studyeurope - Council on International Educational Exchange

Brussels, BelgiumACADEMIC PROGRAMThe CIEE Study Center in Brussels, Belgium was established in 1994 and moved to itscurrent host institution, Vesalius College, in 2002. Vesalius College is unique amongacademic institutions in Brussels in that it is the only institution that offers a selectionof courses taught in English at the undergraduate level. Through its association with theFrench speaking ULB and the Dutch speaking VUB, students with adequate French orDutch skills may take or audit courses at these institutions. The CIEE Resident Directorfacilitates registration into regular university courses.All students take five courses including the CIEE core course, French or Dutch language,and three Vesalius, ULB or VUB courses. A maximum of two VUB and/or ULB courses ispermitted in any semester.Placement in the appropriate language level (elementary, intermediate, and advanced)is based on language exams administered at the beginning of the program by VesaliusCollege. Students with strong French or Dutch skills may replace the required languageclass with a ULB or VUB course.Internship OptionVesalius College offers for-credit and unpaid internship opportunities to juniors andseniors on a pass/fail basis. CIEE participants may apply for available slots. However,because internships are competitive, there is no guarantee that students will be assignedan internship. Interested students should arrive with an updated résumé. All internshipsrequire interviews; therefore good foreign language skills are generally needed. Studentswho are not fluent in French and/or Dutch will be limited to internships which requiregood English skills. Students should be prepared for a workload of 135 hours over thecourse of the semester. Participants should verify whether their home institution willgrant credit for the internship and whether their home institution will accept the passgrade. Registration for internships takes place only after arrival in Brussels and onlyafter the student has been accepted by the institution, organization, or company offeringthe internship.ACADEMIC CULTUREVesalius College has recently been restructured, (aligning itself with other Europeanuniversities), to offer three-year undergraduate degrees in three areas: business,communications, and international affairs.Vesalius College differs from most Belgian universities in the freedom its students haveto take elective courses. Typically, Belgian students follow a set curriculum in their areaof specialization and have few elective choices. Classes at Vesalius meet three hoursper week for fifteen weeks.Classes are often small, with fewer than twenty students on average. While Vesaliusaspires to a similar teaching approach as found in the U.S., in practice it can be quitedifferent because most of the professors and students are products of a Europeaneducational system. So while there may be more student-teacher interaction at Vesaliusthan at a regular Belgian educational institution, there will likely be less than U.S.students are accustomed.Class size at ULB and VUB varies but is generally much larger. The teaching method atULB and VUB is primarily lecture-style. Students are advised that due to possiblechanges in the courses offered each term they should be flexible in course selection.Please note that ULB and VUB courses extend into January. While CIEE students mayrequest permission for early exams (prior to the Christmas holiday), CIEE does notguarantee approval of such requests by the University.As students gain proficiency in French or Dutch, resident staff will encourage studentsto use their language skills in everyday settings. Students, thus immersed in the hostcountry language, not only speak French or Dutch but come to think in French or Dutchas well. The more students participate in this immersion, the more they together fostera program environment and learning community that encourages language and culturalacquisition, thereby improving proficiency and understanding of both French or Dutchlanguage and Belgian society.ASSESSMENTFinal grades given by Vesalius professors follow the U.S. system of letter grades andare based on a 4-point scale, i.e., A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, etc. Course grades are based on acombination of factors and assignments: attendance and participation, research papers,presentations, and mid-term and final examinations.Final exams at ULB and VUB are usually oral, and the final course grade may be basedon a single fifteen-minute oral exam. Grades are based on a numerical system of 1–20,with a 10 considered a passing grade in an individual course; an overall average of 12out of 20 is required to continue to the next level.CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND FIELD TRIPSExtracurricular activities and occasional group excursions are organized throughout thesemester. In previous semesters, day trips have included Bruges, Luxembourg, Ypres,Bastogne, and Aachen as well as weekend excursions to France and Germany. Day tripsto the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, EuropeanParliament and Commission in Brussels, and the European Investment Bank or theEuropean Court of Justice in Luxembourg have also taken place. Visits to the BrusselsMuseum of Fine Arts, an 'Art Nouveau' tour discovering the hidden treasures of 'Fin deSiècle' Brussels, and regular visits to French and European films complete the program’sactivities. Participants also have access to sports facilities at VUB and may participate instudent clubs and activities at Vesalius as well as at ULB and VUB.ORIENTATIONPrior to the start of each semester, there is a mandatory three-day orientation organizedand conducted by the Resident Director. The orientation introduces students to Belgiumand Brussels; provides practical information about the host country, daily life, the academicprogram, housing, cultural and educational differences; and enables participants and staffto get to know one another while participating in structured and informal activities thatcould include visits to museums, a bus tour, walking tours, and group meals. “SurvivalFrench” prepares the participants to live in a primarily French-speaking environment.Some “Survival Dutch” is introduced as well. Vesalius also offers a three-day program ofacademic orientation and social activities prior to the start of semester courses. CIEEstudents participate in both orientation programs. Orientation is maintained on a groupand individual basis throughout the program.HOUSING AND MEALSAll housing is included in the program fee, including temporary accommodation in ayouth hostel during orientation. There are a limited number of homestays availablewith families from a variety of linguistic backgrounds. The non-homestay housing isa heterogeneous combination of independent rooms with or without other studentsand sharing common spaces with landlords. Housing is mainly located in the southeastof central Brussels. An excellent public transportation system makes it easy tocommute. All housing placements are made on-site at the beginning of the semester.Meals are not included in the program fee and are the responsibility of the student.Students who opt for a homestay usually share evening meals on weekdays withtheir hosts. Students will be billed prior to departure for the host family meal fee(approximately 125 euros per month). Students in non-homestay housing will haveaccess to cooking facilities in order to prepare their own meals and may take mealsin university cafeterias and restaurants in the area.INTERNETStudents have access to a small computer laboratory with limited computers and hoursat Vesalius College. Students with laptop computers are strongly encouraged to bringthem and may hook their laptops up to the Internet at Vesalius College. Students mayopen an e-mail account upon receipt of their VUB student card. Internet connections inthe home are still far less common in Brussels than in the U.S. Participants should expectto use the computer labs or one of the numerous internet cafés in Brussels.COSTCIEE program fees, inclusions, and estimated additional costs, are outlined below. Pleasenote that CIEE reserves the right to adjust its fees in the event of significant change inexchange rates or other factors beyond its control. Fees for spring 2006 will be availableafter August 15, 2005. Fees for fall 2006 and academic year 2006–2007 will be availableafter December 15, 2005. The actual cost of the programs may vary slightly for studentsfrom different institutions.CIEE FEESFall 2005: $10,950 Spring 2006: available 8/15/05Academic Year 2005–2006: $19,900CIEE fees for 2005–06 include an optional on-site meet and greet, tuition, housing,orientation, cultural activities (such as group dinners, movie outings, museum visits,and city tours), local excursions, field trips outside of Brussels, pre-departureadvising, and insurance.ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL COSTS (Fall 2005)Transportation (New York to Brussels round-trip) $ 800Personal Expenses $ 2,050Meals $ 1,500Books and Supplies $ 200Local Transportation $ 180Visa Fee $ 100Total Estimated Additional Costs $ 4,830pg/14