Enrolled in SolBridge’s MBA programme since Fall 2017, Sadia Farha and Yekaterina Li are currently spending their exchange semester at HEC Liege, Belgium. In this article, Sadia, from Bangladesh, and Yekaterina, from Kazakhstan, are sharing their study abroad experience in Belgium.

“Thanks to SolBridge’s Study Abroad Office, we being MBA students had an opportunity to take an exchange semester in one of the prestigious business schools in Belgium, HEC University of Liege. First thing, which attracted us and made us consider this university is that it has a good ranking in Europe, and it is recognized as an AACSB and EQUIS accredited institution. Another great advantage of this university is the location. The location of the city (Liège) in Europe makes it easy to travel anywhere throughout the continent because it is situated in the heart of Western Europe. Since arriving here, we have traveled throughout Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, and France and discovered many more countries.   

Also, Liège is a fantastic city to study as it is lively and friendly, which makes it ideal for students wanting to experience new things. There is always a festival or event going on somewhere in the city to keep oneself entertained. For example, we got lucky to be here for Christmas, and Liege is considered to have the biggest Christmas market in Belgium.

When we came here at the beginning of September, we were a little bit worried, since it was a totally new and different place for us, but the university and Belgian people were very nice, so our anxiety disappeared in few days after arrival. Our journey at HEC started with the most overwhelming and productive welcoming days, which involved Intercultural dialogues, Barbecue, parties, city tour and knowledge about curriculum. So, we could meet a lot of people there, who became our new friends then, and it helped to make us feel like home here, in such a far and different country from South Korea.

Regarding the studies in HEC, the courses are supported with the practical knowledge, and interesting guest lecturers are invited to almost all the courses to help students bridge the theoretical and practical ideas. Beyond that, the courses are stimulating, if you make an effort to speak with professors. We have realized that almost every professor showed interest in our thought process and was more than happy to spend time talking with us and assist us with courses. Moreover, the professors are always well prepared for classes and provided lectures on contents, which are applicable for future job use. 

This exchange program was a life-changing event for both of us as we learned about Europe a lot, discovered new places to visit, learned new courses in a totally new set of environment and most importantly grew up as individuals and became more independent and open-minded. Ever since we came here, we had some great moments in the HEC and Europe as a whole and we look forward to the rest of our wonderful time in the beautiful country, Belgium. We definitely recommend this university for future exchange students from SolBridge, especially for those, who want to taste the life in very different culture, to challenge oneself in some ways, to get new knowledge, and just to have a great experience!”