"I was looking for a programme with anthropological, cultural and psychological elements. South and Southeast Asian Studies covered them all. My travel experiences through Asia made my choice even easier. The programme, of course, covers a large area, but South and Southeast Asia is a dynamic area that is evolving hugely. For me, Leiden University is the place to study these topics. The lecturers really know what they are talking about. Many of them are from the Southeast Asian region and those that teach languages are all native speakers."

"I had always wanted to go abroad. The Dutch students at Leiden University College are really careful in not speaking Dutch in front of us international students, and they are very open towards us. The Hague is a nice city for someone who is internationally oriented. Everyone speaks English and you don’t feel like a stranger here. I have my own room, but there are 27 students living on the same floor. We often get together in the common room, either for dinner or just casually to talk about academic or non-academic subjects. And sometimes we go for drinks in the main square in the centre of The Hague."

"I feel so blessed that I have the chance to work with all these motivated and talented classmates. I didn’t only learn a lot from the high quality courses Leiden University provides, but also got inspired by my lovely diverse classmates. Right now I’m sitting in our beautiful library looking back at the first year of my study and I don’t regret my decision to choose Leiden."

"North American Studies is a relatively small program which allowed for me to become great friends with all of my classmates. Moving abroad to study means having to make a new network of friends in an unfamiliar culture; although this seemed daunting at first students were actively working to befriend each other from the very start. Likewise, not only are the faculty members experts in their fields but they are also wonderful mentors who take a real interest in meeting the needs of their pupils. There was a real sense of community within the program and both faculty and peers went out of their way to help me succeed."

"A perk of this programme is definitely its location. Entirely taught on Campus The Hague of Leiden University it offers a great opportunity for students or recent graduates to pursue a career in one of the many international organizations based in the city or yet private companies in proximity of these institutions. The lecturers are particularly easy to approach and always open to give feedback on your work or give assistance on other academic matters."