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Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Illustration by Rachel Choi.

Nothing could have prepared me for the Kasteel Well culture shock

By Rumsha Siddiqui, Beacon Staff / November 15, 2023

Adjusting to a new environment is never easy. My semester studying abroad at Emerson College’s Kasteel Well campus has made that obvious. In the 1980s,...

Coming to Kasteel Well? Don’t pack the kitchen sink.

Coming to Kasteel Well? Don’t pack the kitchen sink.

By Maeve Lawler / April 12, 2023

Are you a future Kasteel Well dweller? If the answer is yes, then you’re probably wondering how to prepare for your semester abroad. What do I pack?...

A brief history of Kasteel Well

A brief history of Kasteel Well

By Maeve Lawler, Staff Writer / April 5, 2023

Kasteel Well, a Dutch national monument, is a moated castle nestled in the countryside of Well, Netherlands. Each day, students cross a wide wooden bridge...

Kasteel Well campus ends weekly testing protocol, shift to symptomatic testing only

Kasteel Well campus ends weekly testing protocol, shift to symptomatic testing only

By Maeve Lawler / March 22, 2023

As of March 9, Emerson’s Kasteel Well campus no longer requires twice-a-week COVID-19 testing, according to an email sent to Kasteel Well students from...

Photo of four girls smiling in dresses

From the castle to Boston: What happens to home when you’re abroad?

By Sophia Pargas, Living Arts Editor / October 5, 2022

As I stared out at the descending Miami skyline on my first flight back to Boston since December 2022, unease rumbled in my ribcage like the engine of...

The exterior of the Kasteel Well castle

No change in sight for Kasteel Well following Omicron variant detection in Netherlands

By Bailey Allen / December 2, 2021

Weeks after a surge in COVID-19 cases forced the Netherlands into another lockdown, the appearance of Omicron—the latest mutation of the virus—threatens...

Emerson's Kasteel Well campus in Well, Netherlands.

Emerson students at Kasteel Well unfazed by Netherlands lockdowns

By Bailey Allen / November 18, 2021

Amid a rise in COVID cases throughout the Netherlands, Emerson students studying abroad at Kasteel Well face a three-week partial lockdown, which has limited...

The exterior of the Kasteel Well castle

Kasteel Well students reflect on departing the castle

By Shawna Konieczny / March 29, 2021

On March 2, 2020, the 76 students studying at Emerson’s Kasteel Well campus gathered in a cramped dining hall awaiting an update on spring break, expecting...

Emerson's Kasteel Well campus in Well, Netherlands.

With no students at the castle, the town of Well remains shuttered

By Camilo Fonseca / February 18, 2021

Nearly 3,500 miles away from Boston, a towering castle is quiet. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the dorms at Kasteel Well have sat empty for nearly...

Emerson's Kasteel Well campus in Well, Netherlands.

Kasteel Well program cancelled for spring semester due to ongoing travel restrictions

By Andrew Brinker / October 16, 2020

The Kasteel Well study abroad program has been cancelled for the spring semester due to ongoing European Union travel restrictions on U.S. citizens. The...

Emerson's Kasteel Well campus in Well, Netherlands.

Kasteel Well fall program canceled in a swift change from previous plan

By Diti Kohli / August 4, 2020

The fall Kasteel Well study abroad program has been canceled after the college was unable to secure permission for U.S. citizens to enter the Netherlands,...

Kasteel Well students to receive refund for canceled Milan excursion

Kasteel Well students to receive refund for canceled Milan excursion

By Lara Hill / April 3, 2020

The college plans to issue a refund for costs associated with the Milan academic excursion that officials canceled due to concerns with the spread of COVID-19...

College considering housing refunds for Kasteel Well students leaving campus

College considering housing refunds for Kasteel Well students leaving campus

By Lara Hill / March 11, 2020

The college is currently “leaning in the direction” of providing housing refunds to Kasteel Well students planning to return home for the remainder...

Expectation vs Reality: The mental and emotional impact of studying abroad

Expectation vs Reality: The mental and emotional impact of studying abroad

By Lara Hill / March 11, 2020

A few weekends ago, I went bar hopping with my friends in Amsterdam. You would probably expect me to be dancing and singing to the reggaeton music playing...

The Long Road Home: Weathering Storm Ciara back to the castle

The Long Road Home: Weathering Storm Ciara back to the castle

By Christopher Williams / February 26, 2020
A major winter storm raged across northern Europe, Feb. 9 and delayed transport back to the Netherlands as Kasteel Well students wrapped up their first independent travel weekend.
Emerson's Kasteel Well campus in Well, Netherlands.

Coronavirus scares halt travel for Kasteel Well students

By Lara Hill, Kasteel Well Editor / February 24, 2020

WELL, NETHERLANDS—Kasteel Well officials canceled the four-day mandatory academic excursion to Milan, Italy Monday and banned student travel outside...

Beacon Archive.

Kasteel Well students uninjured following deadly Dutch shooting

By Anissa Gardizy / March 18, 2019

Students studying abroad at the Kasteel Well campus in the Netherlands are safe and uninjured following a deadly shooting in the Dutch city of Utrecht...