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INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE OFF THE BEATEN PATH
The strategic policy plan of our Faculty specifies that we aim to provide an international experience for all of our students during their study. This definitely applies to Kasper Michiels, master student in Electromechanical Engineering Technology at Group T Campus. Unlike most students, Kasper’s international ambitions are focused far off the beaten track of exchanges to Southern European universities.
Kasper gathered international and intercultural experience first in an exchange to Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul, followed by a Humasol project in Senegal. This academic year he participates in a European Erasmus Mundus programme. “I’m very grateful for the opportunities that Group T Campus and the Faculty have offered for exchange both in the bachelor and in the master”, Kasper explains.
Istanbul
The exchange to Yildiz Technical University opened up a new world. The University attracts students from all over the Asian and Arab world, not only Europeans. “The educational practice in the university is completely different from the one at KU Leuven, so I had to work very hard,” says Kasper. “The traditional classroom teaching with compulsory attendance and often no powerpoint presentations around, resulted in many hours of processing time of the classes.”
“Hospitality is very strong in Yildiz, exchange students are really received in a very friendly way both by professors and students. I lived together with Turkish students in one appartement and this was a great experience. The course package that I took luckily was balanced enough so that I could continue my studies at Group T Campus without any difficulties.”
Senegal
Upon arriving in Leuven after his exchange, Kasper received information about Humasol and the renewable energy projects they implement in the global South. He was immediately enthusiastic: “This was really at the core of my field of interest: working on an electrical power project in an international context.”
“By request of Humasol’s partners, we tackled two initiatives: building a solar-powered cold room to extend the shelf life of vegetables and fruits and setting up a biodigester to convert organic waste into biogas for cooking. My task in the project was mainly the design and the realisation of the electrical circuit needed to convert solar energy and power the cooling installation.”
“The preparation of the project was very time-intensive with many international meetings, but this has been very rewarding. Moreover, the language of communication with the Senegalese partners was French, which was also an added value.”
Benefit
Kasper does not doubt: “Going on an international exchange is something that I would recommend to all students, I wouldn’t want to miss these unique opportunities. Going on an exchange is one of the best decisions in my life. The main benefit is that you get a completely new perspective on your study and life in an unknown context. Independence, self-reliance, self-confidence are soft skills that grow automatically if you study and live abroad. The new people and new cultural experiences only add to the experience.”
Erasmus Mundus
After the Humasol project, Kasper has been accepted as an Erasmus Mundus student in the European Master in Dynamics of Renewables-based Power Systems, of which he is very proud. “One thousand applications were submitted for 24 grants, so I was surprised to be chosen.” From September on he is studying in Nantes, and from there a trajectory in Barcelona, Berlin, and Bucharest will follow.
All through these 3 international study endeavours Kasper has been able to count on the support of the Group T Campus International Office. “I am quite happy to notice that international exchange in our Faculty is quite inclusive, you don’t need to be a top student to be able to participate in an exchange,” Kasper concludes. “These international experiences have shaped me into becoming a better engineer.”
Hilde Lauwereys
