Unid Abdullaey (Muenster)

University of Alberta, Canada

Where are you from? What do you study here at Münster University of Applied Sciences (MUAS)?
My name is Umid Abdullaev and I am student at University of Alberta in Canada. My country of origin is Uzbekistan. I study Industrial Design (Produktdesign in German education system) in the "Study & Internship Program" at MUAS since August 2007.

Why did you select the MUAS from the world?
It's very important to grab every chance that's thrown at you. And such a chance to study design and do internship in Europe doesn't pop up that often especially when you're doing design undergrad. Last year just around the time I started my 6th semester, I began to think about my future career and the importance of gaining some practical experience in design. Luckily, one of our profs who visited MUAS brought us the news that this school in Germany was willing to start a student exchange via DAAD/UAS7 scholarship program. I applied and was lucky to get it in. That's how I ended up here.

What do you like particularly about your field of study?
Internationalism, multiculturalism, ubiquity. Design is especially attractive to me because it is a creative problem solving process which takes into account lifestyles and habits. Just imagine how much you influence the surroundings and surroundings influence you in terms of what you wear, what you eat in, what you drive, what you watch, what you sit in, what you live in. It becomes especially interesting when the same creative thinking is applied when trying to solve man-made problems at a large scale: globalization, consumerism, overpopulation and pollution. By designing products and service systems that can change the way we think, I believe designers hold a great potential to solve the above mentioned problems which are the result of our afflicting habits and lifestyles.

How did you change since you started to study at the MUAS?
To me it was one more chance to experience a cultural shock. Every such cultural shock lets me grow, I find something new about myself and most importantly make new friends. I think I became a lot more relaxed and learned to cope with anxiety and stress more rationally. I learned from my colleagues and profs the importance of simplicity in design, how design is practised in a professional world especially from my practical training and design fairs I've visited so far.

What do you like exceptionally well about the MUAS in comparison to your own country?
I don't know if this was just luck, but all of my classes ended up being very practical, i.e. either they were directed towards a real client or they were competitions of some sort. Besides, I learned about the importance of documenting my projects and presenting them in a professional way.

What poses a strong challenge for you here at the MUAS?
Definitely, the language. Now I regret that I took French instead of German at secondary school. The fact that I speak English was both good and bad. I found little difficulty communicating with my peers but it was very challenging when I had to deal with the Studentenwerk (and even some of technicians at the Design faculty) as the older generation people speak very little English. But most of all, it was difficult for me initially to get used to the fact that the MUAS buildings were scattered all over the city and there was no such thing as a centralised campus. But later on I came to enjoy it as I started to feel that I was a part of the city as opposed just an isolated student body.

How do you manage with the German language?
I want to learn more German very much but as I said the fact that many young people (who comprise most of who I communicate with) speak English led me to using English as a means of communication. The result is I speak less German than I thought I would. Besides, unlike English speaking people, Germans seem to be a bit less tolerant to those who don't speak good German, that's why when they hear you're having a difficulty communicating, they quickly switch to English. This is a bit unfortunate. Due to heavy course load I couldn't continue with free German courses offered, but now I've signed up for such classes that I hope will help with the language problem.

How do you feel supported by the International Office?
I don't know what I would have done without the initial help I received from the International Office when I had to go through all the paperwork. It is very pleasant when I'm greeted warmheartedly whenever I visit the International Office with some problem. Besides, the evenings organized by the tutors: they are very helpful in meeting people from other countries.

Do you have any advice for students wishing to study in your major?
Learn German. This will make life a lot easier not only when you got to LIDL to buy food but also when trying to understand what your prof and classmates are talking about. And this will take the responsibility of re-explaining the material in English off the shoulders of the profs. The second thing, try to spend as much time as possible in workshops. This will help you later when you start building models at a later stages of your projects. The same goes to the lovely library which is very helpful when you have to do research. Thirdly, attend the free classes that teach you how to use some very useful software.

Do you have any advice for students from your country?
Don't be shy to go to parties (when you're invited) just because your religious traditions don't allow it. This is one of very good ways of adapting to the student body.

What advantages for your career do you see through studying at the MUAS?
In three words: loads of work, loads of practical training and loads of satisfaction in the end.

What are your plans after your degree?
I just visited the Faculty of Architecture on the Leonardo Campus in the outskirts of the city and I loved it. After completing my degree at my home university, I plan to study architecture at MUAS and get even more practical training at local firms.

Any final comments?
Coming to a new country to study is always exciting but one should be prepared to face new and unexpected challenges. I'm very grateful and happy I came to MUAS to get a taste of German Design. Besides, I discovered so many things about myself that I think will definitely be beneficial in the future.

For more information about the Muenster University of Applied Sciences please visit the following website: www.fh-muenster.de