In essence, Paula Martinez Tapia came to KU Leuven looking for affordable high-quality education and a taste of Europe. She discovered that our faculty offers much more opportunities and gladly took on some extra challenges. Today she has two master’s degrees and a job at Deloitte offering a perfect mix to use and expand her acquired knowledge.

“When looking for opportunities to study outside Ecuador, my main objective was to find high-quality education at an affordable price. I applied to several universities in central Europe, Canada and the US and checked their rankings. Once I had gathered all information, KU Leuven came out as the best option. I was also attracted by the fact that I could obtain a master’s degree in four years. The Business Administration programme is quite intense but very well-built. It immediately dives into the subjects you want to study. The curriculum makes a lot of sense and is internationally oriented. In addition, it is easy to travel around Europe while studying in Belgium, which offers the perspective of a nice personal experience.”

“I am a very curious person with a broad interest. When evaluating what programme would suit me, I realised that everything in the world needs administration - from public services to any kind of industry. The Business Administration programme covers a variety of topics that can open many doors. All those different courses are also very useful to find out what you actually like. You can keep a broad view or specialise, depending on your interests. During an introductory course on ICT, I realised how much I enjoyed working with data and got excited about the many possibilities, such as dashboarding and data management. In the end it lead me to my second master, the MSc in Information Management.”

Building networks

“My first master, Business Administration, offered many tracks to choose from. I kept it quite general with ‘Leadership and Change Management’. It was particularly interesting because of the many seminars and coaching sessions from the professors - knowledge which seems harder to obtain in the workplace for recent graduates. I think companies will only be inclined to invest in such training for more experienced employees or high level managers.”

“KU Leuven gives you so many opportunities, but what you do with it is just as important. You have to be open and alert and put in the effort. For instance, I went on Erasmus exchange to the US, one of the highlights of my education and perhaps my life. Of course, you have to go through the application process but it was totally worth it. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a well-known, high-quality institution and I felt lucky to be able to travel to another continent and get to know new people. The network I built there is really valuable.”

“I also enjoyed being part of the growing international community on the Brussels campus, with plenty of (new) student organisations, such as the International Student Council (ISC) - another highlight - and the Green Office. They allowed me to explore my interests and pushed me to get out of my comfort zone, for instance by giving a speech as president of the ISC. Helping to build this organisation to address the concerns of international students through regular contacts with professors, the dean and the administration was great. You become the link between the students and the faculty and its international office and somewhat lead the way - such a nice experience! Evidently we also organised social activities, such as a trip to the Ardennes and a Pride Parade.”

KU Leuven in Brussels

“When I arrived in Brussels in 2015 it was not a walk in the park, though. I did not speak French and finding a place to stay and finding my way in the city’s administration was challenging as a student. I heard this has changed since and that there are more student residences now. Nevertheless, once I found a place things became more pleasant because I did not only make friends at KU Leuven, but also from other universities and countries I would never be able to visit. It has been a very rich experience. Brussels offers so many options to go out, regardless of your taste in music or culture, and chances to meet international people because of the presence of the European Union.”

“Since I had an apartment in Brussels close to the central station, I commuted to the Leuven campus when I did my second master, Information Management. Mind you, Leuven is also a great city. It is smaller but full of activity because of its student life. I like big cities and find Brussels ideal, but if you prefer smaller places you can live in Leuven. Commuting between both campuses is a no-brainer.”

“Information Management turned out to be an amazing master’s programme: everything I learned is useful in my current job. It was intense, but again very worthwhile. It has opened many doors, also in understanding the potential of data. Another perk are the students, who often have different academic backgrounds. Diversity of knowledge is just as insightful as international diversity.”

“During my second master the pandemic hit and it was surprising to see how smoothly we switched to online teaching. Despite the shock the quality of education remained the same. On a social level it was hard of course, especially for international students far from their families, but I found the academic constant reassuring in a world full of question marks. Professors were supportive and flexible to adapt to the different needs of students.”

Strong demand for talent

“After my last graduation, it took me a few months to find an interesting job at a company that wanted to sponsor my work visa. Looking at the experiences of younger international friends, I believe laws have become more flexible on that matter. That said, despite its small size, Belgium has plenty of job opportunities. Almost every multinational has offices here and there is a strong demand for talent. Companies will certainly look at graduates from KU Leuven, so the opportunities are immense compared to Ecuador. The quality of companies and the investments in human resources are good as well.”

“I started working at Deloitte about a year ago in the department of tax technology consulting. Treating financial data I get an interesting mix of technology and finance with connections to both my diplomas. I feel fortunate to have acquired a solid basis at KU Leuven to further expand my knowledge while working. Since you cannot learn everything at university, it is great to have good research skills and to know how to find quality information by yourself. “

Veerle De Grauwe