During the June / July holidays Erica Hurndall attented the Summer School for Bachelor & Master Students at the European Business School. Here is her report:
Pre-departure:
Congratulations on being accepted to EBS Summer School! Prepare yourself for an action packed 3 weeks, there is an incredible experience awaiting you in Germany. Here are just a few tips to help you on your way and along with guidance from the International Office you will be well prepared for your trip to Europe.
Firstly, if you are wondering about anything relating to the course, contact Ursula Haque with any of your queries. She is more than willing to help and went out of her way to make the process as smooth as possible for us from their side.
Get started with your admin preparations as soon as possible to prevent it from coinciding with studying for your exams. Research some countries that you would like to visit over the weekends so that you know what you would like to do once you get there. It is not necessary to make fixed plans before you leave but this would make it cheaper for booking accommodation and potentially flight tickets with the low cost European air lines. On our summer school, us four Maties students travelled together on the weekends and we made our plans for this on our first week when we arrived in Germany, this also worked out well. I would encourage you to get in contact with the other Stellenbosch students to discuss potential plans before the time. You will have great times getting to know each other as well as the other students from around the world!
The Visa application process should be a smooth one as the German embassy is very efficient. The online system is easy to navigate, the only tricky thing might be finding a time that fits conveniently between your exams. Your visit to their office will be quick so long as you have all the documents that they require. A print out of your bank statement might also be required so take one along in case. Applying for a multi-entry Schengen Visa will allow you to travel easily to most countries in Europe. My Visa was ready 3 days after my visit to their office.
I booked my air ticket through Maties Travel with Lufthansa. This helped a lot with finding different flight options and they also helped me with my travel insurance however it is not necessary to work through a travel agent. I had a direct flight from Johannesburg to Frankfurt which took about 10 hours. Flights with stop overs in other countries will be a cheaper option but does add quite a lot of time to your travelling. Try to finalise your travel dates as soon as possible as ticket prices do increase fast, especially from one month to the next.
With regards to packing, make sure you have some warm, rain proof things packed. It does rain and gets quite cold in summer so be prepared. Take a rain jacket, umbrella and rain proof shoes along. You will be outside and walking A LOT. Lastly, make sure you have free space in your bag! Whether for souvenirs or clothes you will most probably be doing a bit of shopping. All the summer sales are on at that time and there are definitely good bargains to be found. So go ahead and buy yourself something that says “I love Germany”…enjoy!
Summer School:
Studying at EBS’s Summer School will definitely be a highlight of your academic career. It is an incredibly diverse, dynamic academic environment. On our course there were students from SA, America, Australia, China, Singapore, England, Ireland, Mexico and Turkey. It is an incredible opportunity to learn about other cultures as you get a fresh perspective on South Africa and how we are viewed as a nation internationally. Take the time to learn about your fellow students and build friendships which will inevitably happen as you spend these 3 weeks together living, learning and experiencing Europe.
EBS has a beautiful, small campus and the facilities are very impressive. The course ‘Doing Business in Europe’ is a very enriching course, which is presented by highly qualified professional lecturers. If you have a BComm background from Stellenbosch, many of the concepts we have learnt there are presented from a European perspective which makes it very interesting to compare and see what we have learnt fitting into global issues. Without a BComm background this course is also very valuable as it covers many aspects of operating in the business world in a manner that is practically applied to case studies and real life examples in Europe.
The business simulation game that we did in the last week of the course taught us a lot about practically managing a business and all the financial decisions that must be considered. Working in teams of extremely diverse individuals was a valuable learning experience in communicate effectively and working efficiently in a situation that will be very realistic once you enter the working world.
