Hello, my name is Aleks Bozhinov, and I am an International Business and Management student from Bulgaria. I am 19 years old and am in the second year.

My decision to study in the Netherlands was based upon numerous factors, of which the main are my interest in the Dutch culture and the attractiveness of the geographical position of the Netherlands.

Furthermore, I chose the IBMS programme at Hanze UAS because it offers me the great opportunity to do a double degree program, as well as the chance of having two internships behind my back by the end of the study. Moreover, I grew up  in an international environment and continuing to work and study in such a setting was essential to me. I believe that studying at the International Business School has really satisfied my need for more international experience.

The things I like best about studying here are the practical training classes, such as Skills Training and PDT, but also the opportunities for extra-curricular activities, presented by the student association. Most of all, I liked the two practical projects that we were involved in during the first year. The idea of organising practical excercises in groups with people from different backgrounds suits my taste to the limit. 

Studying IBMS in the city of Groningen makes this experience very rich. I enjoy the constant sea breeze that refreshes the air of the city, which can be felt while driving a bike on the especially made biking lanes.
 

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Hello, my name is Andreas Karle. I am 23 years old and I’m from Germany. I’m a student of the International Business School at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen (Hanze UAS), and I’m currently in my second year. I would like to tell you something about the social aspects of studying at the Hanze UAS. To begin, we have a great international student association which is called the ISA. They organize events  frequently, especially summer business events, ranging from guest lectures from company officials that come to IBS and talk or business trips to companies, (really visit them), such as VW or Mercedes.

Groningen is a very nice place to study. It’s a very cosy city with about 180.000 inhabitants. It’s a very safe city to study; it’s actually ranked number one in the whole of the Netherlands. It’s great for going out, people are open-minded and nearly everybody speaks English. Groningen provides you with a whole plethora of social activities; also due to the fact that it’s a student town and that there are so many students. Personally, summing it up, it’s a great place to study and hopefully I will see you soon on campus!

Hello, my name is Anna Orlova, and I am a first-year International Business and Management student from the Russian Federation.

I considered the idea of studying in the Netherlands when my friend told me about his study experiences in Groningen. His story was very exciting and encouraging for me. Therefore, I decided to visit Groningen and have a look for myself how people live and study there. The beautiful small town, friendly atmosphere and good knowledge of the English language by everyone won my heart.

Thanks to my former job I realized that business knowledge is necessary for jump-starting your career or starting your own business. Therefore, I opted to enter the IBMS programme at Hanze UAS. Getting connected to other (like-minded) people is very important when you do business, which is why I especially like that the programme is so international.

So far, I have truly enjoyed the pleasant international atmosphere, which is a good motivating factor for learning. After one year of education I have friends from different countries and know many interesting peculiarities about other cultures. Furthermore,  the experience I have gained in teamwork allows me to identify my strengths and weaknesses and has improved my communication skills. 

Moreover, Hanze UAS provides suitable and modern facilities for education, such as computer classes, libraries, free wi-fi, parking spaces for bikes and cars.

What I really like about Groningen are the many pubs, cafes, restaurants and clubs together with the convenient transport links that allow you to rapidly reach any place in town, either by bike or by bus. Finally, since I came for the north of Russia, the climate is also very suitable for me. The winters are not too cold and summers have many warm days. I feel comfortable and safe here. 

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Hi, my name is Jingyi and I’m from China.  I’m 24 years old and a fourth year student at IBS. You may be asking yourself nowadays…what is most important for people when applying for a job? A Degree? No. Work experience? Possibly. The right study with lots of practical experience? Definitely, yes! IBS is the right place to offer you a wonderful opportunity to succeed in the global workplace.

First of all, the international student environment gives you a good insight into cultural differences. You can learn a lot from other students from around the world. Secondly, the study programmes are excellent. You can choose from a major an/or minor in Marketing, Finance, and Management.

The exchange semester and the placement semester are offered in the third year of study at IBS. This is the perfect time for you to experience and improve yourself not only in study but also in work. Last but not least, compared with other schools, team work is highly valued and insisted within your study at IBS. By doing a lot of project work, you have many opportunities to practice how to work in a team and this will definitely benefit your future career.

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Hello, my name is Julia Socolov. I’m originally from Moldavia, I’m 21 years old and I am a second year IBS student. I’m really excited, getting ready to go on my third year (abroad) for my double degree in Paris, a really good business school.

What I really appreciate about IBS, is the international aspects. We have a unique opportunity to study together with 40 nationalities in IBS. It gets even more interesting in the second year when we have people from all of our partner schools coming, and we work in international groups together, we have classes together and so many social activities together…it is just a great experience.

I can tell you right away that we, as IBS students, have an advantage, because we start working in international groups from our first year. We already have the skills, the knowledge of working with people from different countries: something really valuable in today’s workplace.

Not only the educational aspect of it, but socially too - there are many social activities. We can go out every day, because Groningen is such an amazing city and both in- and outside school. We really make friends for life, and basically from all over the world!

I’ve been here for less than two years, and I already have friends from every country, like Australia, New Zealand, Asia, The United States, all kinds of European countries…And I think that, sometimes, we as IBS students get so used to this, that we take it for granted. But when you think about it, it’s actually amazing, and it’s so unique! This is something I think that everybody who gets the chance to experience this kind of international environment, should definitely grab it!

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Hello, I’m Wouter de Jonge and I am studying at IBMS.

One of the reasons I am studying in Groningen is that the city is appealing to me. For example, there are many sports activities organized by student organizations as well as sports clubs. I’m a member of a student organization and you get to know many people as well as international people that study here in Groningen.

Also, the city centre itself is excellent for student nightlife, especially in the summer, there are nice terraces that are open and you can just have a drink with your friends. There is the “Noorderzon festival” which is a music festival in the park and is very nice with the sunset and many bands.

There are so many sports activities here and many student organizations in which you get to know many people from all over the world. Many nationalities are represented here. Another thing is that the city centre is relatively small but also compact, with many bars and restaurants and clubs. I think the best way to experience Groningen is to check it out for yourself.