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All things come to an end

"Four years can seem like a long time, but time flies by extremely fast and once it does, it seems like your first day at the Hotel School was a century ago. And what a great century it was!"

“It is funny how time flies; it is even funnier how time flies when you are on an internship. Just like that, five months later, I find myself at the end of my internship, and with that, at the end of my Hotel School days.” 4th year student Uliana is almost a graduate of Hotel Management School Maastricht. What are the steps ahead?

Uliana Blue top LR.jpg

Step one: finalizing your graduation project

Many perceive the “Afstuderen” (graduate) module to be the last milestone of their time at the Hotel Management School Maastricht because what comes next is exciting, and above all, a one in a lifetime experience: your management internship. Still, it is important to not get blinded by the fun part because, at the end of the day, internship is hard work accompanied by a number of reports to be written. Fun fact, it always seems to be insignificant until you sit down to complete the assignments and discover the time you have left is not merely enough. As it often happens with busy working days, there is rarely any energy left to sit down and work on the reports. Hence, no matter how fun it might seem, forgetting about time management would be a big mistake. Trust me, you do not want to spend the last month of your university years stressing in front of a laptop on sleepless weekend nights. Most importantly, it is not the point of your studies at which you want to fail and spend what can be your last summer of freedom worrying about the internship report. I must say though, that the feeling of being so close to the end of the destination serves as a great motivation to work harder and deliver high-quality results. However, the closer you get to the end of your internship, the more you wonder what’s next, and if you do not have a plan just yet, it can be a little unsettling. There is a whole world of opportunities waiting for you, but this world is not easy to navigate. 

Step two: Graduation ceremony

And now, going back to the fun part, the graduation ceremony is an exciting event for all of us. Since the pandemic has subsided, we will hopefully be able to share this moment with friends and family. Keep an eye out on the date of your ceremony, as you might want to book an accommodation for you and your family and make sure to do it straight away to anticipate high demand and prices. The same goes for a restaurant, so make sure to get a spot at your favourite place to celebrate your achievements with a most enjoyable dinner. Afterall, you will need a good base for what comes next! Oh yes, I am looking forward to the night back at the Amphitryon bar for some proper Hotel School celebrations, especially after not seeing some of my friends for a long time. As you can see, the drill is real; just make sure you have passed all your assignments to get there. 

Step three: Planning what’s next

Once the celebration mood blows over, you need to make sure your paperwork is in order: check you have cancelled your student subscriptions and travel products, unless you are planning to continue your studies and do a master's degree. If you are an international student form outside the European Union my advice is to start arranging your visa at least three months before your graduation. Start reading different sources on the types of visas you can get, especially if you plan to stay and work in the Netherlands. When starting your first job, your best shot is to apply for a search year visa, which will allow you to work freely for a year to help you find employment and then switch to a regular work visa. In case you plan to continue studying in the Netherlands, you will need to apply for your student visa extension once you have been accepted to a pre-master or master programme. Do remember, such matters are usually a lot more complicated than they seem and take a long time, so do not try to handle it all last minute. 

The end of an era

If you have read this blog and are almost in the end of your studies, I congratulate you! In case you stumbled across this blog to get some motivation, be sure you are on the right track. Four years can seem like a long time, but time flies by extremely fast and once it does, it seems like your first day at the Hotel School was a century ago. And what a great century it was!

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