How to choose the perfect QTEM destination for you
Are you currently deciding on where to spend your next QTEM exchange?
Here’s a quick guide for you on what to consider.
1) The academic offering and calendar
All QTEM universities are keen on one or more of the 5 QTEM Modules: Finance and Risk Management, Applied Economics and Public Policy, Innovation and Strategy, Marketing and Supply Chain, Business Intelligence and Big Data.
If you are particularly interested in mastering one of these subjects, you can also exploit the opportunity to select as your QTEM destination a top university in the field you prefer!
Another aspect you may consider is the period that you will spend abroad. A slight overlap between semesters in two different universities may be possible – in January and February especially – but it’s not the end of the world.
Extra tip: you can check the calendar of every single QTEM destination on https://www.qtem.org/en/academic-partners/academic-calendar to compare the ones that you are considering and see if they fit your needs!
Source: https://www.qtem.org/en/academic-partners/academic-calendar
Be aware: in case of an overlap between calendars, remember that some universities may ask for mandatory presence during lectures or do not allow a “virtual-only” exchange. Other than recommending you to be there to live the experience at its fullest, we also advise you to think of a solution in advance. Perhaps, you can take exams of your previous semester remotely, while following the new lectures already on exchange, or vice versa! In any case, reach out to both of your local coordinators (of your home university and your exchange university) to not get caught unprepared.
2) A country/city that you really want to discover
An exchange is an opportunity to learn more about a new culture. If you have a country in mind that truly fascinates you, don’t hesitate, trust your instinct and go for it!
Extra tip: Learn the language! We recommend you to enroll in language and cultural courses offered to exchange students. Plus, it’s an easy way to meet other exchange students and make new friends!
Your exchange is also an opportunity to travel around, so you may pick a destination that is close to places you really want to visit.
Be aware: inform yourself about COVID-19 restrictions in place in the region if you are considering travelling around!
3) Don’t stress about bureaucracy
Some students end up excluding some QTEM destinations because they are scared about the correspondence of courses in the Learning Agreement and the subsequent conversion of grades at their home university. QTEM destinations offer a wide range of courses and it rarely happens that a university does not have enough courses that match your interests.
Extra tip: on https://www.qtem.org/en/students/courses you can check all the courses of any university. Some of them also have particular rules for course selection, so you may refer to the profile page of each institution.
Be aware: QTEM wants you to select courses to reach a minimum of 50% quantitative credits, including a minimum of 22 quantitative credits on average per QTEM exchange. On https://www.qtem.org/en/students/courses, courses tagged “highly quantitative” or “semi-quantitative” qualify for quantitative credits.
In any case, through your home university or your QSA local club, you could reach out to QTEM alumni or students that have already been in that destination to ask questions.
Spoiler: new articles on "how to make your QTEM exchange the best experience of your life” coming soon!
Stay tuned through our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/qtem_student_association/