'My fellow students are great, very social and open towards each other'

Sil van de Vegt is a fourth-year Dutch student and is currently in the process of graduating from the study International Communication. He chose this programme because his end goal is to work in an intercultural communications environment.

'I chose this study for two reasons: Firstly, I am Dutch and have always lived in the area around Groningen, thus this was the first and most logical location for me to look at studies. I had tried another study at the Hanze before enrolling into International Communication, but that wasn’t meant for me. This brings me to the second reason; I like the concept of communication. I love to talk, I like the ability to connect with people through communication, as well as the intricate details that come with it.' 

'Of course, the next question was: do I attend International Communication or the Dutch Communication programme? For me, this answer was simple. I excel at the English language and I have always wanted to work in a more global field. International Communication has interculturality as a main focus throughout its four years. This allows you to learn how to work in a global field, and how to work with and understand people from another culture. I must also admit, signing up for the study was partially an impulsive choice of mine. But in retrospect, because the study is so perfect for me, it was one of the best decisions of my life.' 

'I got to know so many amazing people and learned about all the different cultures that were present in my class. The first year allowed me to exponentially grow as a person both on a social level and on a professional level. The courses gave me the core knowledge of the field and guided me into discovering what communication pathway I wanted to pursue, because communication can be quite broad. I was taught the necessary theoretical knowledge to become a communications professional, I was taught and guided in the hands-on skills of presenting, speaking, writing and more. I was also taught basic design skills such as photoshop, photography and video editing. All of this combined into a project, which often involved real clients. This allowed me to apply everything I have learnt in a real work environment, further progressing my learning journey.'   

'The third year was by far my favourite. The first and second years gave me knowledge and skills, but the third year allowed me to choose my own path. The internship was a valuable learning experience, and the study abroad was life-changing for me. The fourth year is fun too, you get to further focus in on your own professional path and choose specialisation electives.'   

'The interaction between students is great, you have to realise that the people who come here from abroad are here for a reason. They have a different mentality than Dutch students. They have travelled part of the world to come to this study, learn all they can, and improve themselves. This drive from the non-Dutch students is amazing to see. My fellow students are great, very social and open towards each other. We often help each other when needed, for both study related things and non-study-related things. The city of Groningen comes into play here as well, we often party together and hang out after class. The city feels very young, the atmosphere is very open and welcoming, I think that it is partly the reason Groningen is such a popular student city. It’s very international as well.' 

'The teachers are amazing. They really are knowledgeable about their field, and you can see that they have a passion to teach you that knowledge. Every single one of them wants to help you become the professional you are meant to be. They are often happy to help you, support you and encourage you to do the best you can.' 

'In the end, I think that this study offers an amazing opportunity for students who want to work and learn in an international environment. Whether you want to do marketing, social media or politics (or any of the numerous options), this study gives you a solid foundation to do just that. The opportunities given, such as the study abroad, allow you to really explore both yourself and the professional environment you want to be in.'