With regards to travelling around Europe, the 4 of us Stellenbosch students travelled together. We bought a EuRail Pass which allows you to use the public transport systems to travel as much as you want for the days you decide. Travelling to 3 countries (Germany, Czech Republic and Benelux- including Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) for 6 days (3 return trips over the 3 weekends, these 6 days did not need to be consecutive) cost us 260 Euros. This was an easy, cost-effective option for us as the ticket just had to be bought once (closest place to buy was at Frankfurt train station) and could then be used whenever we decided until we had used up all the days. All European public transport is efficient, mostly on time, clean and safe. Give yourself a day to figure out how the different systems in each country work and you will figure out the routes and schedules quickly.
The accommodation arranged for us was great, very comfortable and homely. We lived in Oestrich a tiny, quiet town 30 minutes walk from EBS. The Maties students shared this house with 2 other international students attending the summer school. There should be busses running that will get you to the campus quickly but during our time the busses were not running to the EBS bus stop so also be prepared to walk.
We did have internet access in our house so if you are comfortable travelling with a laptop, take it along. None of us did and it is not vital but it does make it easier for handling admin like booking train tickets or accommodation for travels. It was not required for any of the courses at EBS, except the business game simulation in which case each group only needed one.
Grocery shopping is relatively inexpensive in the town. Rewe (10 minutes walk from EBS) or Aldi (the discount store in centre of town) are both good options for your grocery needs. There is also a very good cafeteria at EBS that makes lunches that cost us 3.60 Euro per meal which many students made use of over lunch times.
You will learn a lot about how not only Germany but the whole of Europe operates over the duration of the course. Things discussed in the lectures become practical through the site visits to Lufthansa, Opel and European Parliament in France. These really are valuable experiences so take it all in and make the most of your time there because it goes by so fast!
Return:
Every reason stated on the International Office’s website for why students should go on exchange, was in my experience fulfilled. I loved the opportunity to travel, learnt about myself, expanded my world-view, broke out of my academic routine and definitely enhanced my employment opportunities.
It was a wonderful opportunity to travel, whether you are a seasoned travelled or it is your first time abroad. There is so much to learn and see and do in the local German area or countries nearby. Typical weekend plans of the EBS summer school students would include: a train trip to local Koblenz, Munich, Berlin or Kӧln or neighboring countries such as Switzerland, Netherlands or Czech Republic. Some students also made use of the low cost airline, Ryn Air, to fly to places such as Paris or Rome for the weekend.
Leaving South Africa, entering a foreign first world country, facing a language barrier and some culture clashes is a lesson in adapting. It was incredible how fast our comfort zones back home in South Africa were replaced by our new one in Oestrich-Winkel, Germany. With support from your fellow Maties, other international students all being in the same boat and the summer school staff this was an easy transition.
Looking back on the academic side of the course, I realize that I have really learnt a lot in a short time about how Europe operates. Never having been exposed to topics such as the European economic integration and the automotive industry in Germany before, it has opened up a whole new dimension of interests for me. ‘Doing Business in Europe’ is the perfect grounding to expose you to many different aspects of European business, providing just the right amount of detail to allow understanding but without being too overwhelming.
When asked what nationality we are we always got such positive comments when we replied with South Africa. We often found ourselves describing our country to the other students and though they didn’t know all that much about it (except the soccer) there is so much to say about it and our eyes were re-opened to the vast diversity that makes this country what it is.
I realised that Stellenbosch University rivals other universities on a global scale. The amazing campus culture that we are a part of is not the norm and the student involvement in cultural, community, sport, social and academic facets at Stellenbosch is well above those of many of the other international students we studied with. I have a changed perspective on how much benefit all that living in and around campus and the opportunities offered to us adds to our student experience where we end up learning a lot more than just academics.
Having this opportunity to live and study overseas for a while has made me want to return to Europe when my studies have finished. There is so much to learn from their business world and practical experience there will be very valuable to my career with logistics being my field of study and personal interest in international logistics. SA will always be home but it’s a big world out there and I really believe it is important to see as much of it as possible. So enjoy your travels, enjoy the course and prepare yourself for an unforgettable month!