I’m studying at the Hanze University of applied sciences in Groningen. Overall, I believe this is a great program to follow if you like a hands-on approach to learning. The various projects you follow throughout each term are a good mix of theory and application. For example, you may design a marketing strategy for a genuine organization or play a simulation game to experience the challenges of supply chain management. This is one of the course’s highlights. Also, I believe Hanze makes every effort to make everyone feel at ease while studying here, thanks to the amenities provided by Hanze (such as a student psychologist for exchange students who feel alone or miss their country of origin). However, I believe the Hanze should have done a better job communicating certain new procedures that occurred during the Covid-19 period, such as the online navigation during exams, which was extremely difficult and borderline illegal (since you had to Livestream yourself at home while making the tests online).
Aside from the program, Groningen is an ideal student city to live in because of the numerous resources available and the student culture that pervades the atmosphere. With over a third of the city’s population being students, the city has a wonderful mix of dutchies and international students.

The master’s program is highly intense and challenging, so for people seeking to hop on new adventures, it’s an amazing opportunity. You get to work in a culturally diverse environment while learning various communication spectrums from corporate to crisis management.

I really liked the way we were taught theory, like we had to study an actual theory but then we were divided into groups and we were using that theory in a practical matter. I liked the friendly atmosphere around the campus.

The focus is game design, but they also teach you so much more! About design in general, art, programming and even business! It prepares you for every aspect you may encounter in the future. One thing that could be better is the help they provide, since a lot of time you have to teach yourself due to lack of explanation. But your fellow classmates are always willing to help each other! If your course is in English you can expect a lot of international students! I’m looking forward to learning more and improving!

I was not very satisfied from the first year, because a lot of the assignments were connected to digital drawing rather than game design, which was not fun at all. There was also a lot of confusion about some assignments. Neither the students nor the professors knew what was going on, which slowed down the work process a lot. However during the 2nd year, it is way better in terms of assignments. Everything that I have done till now is related to games only, which is quite fun, but I did not expect it to be that hard. I was not prepared to make a whole game by myself only.

Hanze UAS is an international university with good education. It offers a wide variety of courses. Students and lecturers come from all around the world, although they are mostly Dutch. It is located in Groningen, one of the best student cities in the Netherlands. The facilities at the university are very diverse, especially for sports.

A disadvantage of studying in Groningen is the housing. The university does not provide accommodation, you will have to find it yourself. This can be quite difficult. However, this is not a problem that is unique to Groningen or Hanze UAS.