Living in Switzerland has always been my dream. Located close to German and Austrian borders, St. Gallen is the best location for someone like me, who loves to travel a lot.
It gave me an opportunity to experience Swiss culture first-hand. When I arrived here a week before my classes started, I was welcomed in Switzerland by a heavy snowfall. The University’s housing service arranged a place for me to stay with other exchange students. I love my studio, it is located close to the train station and I can walk to most of the important places in the city. I think the shared experience of living fully immersed in another culture made these friendships particularly poignant and enduring.
In the beginning it was quite difficult to get used to living in a foreign country but the support offered by the HSG’s staff made this transition easier. Once you get used to the comfortable life in Switzerland, it’s hard to say goodbye. I can’t believe half the semester is already over, I guess time really flies when you are having a wonderful time.
The quality of courses at HSG is good; They are also quite intensive and require a lot of work. No wonder it is considered the best business school in German speaking countries. It gave me an opportunity to learn German. Learning foreign languages is one of my favorite hobbies. We had two weeks of intensive German courses followed by regular classes every week.
Most of the people I met her in St. Gallen were extremely friendly and polite. They are very open to foreigners and I feel welcome here. What was surprising to me was that I did not have any culture shock. I was also surprised that almost everyone spoke English. They also appreciate it when I make an effort to speak German.
The student association «Buddy system» did a fantastic job in organizing various activities and social events. This made it easy to meet a lot of new people and make friends. They organized a St. Gallen city tour and showed us all the historically important sites including the Abbey library which contains books which date back to the 9th century. They also organized trips to nearby cities Berne, Lucerne and Constance.
Swiss cuisine makes the stay in St. Gallen even more delightful. Only after arriving here, I realized the Swiss are not only famous for watches, chocolate and secrecy banking but also for their regional cheese.
Overall, I learned a lot more about myself in that one semester than I did at my home school because of the unique space in which I learned, experienced and spent exploring another culture. I feel that I have grown up a lot as a person and that now I am more open to new things. I will cherish my memories of living in Switzerland for the rest of my life.
About Ratthees Ravendran-Stam:
Home University: EMLYON Business School, FranceDegrees seeking: Master in ManagementWhy HSG: It is one of the best Universities in Europe and well known for its finance courses.What I want to work as: Financial analyst