Life in Ghent from Melis
About accommodation, does the university have any dorms for students or do students have to find accommodation on their own? If the university has the accommodation opportunity for students, is it easy to get into the dorms? If the student has to find on his/her own, is there any easy way to search it such as site, application or anything else.
School has dorms, but I stayed at a studio apartment. Dorms are easy to get in, but the start&end dates are very strict so if you want to come earlier than the school or want to stay longer than the school, you have to move to another place. I googled "kot at Gent" and used the websites which offer apartments for students.
After get off the plane, what is the easy and cheap way to get to the centre?
Train.
For students, in order to have no problem while they are going to university, which places would you recommend them to find room?
Ghent is a small city and the campuses/courses are all around the city. So, it doesn't really matter.
As a student who live in the city that the university is located, how is the life around the city?
There are big grocery shops available all around the city. At night, there are small shops called "nachtwinkel" (nightshops). It is a student city so the night life is good. Life is neither cheap nor expensive. It depends on the way you spend your money. Eating outside is expensive. School has a cafeteria and the food is at a good price and they have a lot of options.
How much a student need for a month to live? (With accomodation or without)
Approximately 400euros(without accomodation) per month is good enough for living but it depends on where you eat, what you eat, how much you travel etc.
How much the accommodation were when you were staying? Could you estimate a range that may vary depending on where you live in the city?
Dorms were 415 euros for the Spring 2017 term. Shared apartments start from 350. It can go up to 700 euros to rent an apartment depending on the choice/number of roommates.
Is there any bank automat in the campus? What does a student do if they wanna have bank account? Does it necessary? Do locals in the university area mostly use credit card or cash? Is it necessary to bring some cash with us?
It is possible to open a Belgian account. I can suggest "Teb". It is important to have cash because not everywhere is accepting credit cards.
During the Visa application, do you have any recommendations or something that is not easily found online that you may share with other students to help them out in this long process? Which parts do students need to focus on?
It is important to apply early. Gathering the documents take time and effort.
