Manda Ivkic is a second year Master-level student of Digital Marketing at Algebra University coming from Austria.
wanted to study Digital Marketing in English. I was not able to find a Digital Marketing study programme on Master level in Austria that was 100% in English. So, I researched about other countries’ offerings and found the Professional Master Study Programme in Digital Marketing offered by Algebra University on a student portal. I found some articles in Austrian newspapers about the good quality of education at Algebra and the possibility to easily find a job after graduation or even during studies. That was the main driver behind my decision. As I always wanted to spend one summer in Croatia, I found it was a great opportunity to also explore Croatia and extend my network.
I found it very easy to integrate into university. Croatian students are very open-minded, friendly and willing to help. There is also a WhatsApp group for international students and local Algebra Buddies support students. That helps us from abroad to get all questions answered by locals and also to meet new people from all over the world. So far, I enjoyed exploring Zagreb and Croatia, its culture and the lifestyle.
I was surprised with the amount of work students have to do on their own beside the labs like homework, projects etc. I don’t know if this is with all study programmes but I needed some time to get used to that. However, there is something positive about that. Having to work continuously on these tasks helps students get prepared for the exams. On the other hand, I was very positively surprised about the communication among students and between professors and students, which is open, democratic and supports dialogue and discussion. There is a huge sense of support and team spirit. I like that very much and I feel integrated and accepted by all students, local and international.
Job offers in Zagreb are good and you can find a job very easily as a student. Most of the students work while studying and there is a student centre that helps with contract, payments etc. You just need to register there as a student, which requires little paperwork. As there are also many companies from EU or overseas, you can even find a job offered by Austrian, German or American companies. I had a full-time job-offer with a German institute and one of my international colleagues found a job at a German company that has an office in Zagreb. There are large numbers of jobs offered for customer care specialists in different languages. Some jobs are even remote which is very convenient.
Meeting new people and making friends from Croatia, getting to know the real Croatian culture and the ability to easily travel to the seaside are three things I most enjoyed about my experience studying in Croatia. The Croatian coast is so beautiful, and you can reach it in approximately 2 hours from Zagreb.
I could even imagine staying in Croatia after graduation for some time or for longer. It will very much depend on the situation at the time when I graduate. The main factor will be the job offerings here or abroad. Croatia offers good possibilities in the IT and digital sector but I think it is too early to think seriously about it. We will see what the future is holding for us.
I learned to love the Croatian lifestyle, friendliness and welcomeness. I am very happy that I made the decision to study in Croatia.
