In the course of the years we have collected a lot of quotes of alumni, through surveys and interviews. In this section you can read about the experiences of several of our alumni and on their opinions on some aspects of the programme.
We have divided the quotes of our alumni in three different categories: the content of the programme, the intercultural experience and the professional skills and career prospects.
Content of the programme
Jie
‘As a lecturer in a Chinese university, I feel confident and passionate sharing with my students the knowledge and experience acquired from the Euroculture programme.’
‘The IP was a very big gathering of all Euroculture students from all other universities in the programme, about 54 students together for a big conference. There you could here all kinds of different ideas about European cultures and the theme of that year, transformation of Europe.’
Anna, Germany
‘The European Project management course in San Sebastian, in which we were dealing with European project funding was very helpful when in my first year at my job I had to organise an international conference and we also received European funding. It was a real advantage that I already knew this and could now use it a little bit in practise at my work here.’
‘The interdisciplinary focus of Euroculture was really helpful for my job here and to get to know different approaches and disciplines.’
Intercultural experience
Adam, United States
‘The value of Euroculture for me was to study Europe, not only in a scholarly way, but also to be able to test those ideas out with other students who came. We had students from Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, Italy, as well as people from outside of Europe, the United States, Canada, China and some other cultures.’
Anne, Germany
‘I especially profit from the intercultural experiences gathered during my studies. Euroculture taught me competencies in working with international partners which I do a lot now in my work.’
Jie, China
‘I had great classmates from different countries from all over the world. It was very interesting to hear their opinion and their understanding of culture.’
Julie, Denmark
‘The best thing about the programme is the opportunity to meet other students from all around the world. After only two semesters I already developed a big network of people who are interested in the same field as I am.’
Kiran, Nepal
‘Studying Euroculture helped me realise my dream of studying in Europe. My formal classes comprised of lots of students from different countries with different cultural backgrounds, which presented a huge opportunity to learn and adopt multiculturalism.’
Stefan, Germany
‘Euroculture really brings together people from very different nations and very different cultures in small groups. I had the chance to study with people from different parts of the world, from different backgrounds and that was very beneficial to me.’
‘It was a great chance for me to study outside of Europe in Japan. In the end that helped me a lot to be successful in my studies and as we are looking right now it was also very beneficial in applying for a multinational company, to be able to say that I even studied outside of Europe.’
Professional skills and career prospects
Ben, UK
‘The rigorous coursework at Groningen gave me a deep understanding of my field (European integration studies) that formed the ideal basis for my own original scientific research. Thanks to excellent faculty supervision, I was able to publish my MA thesis in a book by a major university press, which has put me in a much better position for research jobs and my ultimate goal of earning a PhD.’
Stefan, Germany
‘My employer is really looking for intercultural competencies and people who have studied abroad. I had a great advantage being able to say that I studied in the Netherlands and Japan. They were very interested in the intercultural skills I gathered and that still helps me a lot today.’
Veronika, Ukraine
‘My double-degree in Euroculture was very helpful. I managed to prove my project management skills with the Eurocompetence experience, and my employers were very interested that such a things exists’
Velia, Mexico
‘Studying Euroculture has been a great experience. It has given me a chance to get to know different cultures and languages not only from countries where I chose to study but also those from where my classmates came. Moreover, it has provided me with the opportunity to develop my competences as student and, with my internship, it has helped me to develop skills for a future career.’
Yuliya, Ukraine
‘The interdisciplinary focus of the programme was a very important aspect for me. It became possible for me to do a PhD in Stockholm, because Euroculture allowed me to continue in a different direction. Now I am doing my PhD in history, while I did an undergraduate in translation.’
Anne, Germany
‘I especially profit from the intercultural experiences gathered during my studies. Euroculture taught me competencies in working with international partners which I do a lot now in my work.’