A year at TIAS: There is SO much more to TIAS

At the beginning of this week one of my classmates and I were working on the assignment for Business Data Analytics when he asked me “Atta can you believe it? It’s been almost six months”. Six months ago, I abandoned everything I had in Iran. I left my work, my country, my best friends I grew up with and, above all, my family. I have to say that I was very stressed before I came to the Netherlands. But, when I look back on the past six months, I have to say that coming to TIAS was the best decision I ever made.

When I was applying for TIAS, I was wondering how intense the classes were going to be. Attending classes four days a week from nine until four thirty seemed quite daunting. But, once the classes started it was much better than I expected. At TIAS we are taught by educated professors who provide us with updated content. I am confident that they have provided me with successful tools in my future careers. Furthermore, you have to hand in group assignments for almost every course, which is the best part of studying at TIAS. The groups consist of International and Dutch students, and you have to complete assignments almost weekly. During these assignments you work with your groupmates and support each other to get the best results. This group work helps you to use the content of each course in a practical manner to see how this could be implemented during your career. Furthermore, this group work teaches you to be responsible, how to behave when working in a team, and how to face challenges together.

There is so much more to TIAS than just the academia, and that is the group bond. You never feel alone at TIAS. International students know what you’re going through and understand how you’re feeling. Therefore, you help each other confront the challenges you might face living in a new country and dealing with a new culture. Dutch classmates, on the other hand, are always there for you to help you adapt to the new atmosphere.

In Utrecht, you will never feel bored. During the week Utrecht can be quiet, but at the weekend it turns into a lively city. During the weekend, you have the opportunity to go out with your friends either to bars or to the cinema, for example. And if you feel you need to experience a different atmosphere you can visit other cities, such as Amsterdam or Rotterdam, by train. In addition to this, during the weekend it’s also quite easy to visit other European countries, such as Belgium or Germany, if you do not have a deadline the following week.

There is so much more to TIAS, their staff who are there to help you from the first day onwards. The career development team helps you personalize your character and improve your skills, such as networking, presentation, and personal branding. There also is your personal coach who helps you to make decision about your career and future. The program managers, who are available for students to solve their problems and help them through the classes at any time. In addition, there are other teams to support the students through their journey at TIAS. I must not forget to mention student committee such as TBT, which helps the student find their future career, TSC helping the student to do complete real life projects and TSA, helping the students relax and have fun.

There is so much more to TIAS, but it is impossible to write about all of it, and you will never understand unless you become a member of the TIAS family.


This blog was written by Full-time MScBA student Amiratta Karbasian (24) from Iran.

Read more about the Full-time MScBA