Student review [#77857] for Applied Computer Science
at KdG University of Applied Sciences and Arts - KdG

To start off, I’m William Kasasa, a 3rd-year student at KdG studying Applied Computer Science. I’m half Congolese, half Belgian, and grew up in South Africa, later moving to Japan, then Congo, and now Belgium. The transition from high school was not easy. Initially, I attempted to take an entrance exam, which didn’t work out, and I faced many challenges. However, after finding an alternative at KdG, which offered IT in English, I realized I could pursue my interests without needing to take an entrance exam—all I needed was an English test and my high school records.

Overall, I believe that if you want to gain great ideas, skills, and tools—both practical and theoretical—then it is worthwhile to study Applied Computer Science at KdG. For example, we are taught how to build applications, set up databases, create our own AI chatbots, and host and deploy services or applications over the cloud. We learn various languages for front-end development, which helps make your web pages look amazing, as well as different languages and methods to work with data, statistics, and train your own AI models. Additionally, we even work with 3D electronic components. There is also a lot of support and coaching from the lecturers, who help guide you in the right direction during various projects throughout the year.

The main campus where we study, Groenplaats, has various study rooms, five floors with many classrooms, coffee shops, and dispensers on each floor. There is also a cafeteria.

Now, to mention some challenges with the course. If you think you’ll have free time in the 2nd and 3rd years, you can be certain that you won’t. You’ll have around 4-5 projects per semester, compared to just one in the first year. The workload can be intense if you don’t attend class or work from home or on weekends. If you have a student job, it’s best to find one that isn’t too demanding with 9-5 hours. Speaking from experience, working jobs like customer service or InfoSession, such as McDonald’s on weekends, wouldn’t be viable as it would cut into your project time, forcing you to spend more time than necessary or possibly even take retakes.

Another downside is related to the 2nd year. I don’t know if it’s still the case, but during my year, we spent most of the week at Pothoek, which wasn’t the campus we were promised (Groenplaats). The cafeteria at Pothoek is nice, but I preferred the classes and spaces at Groenplaats, which were more accessible, surrounded by shops, and felt safer. We were also often in the basements at Groenplaats, so while it’s a good place to work, the lack of sunlight can be taxing. If you’re working on projects there, I’d suggest moving upstairs if possible.

The classrooms are generally well-organized, with enough space for your desk. Some are lecture halls, so there’s plenty of room. However, be ready to walk a lot between different classes, but at least we usually have only one class per day—typically a lecture or project work in the morning and exercises or project work in the afternoon.

I highly advocate for fair student-teacher relations. If students have complaints about a teacher’s methods or an exam, I believe they have the right to request changes, as their funds are paying for the education. This applied to one of my classes, and after complaints, the course was improved, which was great to see.

Lastly, from what I’ve heard, if you want a job in the IT field, you’ll have no trouble finding one either immediately or after your studies. We learn many soft skills (linked to company interactions) and hard skills (linked to technical expertise).

One more thing to add: a big reason I chose to study here, apart from my studies, is the support and provisions given to those with disabilities—whether mental or physical—and how they can help you before or during exams. So if you have a valid condition, it’s best to start your ILC application to get the most out of your education, as it’s not only for the neurotypical or able-bodied to study and better their careers.