Kateryna Ivlieva

“I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and meet a lot of new, interesting people”

Kateryna Ivlieva

Hospitality Management student

Kateryna loves travelling, and planning and organising trips with her friends gives her so much energy she wanted to make sure she could integrate it fully into her life. By doing the Hospitality Management degree at NHL Stenden, she can combine her love of travel with her passion for meeting and interacting with new people.

“The Netherlands is a great country to study in if you want to get a quality education in English and Hotel Management School NHL Stenden has a great reputation and innovative approach to their curriculum. The methods used are very different to traditional education and very practical. I was used to learning from lectures and having to do exams, and when I first started the Hospitality Management programme I was afraid I wasn’t gaining enough knowledge. The truth is you actually learn through the projects, through practice and through self-study. And all under the guidance of your lecturers and coaches.”

Practical experience

“The programme covers a wide range of skills and each year carries a different focus. The project work means you work with real-life industry partners and companies and really like this exposure to the real world. How cool is it to design a marketing campaign for a café or come up with a loyalty programme for a hotel? It really motivates you and demonstrates how work and study combine. Besides the project work, the main highlight of the programme is practice. During the practice weeks, you work in the hotel, the restaurant or the food outlets at NHL Stenden. I think this is crucial and very important as a first step towards your career in hospitality. Moreover, each year your position develops, so you start at the lowest level, then you become a supervisor, and finally manager of the department.”

Exchange to Valencia

“I’m currently in Valencia in Spain for a semester taking a minor subject. I made my decision based on the location as opposed to the subject. The location and the language appealed to me first: living in a moderately sized city, next to the sea, with a lot of sun and warm weather – sounds like a dream! Also, at NHL Stenden, I was studying Spanish, so it was a great opportunity for me to improve my skills. Moreover, the Erasmus programme and organisations in Valencia are very well developed and form a huge network. There are various activities, trips and parties organised every single day, which means there are plenty of great opportunities to meet people and experience the life in Valencia. And Valencia is an amazing city. It’s not huge, but big enough not to get bored. The architecture in the city centre is astonishing and there are lots of cosy cafes, restaurants, shops, and bars all making it vibrant and interesting. It’s an extremely pleasant and comfortable city for students.”

Benefits and drawbacks

“Of course the weather in Valencia is a definite benefit but the educational system is very different to NHL Stenden. It’s more old-fashioned with lectures, classes, some practical assignments and exams. In a way, I gain more theoretical knowledge here, for instance I’m learning the basics of accounting, investments, and financial management as well as the theory of marketing. My days are really busy as I’m also taking Spanish classes and playing sports on campus and, of course, there are more classes and final exams to study for. I really enjoy it though and it’s a great opportunity to not just deepen my knowledge in particular subjects, but also experience student life in a different country.”

To find out more about the programme, check out the Hospitality Management programme page or request the programme brochure. Or check out the different international opportunities NHL Stenden offers.