Yulia Cherkas, 4th year student of the Faculty of Economics and Management, has taken part in a student exchange programme at the Artesis Plantejn University College (Belgium) during the autumn semester 2017. In this interview Yulia shared her first impressions on living and studying in Belgium.

                          

Yulia has always been interested in studying abroad so when the call for applications to study at the Artesis Plantejn University College was announced, Yulia was one of the first ones to apply. Student exchange program with Artesis Plantejn University College is co-funded by the NVSU Rector’s grant to study abroad for distinguished students.

                                                     

According to Yulia, one semester abroad is a great opportunity to get international experience and improve language skills as well get a new perspective on future career development and meet new people from all over the world.

Yulia says that this experience was immensely valuable in terms of professional development and language improvement. Artesis Plantejn University College offers study programs in English, which was a winning argument when selecting a higher education institution to study within exchange program at.

                                                       

Speaking about the study process at Artesis Plantejn University College, Yulia says that it is more focused on self-learning, project-based learning, group work and most of the time is devoted to solving practical issues. During her studying at AP, Yulia was also actively involved in practical training such as visits to hotels and museums, developing package tours and planning touristic routs, etc. This student exchange experience helped Yulia to fully immense herself in the Belgian culture: get acquainted with Belgian architecture, try national cuisine and participate in local festival and students’ events.

 

                                                      

Also Yulia mentions that she was impressed how international coordinators work with foreign students. Had they faced any problems requiring serious help, they are sure the university would have been more than ready to solve them.

Yulia’s advice for NVSU students is to be more determined, open-minded and self-motivated as living and studying abroad is an exciting opportunity not to miss.