Antonia Franke about her stay abroad

A longer stay abroad has always been a big dream of mine. So when the unique opportunity was offered to me, I seized it with both hands. Who would say no to complete one part of the Double Degree master program "Strategic management in Logistics" at the HSE in Moscow with the help of an extensive scholarship? Definitely not me.

For me personally, a bit of a jump into the deep end, because I did not engage with the Russian culture in advance. I had a quick first glance at a travel guide on my flight to Moscow, which says it all. Not easy at first, far away from home for the first time and with minimal language skills.

The mentioned Russian skills that I had acquired during a crash course shortly before my departure were definitely not enough to find my way around the streets of Moscow. At university, I got on well with my English skills, but the English language has not yet reached all sectors of everyday life. However, the fact that the Russians always tried to understand my mixture of English and Russian words will be remembered positively. From some of these random conversations on the streets, first language tandems evolved and later real friendships developed. The Russian course offered by the HSE also decisively helped me in developing my language skills. Although this course involved considerable effort and expense, I was all the more motivated to bring home some skills, because the necessity was brought to my attention every day.

Looking at the other courses I have had so far at the HSE, only positive aspects come to my mind: I was consistently taught by highly competent professors, who have promoted their interactive presentation style with practical examples and exchange of knowledge between students through discussions. Particularly useful for my upcoming master's thesis was the continuous feedback loop with my supervisors during term papers. The focus throughout was on giving me helpful insights and ideas from a practical point of view also to make the paper interesting for a wider readership.

Moreover, it is extremely important to the HSE to focus on integrating international students by offering a series of interesting events for students to come into contact with each other and get to know more about the Russian culture. Therefore, it is not by chance that the HSE enjoys an outstanding reputation, both domestically and internationally, which has proven helpful in finding a suitable internship in Moscow. Additionally, I could always rely on the support of my professorship which made this even easier, so that I found a place in a renowned business consultancy.

Besides the breathtaking architecture and many cultural and traditional activities in Moscow, that can be enjoyed at a significant discount as a student, especially the warm-heartedness of the people remains a very positive memory contrary to all the clichés. All in all, I can only say that Moscow is always worth a visit and I will fondly remember my time here, where I developed new skills as a student and grew as a person through new challenges.

bbw Hochschule - University of Applied Sciences

Career Center Job Portal

Learning Portal and Webmail

bbw Community

ERASMUS+ internship

Antonia Franke talks about her experiences

Register now

Free trial lecture

Request info material

Info event

The bbw Hochschule - University of Applied Sciences is accredited by: