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Personal approach
“I think understanding yourself is the foundation for finding a career that actually suits you and makes you happy. My career outlook has definitely been influenced by the semesters I’ve already completed. Through my experience organising a field trip to Disneyland Paris with my team, I learned a lot about my qualities and character. I love that students are given opportunities like this that not only mean we can put theory into practice but also become individual learning experiences. Although we work in teams, there’s a personal approach for each student and the study coaches are welcoming and open-minded. By the end of the study, they really will have become your friends. It’s an aspect of NHL Stenden that makes it stand out from other universities, not only in the Netherlands but on an international level.”
Double the experience
“Right from the moment I decided to study abroad, I knew the Netherlands wasn’t going to be my final stop. I’ve always loved travelling and exploring new cultures and what better way to double that experience than going on an exchange to another university? My exchange journey led me to Vilnius in Lithuania where I studied at SMK University of Applied Sciences. It wasn’t originally in my top 3 when I applied, but life threw its own challenges and the best solution to make things work seemed to be studying in Lithuania. I come from Estonia so the Baltic countries are clearly familiar to me. However, I’d never actually been to Vilnius before so I decided to give it a go. At SMK, I studied marketing as it’s always interested me and I wanted to develop my skills in the field.”
New environment, like-minded communities
“A clear benefit of the Erasmus+ programme is the support it offers. And that on Exchange there are usually lots of communities of international people. It means that even though you are in a new environment, you will still find like-minded people to share your joys and worries with. The main struggle for me was problems regarding accommodation, although the situation did get resolved fairly quickly. Overall, I feel like I’ve gained a new level of confidence, both as a student and future professional. And I’ve learned to appreciate the uniqueness of each country I have lived in. The funny thing is that although I really enjoy being in different places, at the moment, my heart is pulling me back home. I’m thinking I’d like to go on and do a master’s degree but first I want to take some time for myself. Let’s see where that will take me.”
To find out more about the programme, check out the Leisure and Events Management programme page or request the programme brochure. Or check out the different international opportunities NHL Stenden offers.