After graduating from the bachelors a lot of students are looking for masters abroad. So as I. Coming from Germany I wanted to be surrounded by open-minded people all around the world to learn about their culture, language, experiences and so on. An exchange semester back then gave me the opportunity to experience a life abroad and I could do that in a masters in Germany as well. But nah! In the early stages I decided to do my masters completely abroad and looked up for different programmes around the world. The thing was also that I didn't want to be stuck only in Computer Science. So that complicated my search. But after awhile I came across the EIT Digital Master School and when I scrolled through all their pages their programs seem great. So why haven't I heard about this? EIT Digital does not exist that long therefore you won't find too many reviews on it but I hope to facilitate further search by telling you my experience about this program so far.

EIT Digital Master School is a two-year programmes that enable to study at two world-class universities located in two different European countries. The programme includes offers features such as technical competences with practical skills in innovation and entrepreneurship. The programme concludes with a double degree from two universities.

I would say studying at two different universities is a big benefit for itself already but getting two degrees is another big plus. It shows that you don't shy from challenges, expand your horizon, and adapt to different life situations. Moreover, the master school offers three big events:

• The Kick-Off: An event where all the first-year students meet together for 2 days. Mostly in a country, where you don't study. In foreground the intention for the students is to meet each other and get a first impression on the programme itself.
• The Summer School: A two-week programme between the entry- and exit-year where you work on challenges within a group. EIT Digital offers several summer schools all around Europe and as a EIT Digital student you have to possibility to be part in one of them.
• The Graduation: An event which is for all students who graduated from the EIT Digital programme.

Each university which is part of the EIT Digital programme offers a Co-Location which is a space only for EIT. As a EIT Digital Student you do profit from that as well. Being a EIT Digital Student you are also automatically part of the EIT network which gives to the opportunity to connect with alumni, companies, etc.

Before I got into the programme, I moved to Frankfurt and worked 2 years as a full-time app developer. I started during COVID-19 which made the start into work life complicated but the company integrated me really well. The job was satisfying, but also challenging. But most importantly the job was stable and the salary was also good. So why did I decide to go back studying again? My plan after my bachelors was to travel for several months, as I did after high school because traveling is one of my big motivations in life. I love to explore the world, meet new people, try new food, extending my mindset. With the masters I wanted to open that door again. I missed having more freedom, time to focus on myself. There is so much more in life than just work. And even though work can be fun and really binding, I graved to be independent again. Well kind of. I'm still working for the same company but only part-time. But hey, I still have way more time for myself.

I applied for the Human-Computer Interaction & Design track since I wanted to gain more experience in UI/UX. I like to code but sometimes the work as a developer is too static for me. Additionally I want to comprehend the artefacts and steps that were done before it is finally implemented. All in all, I wanted to have a bigger view on the whole process. HCID seemed like the perfect track for me. Regarding the universities I could choose between 6: KTH in Stockholm, Aalto University in Helsinki, UPM in Madrid, Trento University and University of Twente, UPS in Paris. Quite recognised universities but honestly, I didn't choose the universities regarding their recognition and ranking. For me, the country is more important, since I want to enjoy life as much as possible, right? The most appealing countries for me were the Netherlands and Sweden since I can imagine to move there. Additionally, I loved Barcelona and Mallorca, I loved the people, the weather, the food. So Spain would be an adventure as well. In the I combined between the universities in these three countries and as a result I was lucky to get KTH in my entry-year and UPM in my exit-year. For the documents, the most important things I would say were the English proficiency certificate and the motivation letter. I had the luck to do my Cambridge CAE during my bachelor studies as an additional module but let me tell you: I'm really bad in languages and English is not an exception. So that exam was probably my most challenging one in the bachelors, lol. If you don't know what English certificate to complete: Go with the IELTS or TOEFL, these are the most accepted ones. Cambridge was mostly accepted but there were still some exceptions. Furthermore, the motivation letter which has to be 2 pages requires one to write about yourself, the reasons for applying and also about an entrepreneurial idea. Where I could list tons of reasons for applying at EIT Digital, I thought a lot about the venture idea, maybe too much. My tips for the motivation letter are: - Be yourself, try to find your attributes that distinguishes yourself from others and that makes you unique. - Don't repeat the information of your CV. - If possible, proof the reasons why you want to join EIT Digital. F.e. you love to get in touch with new people - you already engaged as a student ambassador in your bachelors. - For the entrepreneurial idea I suggest to think about the idea in a business context as well, especially on how you want to gain profit out of it. The Business Model Canvas can be helpful.

Now, while writing this blog in March 2023, I'm currently a KTH student sitting in the KTH library. It's snowing and I hate this weather, but I'm grateful that I got this chance to be part of the EIT Digital programme. Being a student at KTH is great, since the courses are well balanced. I would say they are more practice-related since almost all courses require some project work. It also feels more grounded and it's more of an exchange between students and teachers. Moreover, there are a lot of student activities going on at KTH. Although, I feel like a regular KTH student I still benefit from all the possibilities from the EIT Digital programme. Currently I started the last period of my first year and I'm really excited for the summer school and my departure to Madrid.