{"id":6212,"date":"2019-08-19T11:00:35","date_gmt":"2019-08-19T11:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=6212"},"modified":"2019-08-18T23:05:54","modified_gmt":"2019-08-18T23:05:54","slug":"august-a-stressful-month-for-students-in-the-netherlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/august-a-stressful-month-for-students-in-the-netherlands\/","title":{"rendered":"August: A Stressful Month For Students In The Netherlands"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s August. A month of sun and relaxation. It is a real\u00a0komkommertijd<\/em><\/a>. But for starting college studenten<\/em> (students), it is quite a hectic time. They are often moving away from home, to another stad <\/em>(city), since the next academic year is starting on September 1. De aankomende studenten gaan op kamers<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Op kamers gaan<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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An (almost) empty studentenkamer<\/em>. Notice the included wasbak<\/em> at the left (Image by Guy Sie at Flickr.com under license CC BY SA 2.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

Op kamers gaan\u00a0<\/em>(“to go on rooms”) means that you move into a\u00a0kamer\u00a0<\/em>(room) in a\u00a0studentenhuis\u00a0<\/em>(student house). Most\u00a0studenten\u00a0<\/em>choose such a\u00a0kamer\u00a0<\/em>instead of their own place because it is goedkoper\u00a0<\/em>(cheaper) and\u00a0gezelliger <\/em>(more… “fun” – read the post about\u00a0gezellig<\/em>! \ud83d\ude42<\/a>). These\u00a0studentenhuizen\u00a0<\/em>often have separate studentenkamers\u00a0<\/em>(student rooms) and have gedeelde badkamers\u00a0<\/em>(shared bathrooms) and\u00a0gedeelde keukens\u00a0<\/em>(shared kitchens). Sometimes, you will also find huizen\u00a0<\/em>with kamers\u00a0<\/em>that have a kitchen and\/or bathroom built-in. While that is pretty rare, many rooms have at least a wasbak\u00a0<\/em>(sink) for fresh water.<\/p>\n

In the studentensteden <\/i>(student cities) of the Netherlands, people live quite densely together. Demand is high, which means that prices are high for pretty small rooms. In fact, many cities have a\u00a0tekort <\/em>(shortage) of available kamers <\/em>(rooms)<\/a>! It is a real struggle for\u00a0studenten <\/em>to get a kamer <\/em>these days.<\/p>\n

The size of a kamer <\/em>is usually around 9-20 square meters (96-215 square feet), and prices range usually from 250 to more than 600 euros per month! And that is if you can get it.<\/p>\n

You can search a room at websites like\u00a0kamernet.nl, <\/em>university-supported housing websites (such as maastrichthousing.com) or realtor websites, though often not for free. There are also many Facebook groups for each stad <\/i>that advertise\u00a0kamers<\/em>. Furthermore, outgoing students often offer their kamer <\/em>via social media or contacts,\u00a0since they also leave around the same time as new students come in.<\/p>\n

If you don’t want the hassle of a\u00a0studentenkamer<\/em>, getting an\u00a0apartement\u00a0<\/em>(apartment) or\u00a0studio\u00a0<\/em>(studio – one room with kitchen and a bathroom, all just for you) is also an option. Though that’s of course going to cost you. Depending on where you look, you may quickly surpass 1000 euros a month. And sometimes huisbazen <\/i>(landlords) of apartments and studios only allow or prefer couples or working singles, to specifically avoid\u00a0studenten<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Kijkavond<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n