In the Winter Semester of 2021/22 14 students from Europe and different parts of the world who are enrolled in the two-year European master’s programme MERCURI Master’s served their semester at Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences. Three students decided to share their experience and impressions: Gaia Falconieri (Italy), Marina Pinheiro Bomfim (Brazil) and Pawel Adamczyk (Poland).
Each semester of the two year European master’s programme MERCURI is spent in a different country at a different university: the first semester at the University of Economics in Katowice, the second semester a the Graduate School of Management of the University Grenoble Alpes, France and after studying at TH AB students in the third semester student finalise their academic programme at the CEU Cardenal Herrera University in Valencia, Spain. During this two-year English taught programme, currently run as a double degree programme conferred upon by the universities in Poland and France, students focus on the complexity of customer behaviours and their determinants from different perspectives as well as on the critical nature of relations between customers and companies and brands.
Three MERCURI students from the first cohort studying at present at TH Aschaffenburg share their experience and impressions so far: Gaia Falconieri (Italy), Marina Pinheiro Bomfim (Brazil) and Pawel Adamczyk (Poland).
International Mindset as one characteristic of students to enrol for the MERCURI programme
All students interviewed emphasised the internationality of the programme and the resulting international career and networking opportunities.
Gaia: "I was looking for an international Master's… The MERCURI programme felt the best option at that moment, I would have the opportunity to travel, build a network with international students and start to develop my international career."
For Marina the possibility of a Double Degree was the deciding factor to enrol:
"My main motivation was the possibility of having a Double Degree. I realized that would be a huge difference for my CV if I wanted to start an International Career. And also the possibility of getting to know new cultures and languages."
Cultural Diversity seen as key advantage of the MERCURI Programme
Concerning the advantages of the programme, all three agree that diversity and getting to know other cultures plays a vital role for their personal development.
Gaia: "I have classmates who come from Brazil, Azerbaijan, and Nigeria, who gave me a different perspective on the world and my own cultural background."
Pawel emphasised the importance of new friendships: "Travelling and eating together brought all of us pretty close... For now I know, that some of our friendships are life-long ones."
"Felt welcome from the start" - Semester at TH Aschaffenburg
Marina: "Even though the adaptation was hard at the beginning… I was able to feel at home. TH Aschaffenburg really cares about their students - and they are always there for you.”
Gaia: "I felt really welcomed in Germany, Germans are kind and helpful, and they speak English well."
One of the highlights was the orientation weeks in autumn on campus. They all seemed very happy with their stay at TH besides the challenges resulting from the pandemic and resulting online teaching from December onwards.
Pawel concludes: "Thanks for such a great experience provided both by academic and administrative staff of TH AB."
Website of the MERCURI programme: https://www.mastermercuri.eu/.
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