VMU Student’s Year in Belgium. Practice-Oriented Studies and Career Opportunities in Europe
“I’m very happy that I went to study abroad: it will definitely be useful for my future career. During lectures, we solved cases of real companies, and we visited companies where we could potentially work in the future. I’ve also visited job fairs and met with representatives from the Big Four – the largest global accounting companies”, says Nigara Karimzhanova, Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) student of the Marketing and International Commerce program who spent two semesters studying at the Louvain School of Management of the University of Louvain, Belgium as a participant of Erasmus exchange.
Nigara came to study at VMU from Kazakhstan. In her native country, she completed bachelor’s degree studies of finance and accounting at the University of International Business. In Lithuania, she was interested in the opportunity to diversify her studies, so she chose a master’s degree program of a different area (marketing and international commerce).
“Before coming to Lithuania, I already had certain expectations, because I had heard feedback from other students. Still, when I came here for the first time, I was very impressed by how different everything was here. I really liked not just the quality of studies at VMU, but also Lithuanian architecture and the people”, notes Nigara.
Comparing her study experiences in three countries and three universities, the student says that in Kazakhstan her studies were more theory-based, whereas at VMU Faculty of Economics and Management, her master’s studies impressed her thanks to more practical focus and the possibilities to look for actual business solutions, to get in touch with the real world and prepare for a career. Practical application was also the focus of her studies in Belgium: e.g., one of the courses was dedicated solely to learning how to use an e-commerce platform.
Nigara Karimzhanova (first from the right) with other students in Belgium. Photo from Nigara Karimzhanova’s personal archive.
Possible workplaces include the Big Four companies
“I really liked the study system at the University of Louvain, because it’s very different from many other places. Here, every semester is divided into two parts, so you can separate your courses. For instance, if you have six courses in one semester, you can complete three of them during the first part of the semester, and the remaining three during the second part”, Nigara explains.
According to the student, in Belgium, she participated in two career fairs that were organised at the university and explored the opportunities offered by various Belgian and European companies, including the so-called Big Four: Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC. They are the largest audit and accounting companies in the world by revenue. Along with other students, Nigara also visited the KPMG Luxembourg Office.
Nigara is delighted that during studies she managed to receive useful advice on job search and preparation of a resume. She is certain that spending one half of MA degree studies in Lithuania and the other half in Belgium will be very useful to her career in the future. The emphasis on practical aspects during lectures will allow her to apply the acquired knowledge at work.
“I’d like to start a career, or at least start with internship. Maybe after studies I will manage to get employed at one of the Big Four companies, especially KPMG, because I visited their office and I really liked the atmosphere, the culture of the company. I’ll try my best to join it”, Nigara Karimzhanova explains.
University of Louvain. Photo from Nigara Karimzhanova’s personal archive.
Charmed by hospitality and beautiful cities
Sharing her impressions about the Belgian people’s hospitality and culture, the student was generous with compliments. “I felt warmly welcomed, they are very nice and kind. Our student house is very international, we have various activities thanks to which I learned many things about Belgium’s history, culture, and traditions. I even started learning French here and I really liked it”, she says.
“Like we all know, Belgium is very well-known for its waffles, chocolate, and fries, but they have other interesting food which is less known, as I’ve learned. While living with the local students, I’ve not only tasted but also joined in cooking it, for example, we all cooked a special Belgian chicken soup, which is called Waterzooi”, Nigara points out.
While studying in Belgium, she visited various cities of this country: Ghent, Bruges, Brussels and others. The student notes that Belgium has a very well-developed infrastructure and it is very comfortable to travel around by using the rail network.
“It’s very hard to choose my favourite city, but I think it may be Antwerp. Its architecture is very different from other cities, it’s very beautiful, I also liked the people there. Louvain, where I lived during studies, is a small student city; Antwerp is bigger, they have everything you might need there”, VMU student explains.
Antwerp. Photo from Nigara Karimzhanova’s personal archive.
Studies abroad are very helpful
Sharing some practical advice to students who are planning to study abroad, Nigara Karimzhanova says that they should try to communicate with the local students as much as possible, instead of remaining among friends or other students from their own country, and actively join various activities where people from different cultures or countries are participating.
“It will be very helpful to get acquainted with diverse cultures and traditions. After studies, it will be easier to find a job or choose a place where you want to live and work because you will interact with people from various backgrounds. Of course, living in a multicultural place will be helpful in making you more flexible”, the interviewee comments, adding that before choosing the country of one’s studies it is important to research it properly in advance, get to know not just its climate but also the cultural and character traits of its people.