“I am currently Head of IT at iTOO, a medium-sized pan-African insurance business and basically South-Africa's leader in specialist insurance, offering for instance broadform, cyber and medical malpractice insurance. Our work is mostly about liability insurance, which I find more interesting than buildings and cars. With climate change, assets insurers are having a difficult time and as liability insurers we operate mostly outside that classical box. I also work at a different level now. I believe my degree is perceived as very beneficial by employers. Even if they do not know KU Leuven yet, it is in fact a top 50 university and they can easily verify that and the quality of the thesis produced.”

“In 2019 I decided to go for a master’s degree. At 19 I had entered the University of Cape Town, where I obtained an Information Systems degree, and later added a degree in Software Engineering through parttime study while I worked. Still, I wanted to take a career break to study a year overseas. Going abroad automatically implies a greater learning experience since it adds diversity and an international community if selecting the right programme.”

Affordable, efficient and modern

“Choosing a university was all about value, since I would have to fund my living expenses and studies myself while my career was on hold. Traditional universities with a great international footprint are very expensive, especially in the UK. You can easily spend about €50,000 for a year of study there. My alternative shortlist came down to Sweden, Belgium and Germany, where I found great universities with excellent programmes that were more affordable than those in the US or the UK. I narrowed down my list to Lund in Sweden and KU Leuven in Belgium. KU Leuven seemed to offer a more international student base and the diversity which I was looking for. In addition, its location in mainland Europe opens opportunities to travel. That is, under normal circumstances… Because in 2020 COVID came, right? But despite studying about half of the year during the pandemic and having to cancel my plans to see Belgium and some surrounding countries, it has been a good experience.”

“From the start I was struck by KU Leuven’s fine balance between celebrating its history and protecting its traditions while also developing into a modern, innovative and international centre for research with a progressive approach to student life. The procession of academic regalia to St. Peter’s church in the centre of Leuven for the opening of the academic year brought home the richness and tradition of KU Leuven. As an institution of almost 600 years old, you may expect it to be stuck in its ways, but that is not the case. The electronic registration, the welcome stand at the airport, the housing website… Coming from an IT background it all felt efficient. The institution may reside in historic buildings, but it is more or less run like a modern business.”

“The university and the faculty did a great job at welcoming me as an international student in Leuven. My arrival went smooth thanks to their support services to get settled and the events to introduce me to faculty members and other students. The process was quite easy compared to what I was used to, so that first week was well organised. Even though I did not attend often enough, I would also recommend initiatives organised by Pangaea to internationals.”

“One of the harder tasks in the weeks leading up to the start of the academic year was finding a place to live. Before I arrived in Belgium, I found some options online, which led me to a videocall with a landlord and I took a leap of faith. I guess I was lucky as he had a nice room to rent. It was advertised on the university platform, which gave me confidence that probably some checks were run before it was listed online.”

An advanced and challenging level

“The programme’s curriculum was not easy. All courses were at an advanced level and challenging enough. With my professional background I was pleased about the quality, even if most of my fellow students had no work experience. Architecture and modelling of management information systems by prof. Monique Snoeck was a particularly well-taught and high-quality course. I found it very useful and believe its industry-focused content could very well suit an older public of postgraduate students. The same applied to ICT service management. I liked its practical approach and the immense practical experience which the professor shared.”

“During my first six months in Belgium, I got out as much as possible, not only to meet with and learn from other students, but also to familiarize myself with the ICT industry in Belgium. Next to talks at the faculty, I particularly tried to reach out beyond that and make the most of a student advantage that people often forget about. The industry is usually kind to students when it comes to free tickets for conferences and events. I attended a dev-ops conference, a Microsoft event in Brussels and other meet-ups that required professionals to pay a considerable fee. This turned out to be an excellent way to network and connect with professionals in my area of interest.”

“Hence, my general advice to master’s students is to get involved at an industry or outside-of-the-university level. Brussels especially offers plenty of opportunities to connect professionally. It is just a 30-minutes’ train ride from Leuven, so you have the best of both worlds: small town and big city action are both accessible. Try to integrate into the community, even if it is sometimes difficult. After all, a year passes quickly, so you have to make yourself kind of uncomfortable and be OK with that. Perhaps people will not always react in the way that you would expect, or might not be as open as you wish, but you can find your way in. That has been important for me as an international student.”