Our Experience as Exchange Students from IILM
As unnerving as the prospect of studying in a different country was, the moment we set foot at the airport in Amsterdam, the four of us knew it was the beginning of a spectacular experience. We were greeted by two extremely helpful and friendly students from Hanze, who were there to receive us, and traveled with us till our accommodation in Groningen, guiding us and acquainting us with the Dutch culture and environment along the way.
We, along with all the other exchange students, were welcomed at Hanze with an introductory lecture elaborating the structure and schedule of the semester. The first week of the semester, self explanatory called ‘Introduction Week’, was dedicated to facilitate interaction between all the foreign students and to encourage team work, through group activities. All the students were divided into four groups. Each team was given a project, which were as follows:
Group 1- Cookbook
Group 2- Yearbook
Group 3- Dutch Calendar (Birthday Calendar)
Group 4- Newspaper
Each group had to prepare, promote and sell as many copies of their respective products, and present the results in front of all the other groups and group coaches by the end of the week.
What ensued was a flurry of activity, with every group clamoring to attain sponsors, planning the design, promotion, pricing etc.
The four of us were split up as well, two being in the Yearbook group, and the other two in the group preparing Dutch calendars. Each group worked in a different way, yet all were working to beat time and competition, in order to sell the maximum number of copies.
All these efforts paid off, as on the day of the presentation, each group emerged successful in making profits out of their sales, and our coaches were pleased with our performances. We all were hence proud recipients of the credits assigned to this project.
Classes at Hanze have only been getting better and more enriching with each passing day ever since. We learn something new every day, not just from our teachers, but also from our classmates, hailing from all over the world, with diverse nationalities and varying cultures.
This has truly been an illuminating experience for us, and we are grateful to IILM Institute for Business and Management for giving us this opportunity of a lifetime.
