Destination: Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Study Period: August 2024 – February 2025
Affiliation/Grade at the start of studying abroad: Department of Art and Design Science, Industrial Design Course, 3rd Year　(International Program, 3rd Cohort)

I spent a half-year studying abroad for the second semester of the third year of my Bachelor studies year at the Digital Society School (DSS) of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool van Amsterdam) in the Netherlands. This program brought together about 40 students from around the world, including from Africa and Asia, to participate in industry-academic collaborative projects as interns. My team worked on a project in partnership with VPRO, a Dutch public broadcasting organization.

Throughout the five-month DSS program, we engaged in prototyping activities based on design thinking principles, with an emphasis on hands-on learning. Additionally, through workshops focused on understanding diversity, I was able to deepen my practical knowledge, making this an extremely valuable experience.

The Netherlands is a very livable, international, and vibrant environment. One of the advantages of life in Amsterdam for students is the excellent public transportation system, combined with the culturally rich environment where beautiful cityscapes blend into everyday life. I had many opportunities to meet exchange students from around the world and was lucky to make numerous friends. Above all, the Netherlands is one of the countries in which English is most widely spoken as a non-native language, and the Dutch are generally very fluent in English, which made daily life much easier and provided great reassurance.