Studentenerlebnis

• What is your professional and academic background?

Graduated from the Faculty of Economics of Belarusian State University with a degree in Finance and Credit. I took English courses during my bachelor studies. I did internships in various industries: in a bank, in the Internal Affairs Department, I was an auditor's assistant. Already during my Industrial Management program, I worked in logistics in Minsk.

• Why did you decide to enroll in this program?

I decided to enter the Industrial Management program quite suddenly, because after I finished my Bachelor's degree I had some questions about my future: I decided to change my field of interest, because working in audit or in a bank did not inspire me and was not interesting at all. I noticed that there is an Industrial Management program at BSU with a focus on other areas than the ones I had before at the university and at work. Belarusian students can study for free and for a fee at BSU. It so happened that I entered for a fee, but it did not upset me at all, because it was worth it. I also entered the program because of the cooperation with the German university and the German diploma. At that time it inspired me to enroll, because in such a short period of time, in two years, I would be able to get two master's degrees at once. One of them will be European and I thought it would be a serious competitive advantage in getting a job in the future, as well as changing my field of work.

• What did you like about living and studying at Mittweida?

The thing I liked best about Mittweida was that it was a small town. Some might say it's boring and there's nothing to do. I really liked that the dorms are right next to the university, the location is very convenient. There is a dining hall where you can eat quite budget and tasty food, meet up with friends and do something together. If you are going to come here for a couple of years, study and then go to other cities in Germany, it's an ideal place to start. I would especially like to mention the support of the international office in all matters, and especially with scholarships.

• What was your level of German when you came here?

When I came to Mittweida, I had a basic level of German. I learned basic phrases and structures in an introductory language course that I took at BSU.

• What advice do you have for students who are thinking about enrolling in this program?

1. If you plan to enroll in the program, then you need to take an English exam in advance and see if your level is enough for admission.
2. As soon as you get your English certificate, then immediately start learning German, so that it will be easier in the future with finding an internship, communicating with people and living in Germany.
3. You have to look for an internship beforehand; it's worth starting a couple of months after you arrive.

• What advice do you have for students who are already in this program?

1. It is necessary to be concerned about legal issues: obtaining insurance, residence permits, find out about the number of permitted working days, etc.
2. You need to find out about the situation regarding the re-crediting of grades received at your partner university.

• What is your professional and academic background?

Graduated from the Faculty of Economics of Belarusian State University, Department of International Management with honors, took additional preparatory courses in English and IT. Before entering the program, I worked as a volunteer management manager at FIFA 2018, interned at BELAZ in 2019, worked as a volunteer management manager at 2 European games in Minsk. Product Portfolio Manager in a company selling video games.

• Why did you decide to enroll in this program?

While still in university I began to think about where to continue my career and my training. But, rather, education was at the top of the list for me. I realized that in Belarus I studied at the best department, which could give me everything. That's why I wanted to get an international experience.

I started looking for possible foreign programs and exchange programs. I found out that our department had an exchange program with Hochschule Mittweida and it suited all my criteria: it was a German university, the teaching was in English and I did not have to pay because I was the best student. I decided to take the program because it was the perfect opportunity.

• What did you like about living and studying at Mittweida?

I really regret that because of the coronavirus we were not able to get all the local opportunities 100% in terms of studying at the university, visiting laboratories, including the same library, live communication with professors. We were just unlucky because we arrived in the middle of the pandemic and the very first online semester.

We had to stay in the dorms all the time and I didn't feel disadvantaged because the dorms had everything I needed to live: spacious single rooms, furniture, fast internet, kitchen with everything I needed. And the price was more than pleasant.

But if you take into account the days when visiting associate professors came to visit us and we could attend their classes in full on campus, it was a great experience: modern and historic university buildings, the equipment of classrooms, the organization of the space increased the desire to learn.

The university location itself brought a great feeling, because you live in just such a university-oriented town. Everything is concentrated in one place: the university buildings, student dormitories, student clubs and the students themselves create a special atmosphere of the university. You could say that it created a bond between me and the university.

If we talk about Mittweida itself, I had absolutely everything I needed to live here: there is a swimming pool, you can grill in the yard, there are interesting places in the city center.

But the biggest surprise for me was the local nature. The landscape in Belarus is rather flat, and here around Mittweida you can find mountains, streams, meadows, and interesting hiking trails.

• How much does studying in your home country and in Germany differ?

In Belarus we had a very good team of teachers and I would say that the learning process itself is almost identical: in Belarus and in Germany there were real cases, the material was presented perfectly, everything was balanced, all teachers conducted classes at a good level of English.

• Regarding the learning process, it is on the Industrial Management program: how can you compare the learning processes in Belarus on this program and in Germany?

