Motivation
My motivation to embark on this journey was one of curiosity and adventure. I wanted to see how it would be like to live in a different country, learn about other cultures and challenge myself to explore new places on my own! Overall, I went on exchange to develop my independence as a person which is something very important to me.
Personal Development
I can't recommend this experience enough, in terms of the friendships you will make, places you will explore and refining your own personal attributes. At UCM, it is quite a diverse cohort of students and I found myself making friends with people from all around the world. I also used the opportunity to explore nearby countries such as Belgium, Germany and Bulgaria (my home country). To be fair, I did not learn much of the Dutch language since everyone spoke English very well! But above all, the strongest personal development I experienced was being able to navigate myself through the unknown.
Academic Development
Academically speaking, UCM was quite unique. The academic system at UCM was named Problem-Based Learning (PBL). PBL deviates from the traditional lecture style learning, and instead promotes discussions between peers as a form of learning. Classes are much smaller (about 12 students) in order to allow for in-depth and effective conversations to take place. Each class is structured in a way that the students themselves arrive at the questions to ask and discuss their answers to the provided content. Much of the learning was done through independent readings + the classroom discussions. I found this closer knit style of learning much more effective since it felt like I was closer with everyone and really enjoyed some of the talks I had amongst my peers. At times, a challenge for me was the amount of weekly readings that were provided (more than what I was used to at UQ) but I found that sticking to a consistent daily schedule helped a lot.
Professional Development
I can definitely say that my interpersonal skills developed significantly over the course of my exchange. Under the PBL education system & numerous group structured assessments, you learn to collaborate with others more effectively. This not only means having good communication skills but also being able to see things from another's perspective and having respect for other's opinions. Additionally, I am now more confident in my argumentation and persuasion ability as a result of participating in a debating project and argumentation skills course.
