Student testimonials from abroad

Eva Kugel, a student in the Bachelor's degree programme in Business Psychology, completed an Erasmus+ internship in Amsterdam at ZF Friedrichshafen AG. 

My name is Eva Kugel, I'm 23 years old and I'm studying Business Psychology in the Bachelor's programme at SRH Distance Learning University. 

Since I wanted to get to know corporate cultures abroad, I decided to do an internship abroad. The international company ZF Friedrichshafen AG has a small location with 32 employees in Amsterdam. Since I had already worked for the automotive supplier in Friedrichshafen and I love the Netherlands, I decided to apply for an internship in the HR department there. After I was accepted, I applied to SRH DLU for an Erasmus+ grant, which I luckily received. Erasmus+ supports students who do an internship or semester abroad in Europe - a great support! 

My accommodation is a student hostel, where I immediately made friends. Many other students or graduates who are also doing an internship abroad live here. 

I received a warm welcome at work and was well trained in the first few days. Now I am involved in various HR projects and operational HR activities. My activities range from the creation of a company car scheme to personnel development measures, country harmonisation issues, payroll accounting and recruitment measures. Because the location in Amsterdam and therefore also the HR department is very small, the topics are very varied. 

In my free time I explore Amsterdam, museums, windmills, nature, beaches, and surrounding cities. Amsterdam is a cycling city, which is beautiful in good weather, but also has its charm when it rains. The countless restaurants, bars and beautiful parks in the centre invite you to linger after work or at the weekend. 

So far, I am really enjoying my time in Amsterdam and look forward to the remaining time. 

Carolin Matusch, a student on the Master’s programme in Finance, Accounting, Controlling & Taxation, completed a virtual exchange programme at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico. 

Having already embarked on my career, there is no way I would have been able to pursue an on-campus degree programme. This is why SRH appealed to me so much. It was a great opportunity for me to be able to do my Master’s at the same time as holding down a full-time job. And so I started studying Finance, Accounting, Controlling & Taxation in July 2018. 

In November 2018, I then saw an announcement about the virtual exchange programme with TEC in Monterrey. It was something I simply had to do, so I soon decided to apply for a place on the exchange programme. We had to choose one of three courses (Human Capital Management, Dynamic Modelling Systems or Strategic Alliances and Redesigning Processes). All three courses were described in detail on the TEC website; I opted for Dynamic Modelling Systems. After receiving positive feedback on my application and being enrolled in my chosen course, I was particularly intrigued to see what it would be like to study virtually. 

The course started in January 2019. Before it began, I had checked out the TEC website to see what the course entailed and what literature I needed. After having received the login details for the course and the virtual learning environment directly from TEC, I was very positively surprised by the system’s clarity and intuitive operation. Everything was clearly arranged, and you knew immediately where to find whatever you were looking for. This was also helped by a blackboard where the course leaders posted our tasks for the week, plus links to the tasks. The first tasks involved a tutorial on how to use the virtual learning environment, and all of the participants introduced themselves. These introductions were then posted on the course blog, so we could get a picture of all the participants (from Japan to Costa Rica). The entire course participants were then divided into teams of 4 to 5 people. These teams remained the same right through to the end of the course, and so we set up a WhatsApp group that I was then able to use – also with a 7-hour time difference – to work on group tasks with my fellow students in Mexico and Costa Rica. 

The course ran until the end of March, and we had to solve assignments every week as well as work through sections of the required literature. In addition, there were videos summarising each section of the module. For one thing, we had to complete multiple choice tests on our own. But we also had to do group work (issues related to the individual topics), as well as a joint final project. My group decided to tackle a problem presented by a fellow student from Costa Rica. It was about the inefficient handling of public tenders in her company. To solve this problem, we devised a solution using dynamic modelling systems. The assignments were then submitted online and assessed by our professors. What is more, our professors always gave us very helpful feedback on each assignment. 

Those three months were really tiring, but also very interesting. I was introduced to a completely new system, which will help me beyond my studies. The contact I enjoyed with my fellow students and course leaders was indescribable. Everyone was so open and friendly to me, and they were always there to help me whenever I had any questions. This experience also showed me that you can work very efficiently on a project despite being miles always and having a time difference, and that cross-continental communication is possible. 

… and just like that, I was able to experience another culture after work. I would definitely do it again some time! 

Vera Schulte, a student on the distance learning Bachelor’s programme in Media and Communication Management, spent a four-month semester abroad in Indonesia. 

After The SRH Distance Learning University gave me the opportunity to spend a week studying abroad at the University of Barcelona in the summer of 2017, I became more and more interested in spending an extended period abroad. Thanks to my university, it was also possible for me – as a student of a distance learning university – to achieve my goal and complete part of my degree at a university abroad. 