If you compare the undergraduate program at BSU and the Industrial Management program, the learning process in the master's program is much better and more interesting. But the learning process itself is almost the same.

But, what I noticed: in Belarus they always checked the assigned homework. In Germany I liked that you could either do it or not. But this homework was smoothly transitioned into the material that was covered in the next study session.

• What was your level of German when you came here?

In Belarus, I took a basic German language course with Industrial Management students when I was an undergraduate. A woman who worked at Bosch came to BSU and taught us a few classes in the basics. Well, when I was already in the program, we had several classes taught by a man who was also a Native speaker.

• What advice do you have for students who are thinking about enrolling in this program?

1. You need to get a very high level of English.
2. Once you have begun your studies at a partner university, you need to find out all the information about Mittweeda: how and when to apply.
3. To be open to everything.

• What advice do you have for students who are already in this program?

1. Try to get useful information for yourself at every lecture, because a lot of interesting thoughts come up that you can work through and use in the future.
2. Take care of your internship in advance (about three to four months in advance) and make an effort.
3. Enjoy your time here!

• What is your professional and academic background?

I studied and received a bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Economics of BSU, majoring in International Management.

Let me start with my professional experience: I did my first internship at a certification company in Belarus, I worked in the U.S. for 2.5 months under the "Work & Travel" program - I got a very cool experience there. I also did a seven-month internship at «Belarusian Potash Company» in the freight department.

The most important experience for me is the "Sturtup Heart" project, which we created with the guys from the Economics Faculty of BSU. Initially it was not at a professional level - we started from scratch. What was the concept: For those guys who had ideas or startups that were already running, we helped them find mentors and investors. We organized the student team ourselves. I spent the first year mentoring myself, and then another year and a half, even while I was at Mittweida, I was the project leader. We've grown a lot in a few years, and we've had a lot of interesting opportunities.

• Why did you decide to enroll in this Program?

In 2019, I was able to go on a student trip with a group of Belarusian students to Mittweida and see what the education system looks like and how students live in Germany. We visited enterprises, visited Mittweida and several nearby towns, and were able to participate in seminars. I realized that if I have a goal to go to study, this is the place for me. I made the right choice.

• What did you like about studying in Mittweida?

The program has an excellent staff of teachers who are aimed at transferring practical knowledge to students. It doesn't feel like a certain module is there just to be studied (for the checkmark). Everything is aimed at giving you that practical knowledge and that experience, which in the future can be used in your work. For example, we analyzed real existing cases that take place at the moment and are relevant for a particular company.

When we were still in Minsk, we participated in workshops where we were prepared to come to Germany: we studied the culture, life of Germans, the learning process and other important cultural and systemic aspects.

I really liked that there's a very strong student community here that will always help.

You have to understand that Mittweida is a city where you have to come and learn. Those who come here purely for entertainment will find little here for themselves. Yes, there are very cool events organized by the university and the students themselves, but there is no regular nightlife here. And it really helps you to concentrate on your studies. The campus in Mittweida is very convenient, because everything is close by: the university buildings, dormitories, dining hall, library, there is all the infrastructure for a comfortable life.

Another very cool synergy is formed by the city itself and the nature around it.

• How much does studying in your home country and in Germany differ?

First of all, openness. In Germany, everyone is willing to help you solve your problem. Everyone knows the stereotype that the German system is bureaucratic, but I didn't feel that way in Mittweid. On the contrary, it seemed to me that everybody wants to make the process for students as simple and understandable as possible.

• Regarding the learning process, it is on the Industrial Management program: how can you compare the learning processes in Belarus on this program and in Germany?

I can't say that everything is identical. The peculiarity of the Belarusian and German educational system is that there are subjects that are tied to your curriculum and you have to take them anyway. Even if you have already had them in school (for example, history). The second half of the course was much more interesting, because they started to give us more practice-oriented knowledge.

From the very first days we attended the master's courses in Minsk, we began to gain extremely useful knowledge because the professors were practitioners. The students and professors worked not with the goal of passing the curriculum for a checkmark or a grade, but with the definite goal of gaining useful knowledge and skills.

A serious factor in the difference is that Belarus and Germany are two different countries with a different teaching culture. But the biggest difference is that in Mittweida there are many more nationalities represented and you can talk to teachers and students with different international backgrounds, which allows for a variety of learning situations.

If you take most subjects, everything in Germany was geared toward us working in groups and us working in the class itself. Yes, in Germany they also gave homework, but in Belarus you are explained the topic and you have to do a task on this topic at home.

There is definitely no difference - both universities have excellent specialists.

• What was your level of German when you came here?

When I was still in my first semester in Minsk, I studied German from scratch at university and a couple of months with a private tutor. I came to Germany with an approximate level of A1.2