit by Dr. Reinhard Putz from the medical faculty. We were particularly impressed by the dissecting rooms, which can hold around 1000 people (including the cadavers). For those of us more interested in the physical sciences, we toured the Nanoscience department and were given a talk and tour of a group’s lab by an international PhD student. We were intrigued by his research and he joined us for lunch to tell us more about his studies at LMU and later showed us around Munich’s nightlife. Our lectures were on European politics and education, topics which we found fascinating and relevant to our current studies abroad. Learning about the reunification of post-World War II Europe was both enjoyable and educational as was hearing about opportunities for continuing our research in Europe.

Our tours continued with a Munich city tour, beginning at the renowned Marienplatz plaza with the architecturally impressive Town Hall and amusing glockenspiel. We visited St. Peter's church to learn more about the Bavarian Catholic tradition, seeing the statue of St. Peter whose crown indicates the status of the pope. We also saw the National Theater and rubbed the lions' noses in front of the Residenz palace for good luck. We stopped by the famous Hofbrauhaus and later came back for dinner.

After our tours and lectures, we were given a true Bavarian culinary experience, sampling the local brews and eating our fair share of sausages and sauerkraut. [Our favorite sausage was the Bavarian white sausage and a number of us enjoyed a popular German lemonade-beer concoction.] Our Bavarian cultural initiation also included exploring the Englischer Gardens at sunset and attending Frühlingsfest, a smaller version of Oktoberfest, complete with lederhosen and beer gardens.

One of our favorite Munich experiences was our visit to the Nymphenburg Castle. As we entered the Great Room coming inside the castle, we were amazed at the artwork and welcoming sunlight brightening the room. It was a magical place, beautifully decorated and with an interesting history. It’s surrounded by an extensive park with fountains and smaller houses commissioned by the royalty. We spent several hours enjoying the views and weather while getting to know our fellow EuroScholars.

Munich is not only cool in all the ways all the European cities are, but also traditional. They are proud Bavarians and to this day, it is completely normal to see a person in a Bavarian dress on the street or in a beer garden.

We enjoyed our mid-stay program in Munich thoroughly, both for the educational and cultural experiences. Overall, we had a wonderful time in Munich and would love to return!

Sincerely yours,
The 2009 Euroscholars

Caroline Leeds, Sander Zandbergen, Idu Azogu, Sarah Lindstrom, and Olga Korenovska

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Program Spotlight: Utrecht University

Located in the heart of the Netherlands, Utrecht University – the largest university in the Netherlands- is firmly founded on tradition. Utrecht University was established in 1636 and has developed into one of Europe’s most prominent institutes of research and education offering the broadest spectrum of disciplines available in the Netherlands.

Utrecht University demonstrates an outstanding performance in multiple international rankings, like the best research university in the Netherlands, the 9th best in Europe, and 47th best worldwide in the 2008 Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities.

Based on faculty priority areas, Utrecht University has selected 15 thematic clusters of research. These focus areas consist of multidisciplinary clusters bringing together top-class research groups in each thematic field. This reflects the distinguishing characteristics of Utrecht University: A wide range of academic fields which, coupled with a multidisciplinary approach to both research and teaching, creates a fertile environment for interdisciplinary innovation and insights in areas ranging from human rights to immunology.

Every year, hundreds of international students with about 125 different nationalities come to Utrecht to take courses taught in English. Such courses are offered in nearly all disciplines and at all degree levels. The 7 faculties of Utrecht University offer a broad range of almost 50 undergraduate and 200 graduate programs, the latter including many English-taught programs. There are almost 30,000 students at Utrecht University. Every year, more than 2,000 international students and researchers stay in Utrecht for variable periods of time.

The university offers the unique ‘Utrecht Feel At Home Service’, guaranteeing the highest level of student support services.

The University has three campuses situated throughout the historically- and culturally-rich student city of Utrecht, quite literally the heart of the Netherlands, and a few hours from major cities in Europe, like London, Paris and Berlin. The comparatively small, historical city centre, with its characteristic canal-side wharves and subterranean vaults, offers visitors a wealth of great art and a varied entertainment culture. The city's numerous museums present residents and tourists with a view of an age-old history. Utrecht is known as the city of festivals. Utrecht is a bustling city where one can find lots of things to do.

by Caspar de Bok

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EuroScholars recognizes that faculty support is integral to the success of our students. We invite you to spread the word about this unique program to your colleagues and students.

North American Faculty: Do you have a top student who would benefit from a semester of research at a leading research university in Europe? Forward this newsletter or the EuroScholars website www.euroscholars.eu to your students!

EuroScholars Research Project Supervisors: Do you have faculty contacts in North America who might not know about this program yet? Forward this newsletter or the EuroScholars website www.euroscholars.eu to your contacts and encourage them to nominate their best students!

QUESTIONS? Please contact info@euroscholars.eu with any questions.

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