A college or university degree offers more than just the final diploma you receive. Within the three or four years of study, there’s so much more to discover—and some students, like Hiba, take full advantage of that. After earning the required first-year credits, every student has the opportunity to participate in an exchange program with a partner university, even on the other side of the world. In 2020, Hiba went to Seoul and fulfilled a dream she never imagined would come true.
The first step
Hiba has since graduated and looks back on her time at The Hague University of Applied Sciences with a smile. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Design and Visual Communication and spent her third year on exchange in the capital of South Korea. "I’ve always had big ambitions and dreams. One of them was to do an exchange in South Korea. To be honest, I didn’t think that dream would come true—I thought it was impossible."
"I had so many doubts and was even about to give up on this dream. I was afraid of discrimination and other setbacks. Exchanges like these aren't free, so a lot of money has to be set aside if you want to take part in such an experience. In the end, I seized the opportunity and didn’t let my doubts take over. I signed up for an exchange in South Korea."
Seoul
Hiba went to the capital of South Korea, Seoul. The university where she did her exchange was located in the heart of the country—SeoulTech (Seoul National University of Science and Technology). Here, Hiba took the minor Basic UX, which focused on technology and societal issues. "We had to create an app that could solve societal problems." Additionally, Hiba took several other courses, including Korean language, culture, and philosophy.
'In addition, Seoul is a lovely city. I've met people from various countries during my exchange. I saw South Korea in a new light and became acquainted with the South Korean culture. By the way, Korean people are some of the nicest people I have ever seen.
