Sandhiya, a 25-year-old student, studied commerce at a college in Chennai, India's fifth largest city. After completing her Bachelor's degree, she went straight to work to help her parents in a difficult financial situation. But she never stopped dreaming of getting a Master's degree one day. And ideally abroad.
In the end, she succeeded and last September began studying Business Management at the MU Faculty of Economics and Administration. “I am the first in my family to study abroad and I am very proud that I finally made it. It was a real struggle, mainly because of the visa process, which got so complicated that I had to start a semester late. But the main thing is that it worked out,” says the student from India.
However, choosing the best place to study for two years was a challenge. At first, she considered universities in France and Italy, but in the end, she chose Masaryk University. Not only because of the very good reviews and international rankings but also because of the large community of international students and the wide range of job opportunities for foreigners in Brno.
She uses what she learns at school in her work
“And I couldn't have made a better choice. I fell in love with the university and Brno itself from day one. I really like it here – it is safe, the cost of living and tuition is very low, and the public transport is incredibly reliable. Plus, being in the heart of Europe means I can travel anywhere. Best of all, I look forward to going to school every day to see my classmates from all over the world and our wonderful teachers. They are very friendly and always willing to give us advice. It's a pleasure to study at a university like this and to be part of the community,” says Sandhiya.
However, she says that school is definitely not easy and her teachers give her weekly assignments, so she has to work a lot in the evenings and at weekends. But she doesn’t complain about the amount of time she spends studying on her own; on the contrary, she is grateful for it. When choosing a university, the quality of teaching was the most important criterion for her, so she is getting exactly what she wanted.
What’s more, she goes to work because she has to pay for her own tuition and living expenses in Brno, so she doesn’t have much free time. But she is not complaining, she really enjoys her work, she has great colleagues and a great boss, and she has the opportunity to gain experience in the field and put what she is learning at school into practice. She has been working at the Brno branch of the international financial company FNZ for more than nine months. Two months ago she was promoted to the position of an analyst, where she helps clients analyse their problems and propose solutions.
“It wasn’t easy for me to move halfway around the world to study and I was worried about what it would be like. But after one year in Brno, I am thrilled. Masaryk University has everything a foreign student needs and I already know that I don't want to leave Brno as soon as I had planned. So I’ll probably stay a little longer. And then I’ll see where life takes me. My dreams are much bigger now. And I’m quite tempted to try working abroad again, in another part of the world,” Sandhiya concludes.