When the pandemic started in March, I never thought that it could influence the start of my studies, since September was so far away. We were all so sure that everything will get back to normal by then – clearly it didn’t. However, it all turned out way better than I thought it would and starting my study at the HU was definitely a decision I will never regret.
Moving in another country to study is not the easiest step in life, especially not during a pandemic, but I had been sure for years that I wanted to study abroad. The Netherlands was the perfect country choice and the Creative Business programme seemed to be the best fit for me, so whatever happened, I was sure that I wouldn’t let the current situation scare me off. What helped a lot was the fact that I received regular updates from the HU regarding the measurements. Their attitude was always positive and reassuring, constantly saying that I will be able to start my study no matter what.
I did all the preparations I had to do before, as in securing my accommodation, all the paperwork and of course, emotionally preparing myself for the big change, and I was good to go. As soon as I arrived in Utrecht, I was trying to get accustomed to the feeling that this is my new home now, but for some time I still felt like I was on vacation there. After I finished with buying all the essentials, I took some time to cycle around the city to get to discover it. My first stop was Science Park and I still remember being so excited that I could finally see everything in real life and it all looked better than the photos.
A couple of months before the start of the study, HU made a WhatsApp group for all the internationals who were going to start studying Creative Business this year, so we all got to know each other already a little bit. However, when we all arrived in Utrecht we met up, respecting of course all the social distancing restrictions. It was lovely getting to see all these people in reality, we had a great time together and it was an amazing fresh start, since most of us came on our own in the Netherlands.
When courses started everything got to be even more exciting. I was a little overwhelmed in the beginning by all the new platforms and systems, such as Canvas, where we have all of our study materials, and Osiris, where we can keep track of our grades and enroll in courses, but I soon got used to them. We also had a lot of help from our teachers and webinars which helped us get through them. They are very useful, since you have there all the class materials, details about assignments and the answer to almost every question you have regarding the study. I chose hybrid learning, and almost every week I could go one day on campus. Even though the pandemic isn’t over, I was able to safely meet my lecturers and classmates and I am very grateful for that.
Although everything seemed scary in the beginning, starting Creative Business during a pandemic was so much better than I had expected it to be, and that’s all because of the nice and supportive people I met along the way. Taking this big step in my life made me feel so much stronger, and I am very positive about my future at Creative Business and all the opportunities that are awaiting me.