The last interview was conducted on an Indian student, but the experience is obviously very different depending on the country. This time, the interviewee is Born in Slovakia, grew up in Germany and studied in the USA. Quite the world citizen !

Enjoy Florian’s (MGM Leuven) interview.

Could you give a quick summary of your cursus?

For my Bachelor I studied at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

I have obtained a “B.S. in Business Administration with a Minor in Finance & Economics” with magna cum laude honors.

Additionally to my studies I competed on the university’s Men’s Golf Team, which was the main reason why I went to study in America in first place.

For how long have you been in Belgium? And in Leuven?

Officially, I have been living in Belgium since the age of seven, which is about 17 years. However being from a Slovak family and living in the German region near the German border I never really got to experience the true Belgian culture. During my 17 years as a Belgian, I attended school in Germany for ten years and then spent 6 years abroad to finish up my High-School and undergraduate studies in USA. As you can see I am not the typical Belgian!

I have been back in Belgium since May 2014 and I quite enjoy it. Leuven which was totally new to me is a great city that is not too small nor too large for my taste. Everything is within 15-20minute walking distance and having a bicycle really cuts down on traveling time. Owning, and more importantly keeping, a bike in Leuven isn’t such an easy feat as people especially after 2 in the morning love to borrow bikes without necessarily returning them J

Do you feel like the education system is different from where you studied?

I have studied Business Administration before joining Vlerick, so the content is similar to what I have experienced before. In my mind Vlerick just puts a bigger emphasis on the managerial insights and shows us ways in which we can interpret certain issues.

The big difference I see at Vlerick, compared to my prior university, is the pace of the content being thrown at you. The student at Vlerick really has to be organized and have solid time management skills. At first it can seem overwhelming to keep track of all projects and deadlines, but after a while one simply adapts and gets used to it.

What advice would you give to a foreign student coming to Vlerick?

I would advice to come to Leuven about a week or two before the studies start. Once the year kicks off, the student gets busy really fast. In order to reduce stress levels a bit the student should take time to get to know the city before school starts so that he knows his way around.

Prepare à follow the business news to get a feeling of what is going on in the world

Stay positive à even though you might get overwhelmed in the beginning it will get easier as you move forward! No need to panic J

Drinks à there is more beers to try than you can think of, so you better start tasting them as soon as possible to find your favorite Belgian brew!

Food à Have Belgian fries with mayonnaise, followed up by a tasty waffle for dessert!

Thanks Florian !