I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to spend time in Asia. And so in March 2018, my journey took me to Indonesia for four months, or to be more precise, to the “Island of Gods and Demons”, where I completed my marketing modules at Universitas Udayana. During my studies at the Balinese university, I attended lectures on International Marketing, Brands and Brand Equity, and Developing and Managing Channels of Distribution. In addition, I learned about the economy of Asia in further lectures and acquired a basic knowledge of Indonesian. 

Besides acquiring theoretical knowledge, my semester abroad also gave me the unique opportunity to get to know a beautiful country with caring and helpful people, and to immerse myself in a fascinating culture full of demons and gods. During field trips, we learned about the different Hindu Dharma temples and their rituals and ceremonies. These included purification in the holy springs of the Pura Tirta Empul water temple and daily offerings to the gods, which involved placing bowls of flowers, incense sticks, water and sweets in the entrances of houses. In those four months, I got to know more about the typical life and mentality of the Balinese people. Above all, their positive attitude, laidbackness and continual satisfaction made a lasting impression on me. 

My stay abroad was one of the most exciting and enjoyable times I ever had, enabling me to gain valuable experience and discover a country in all its diversity – off the beaten track. Even though I did not spend my semester abroad at a partner university, The SRH Distance Learning University supported me by recognising my academic achievements. 

Lisa Wanninger and a few of her fellow students visited Saratov, Russia, in April. Read here to find out what experiences and impressions they brought home with them from the Summer School. 

The programme was second to none – from the warm welcome at the airport, to the professional organisation and perfect coordination of the planned activities, to the transport back to the airport, where we boarded the plane with some sadness. My expectations (and I think I can speak for all SRH students here) were greatly exceeded. On the one hand, because we were able to develop real friendships in this short time and, on the other hand, because we gained all kinds of different impressions and acquired expertise in Russia, which we were able to take home with us. Apart from my personal cultural highlight – an excursion to Volgograd/Stalingrad – we had the opportunity to get to know the city of Saratov and its various sights after completing our daily programme at the university. This was particularly interesting because Russian students accompanied us, giving us insider tips for sightseeing, local food, shopping, and all sorts of things. We gained in-depth insights into the Russian economic system, also involving visits to companies and banks (Bosch, “Maria” Furniture Factory, Business Incubator, Agricultural Bank, etc.). We were able to identify in practice within the organisations the knowledge we had acquired in theory. 

In the course of the programme, we also developed specific projects in international teams, which were presented and assessed at the end of the programme. The programme was rounded off in style with a group meal, and we sadly took leave of our new Russian friends. In a nutshell, it was a wonderful and interesting experience that has had a great impact on me personally and professionally. In addition, the international exchange I experienced will help me to better understand global interrelationships in change processes in the future. I would like to mention at this point that the organisation at SRH Fernhochschule – The Distance Learning University, led by Mr Beditsch, is absolutely praiseworthy, and I am most grateful for this, too. 

From 17 to 21 July 2017, 25 students from SRH Fernhochschule – The Distance Learning University took part in an international seminar at the University of Barcelona. During the seminar entitled “Barcelona Marketing & Business Models”, the students from Brazil, Belgium, Spain, the Czech Republic and Germany addressed contemporary issues and challenges in the field of marketing, which is currently undergoing a revolution, especially due to technological change. Current practice-oriented examples and developments were introduced by renowned marketing experts within exciting interactive contributions. Building on this, small groups of students developed business models and marketing concepts based on case studies. Emphasis was placed on the development of innovative marketing concepts under the influence of new technologies and ongoing digitalisation. 

The academic programme was complemented by a guided tour of Barcelona, a visit to the Sagrada Familia, a workshop at the Chocolate Museum and a group dinner.  

International exchange is important at all levels: it enables you to gain insights into everyday life (at university), scientific work, and teaching. On top of that, you have the opportunity of establishing valuable personal and professional contacts. To facilitate the regular exchange of experience among universities and students, we organise an extensive programme of cultural, business and educational events. 

So far, the cooperation, sealed in autumn 2013, has focused primarily on student exchange between the two universities in Germany and Russia. Since then, students from both universities have regularly contributed to multi-week international seminars, enabling them to gain valuable insights into the culture and economy of the respective host country. 

In late March, a multi-day seminar on “Social Media in International Marketing” was held at our university. In addition to Indian students from Kannur and our own students, a group of Master’s students from Saratov State Socio-Economic University also contributed to the international exchange. The seminar also featured lectures and workshops, including presentations. 

Prof Dr Uzhunnan Faisal from India and Dr Elena Lugovaya, who is responsible for International Relations at the Russian university, spoke about marketing in their respective countries. In addition, our professors gave lectures on “International Management in Disruptive Markets” and led workshops on “Social Media Communication in an International Setting”. The Russian students were also given a tour of the headquarters of the SAP SE software company in Walldorf.