Automotive Engineering proud of first year
It has been over nine months since the new English Bachelors course Automotive Engineering started. Out of the group of 31 students who started the course only four of them have left for different reasons. The remaining 27? They are all still on board doing their very best to make it to the 2nd year
The students represent different nationalities. They are from China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands. Sami, (half Dutch, half Kuwaiti) is very positive about all these different nationalities. ‘I think it broadens your view’, he says. To which Gerrit (German) adds: ‘ Yes, and it also forces you to speak English all the time so your English improves a lot. I find this a big advantage to studying in Germany where all the under-graduate programmes are taught in German.
Impressions of course
Xu (Chinese) is very positive about the technical approach of the course at HAN. ‘In China there are many theoretical courses but hardly any practical ones. Because the Chinese population is so large there are too many students who want to get a place in one of the practical studies which is why I chose to go abroad and study at HAN.’
In addition, all three students like the fact that the group is quite small. Sami: ‘I had expected more of a university kind of lecturing with large lecture rooms, but it is smaller, which I like, because in this way the teacher can interact more with the students.’
Future career plans
When talking about future career plans Sami says that he wants to work either in the United States or in Europe because in Kuwait there are no jobs in the automotive industry, whereas Xu wants to bring back the knowledge to China. Xu: ‘Nowadays a lot of young people leave the country to work abroad. Therefore, expertise in this field of technology is becoming scarce in China. So, I think it will be quite easy for me to get a job after my graduation.'
‘Working for BMW in the US would be great!’
Gerrit pictures himself working in the US for a couple of years. ‘BMW also produces in the United States, they have a complete factory over there. To work for a company which combines the German and American culture and language would be a great opportunity!’