Dutch student Daan Fokker has been studying at UCFB Wembley since January as part of the exclusive Short Study experience. The experience is in place for those looking for a briefer period of study and, like Daan, international students looking to earn academic credit. Here, Daan talks to us about his experience in London so far…
What appealed to you about the opportunity to take part in a Short Study programme?
I’m a huge football fan, Ajax mainly, so the chance to study football at a campus which includes Wembley Stadium sounded great to me. I’ve been impressed by the marketing Ajax have been doing and I wanted to learn more about the English football business. I also think my English is already pretty good, but I wanted to see how I would do in England speaking English 24/7, so this was something I also wanted to do.
How have you found studying at UCFB and living in London?
The studying itself isn’t entirely what I expected. While I was doing my degree in The Netherlands I had classes four days a week, usually 4-8 hours a day. Here, I had two days a week and a maximum of four hours a day. Dave King, who taught social and digital media, was great. His lectures were interesting, fun and engaging. He also made sure I knew what was going on and would email me personally if he saw I wasn’t in the mail list. Even though I was fine and didn’t need it, he also said I could email him with other issues I might come across, which was very nice of him. Living in London has been great. My roommates have been very welcoming and it’s been great hanging out with them and doing stuff in and around London.
What appeals to you about the opportunities to work in the football and sports industry?
Like I said before, I love football. I used to play when I was little and I’m still a huge fan. The entire industry just really appeals to me. But besides football, I also really like other sports such as tennis and Formula 1. The hype and emotion that comes with sport really appeals to me and are great tools to use and work with from a marketing perspective.
Do you think it is important to study in other countries and understand other cultures?
I don’t necessarily think it’s important to study abroad however I think it can be a great experience, as it was for me, and of course, it definitely looks good on your CV. Personally, I am very happy I decided to do this. It has improved my English and showed I am perfectly able to live on my own and do my own thing. The cultural difference between The Netherlands and England isn’t huge, however, it was fun and good to experience the English culture, especially within the football community.
What advice would you give to a foreign student thinking of spending time in London with UCFB?
I think studying abroad, in this case, England and London are great. You experience a new culture, meet new people and ultimately it looks really good having it on your CV. If someone isn’t sure if they should do it or not, I’d say go for it. However, make sure before applying/enrolling, etc. that it is what you are looking for and you know what you’re getting yourself in to. I’m glad I decided to get out of my comfort zone and study abroad and think it would be good for anyone.
