Dinda about IEM
My name is Dinda Fajar and Indonesia is my country of origin. I've had my eyes set on the business field ever since my first chance encounter with the business studies subject during my freshman year of senior high. I was fortunate enough to be enrolled in a school that was willing to provide numerous scholarly visits to manufacturing sites of companies (such as Djarum, Coca-Cola, and Polytron). Those visits narrowed down my interests towards the business engineering field of work, which directed me to seek study majors with a business engineering element and eventually led me to stumble upon the IEM major at Fontys University of Applied Sciences.
As I am a highly kinesthetic learner, I was very fond to have discovered the concept of studying in an applied sciences university. Having experienced my first academic year here, I would say that the industrial engineering and management major at Fontys provides an immersive learning atmosphere by involving the students in realistic simulations of working as an actual industrial engineer as well as providing a smooth transition from the learning environment (project works) to real-time company assignments (project collaborations with companies). Additionally, I feel quite comfortable with the class as we have a close-knitted number of pupils so that both the students and the professors are familiar with one another's capabilities and learning points. The teachers' doors are always open, so it's not a hassle to express our inquiries.
Working in project groups has certainly been a convivial but challenging experience for me. I got to acquaint myself with the different personalities and cultures of my teammates and taught me the importance of group adhesion as well as how to find a common ground between individuals. My favourite project from the first year would be 'The Bike Factory', as it allowed me to apply all the subjects that I had learned during the previous three quarters and interlink them with one another such subjects are business economics, marketing, corporate social responsibility, logistics, and 3D drawing.
Regarding the city, Eindhoven is considered to be the 'Silicon Valley' of the Netherlands and I have begun to understand why. During one of the company visits provided by Fontys, my class and I got the opportunity to visit DAF. It was quite a marvel to be able to witness the processes of the globally renowned truck manufacturer and to see their workstations functioning like gears of an automaton. Aside from DAF, there are also numerous other companies located in Eindhoven such as Phillips, ASML, KMWE, and many more), so there are lots of opportunities within the city, both socially and professionally.
My advice to potential future students is to have a scholar's mind with an eternal desire for new knowledge, and a capybara's spirit that is always eager to expand social connections.
