Ukraine meets Germany - Svitlana Kornilova

"I moved to Germany to be with my boyfriend."

Svitlana had already visited Germany many times and had a B2 language proficiency before moving to her German boyfriend in 2019. Moving to the small town of Porta Westfalica was quite challenging in the beginning, she described. "In Ukraine I lived in a big city with one million inhabitants and now I live in a small town with 35.000 people - that's a big difference", explains Svitlana. "But the fact that something is different from what you are used to is not a bad thing and forces you out of your comfort zone", she explains further. The 36-year-old talks about many positive aspects of living in Germany, which include the great public transportation system and the biking culture. "I was not able to ride a bike beforehand because I never had to but when living in Germany it is a must." This is just one example of how the Ukrainian coped during the Corona pandemic by learning a new hobby and taking bike rides with her boyfriend on the weekend.

"The FH Münster was my number one choice."

Svitlana had worked in the Marketing department of a chocolate factory for eleven years and knew she wanted a Master specializing in both marketing and sales. After carefully considering the FH Münster's Economics faculty, requirements, and language of the courses, the Master of International Marketing and Sales was the best option for her. "I had also applied for Master's programmes in Hannover, Bielefeld, and Osnabrück but none of their offerings was fitting to what I had in mind", explains the 36-year-old. Even though the Ukrainian already had a high German language level, it was helpful that most courses were offered in English. She mentions how well-structured and easy it was to find all relevant information on the IMS website and particularly pointing out how helpful and kind Mrs. Cornelia Stypinski was during the whole application process. This was especially important considering the many requirements there are for incoming international students, and thus Svitlana always felt supported throughout the process.

The program starting in the Winter and Summer semester offers great flexibility to students and makes it stand out even more compared to other universities. "I especially liked that you have a wide variety of elective courses, such as consumer psychology and negotiation tactics, that allow you to tailor your schedule to your interests", she explained. Indeed, the acquired knowledge and skills helped the student land her internship position at Continental in Hannover during the third semester. While working for the employer branding team she gained valuable insights on how to use social media to manage the company's image and reputation while experiencing first-hand what it is like to work at a German company. "The option to choose a semester project versus studying abroad allowed me to see whether I want to pursue job opportunities in Germany after graduation or not." Svitlana is now confident that Germany is where she wants to live and is grateful that the Master prepared her so well to work at an international company.

"I can highly recommend this Master's programme to everyone!"

The student will hand in her Master's thesis in August 2021 and is more than happy to give newly incoming students some advice. "Prepare all of your documents well in advance. If you need a visa, apply for it as soon as possible and do not hesitate to ask for any help at the FH Münster!". She encourages students to take this opportunity to grow and use the option to study abroad at one of our many partner universities during the third semester. Even though the programme is challenging and adapting to a new culture is not always easy, Svitlana is proud of herself for having almost completed her Master's in Germany and is looking forward to her new adventures.

We wish her all the best!