Hello, my name is Tara van Abkoude and I was born in Eindhoven in February 1996. I am 22 years old now and in the last phase of the bachelor Electrical Engineering at the University of Twente. During my board year at E.T.S.V. Scintilla in 2017-2018 I fell in love with organizing activities and I still wanted to develop myself further in the acquisition department. Since I also like to travel and broaden my horizon, being part of the study tour to China was a nice opportunity, which I grabbed with two hands! I became the secretary of the head committee and a member of the acquisition department to dive into the company life. I hope to gain a lot of knowledge by doing the technical assignments for the companies and the University of Twente in order to finance the trip. Furthermore, I am looking forward to the adventure of experiencing the Chinese culture and their upcoming technology, which could guide me in choosing my Master.

During the time I was doing my Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering, I constantly tried to participate in various projects which were challenging and engaging. When I came across the opportunity to go on a studytour with E.S.T.V. Scintilla to China, I was ecstatic! Working with other fellow students to organize and raise funds for this trip is an unforgettable experience. I am looking forward to discover China’s rich culture and history as well as enjoy this chance to expand and diversify my network.

As a fourth-year student electrical engineering I had heard a lot of good stories about study tours from my fellow students. I therefore decided a while ago that if the opportunity arose, I would like to join a study tour myself. This opportunity presented itself in the form of the technology road study tour. I visited China in the past, and gotten my first insight into the business culture. I believe China is one of the most interesting countries in terms of in electrical engineering. Not only in consumer-oriented mass production, but also in technological advancement. The foreign experience will, for me, not only be beneficial with respect to career orientation, but to personal development as well. Participating in the organization of the tour and the case studies is an added benefit, and contributes a great deal to the entire learning experience.

Being in my last year of the Embedded Systems master, I naturally had to go on this study tour. I heard a lot of positive stories about previous versions, which made me very excited to join this year. China is a vastly growing player in the world of electrical engineering. Hence, I couldn’t say no to participating in this trip and getting familiar with the Chinese business culture. The foreign experience that I will gain in participating in this study tour will be of great value to my personal development and future career options. Last but not least, I am looking forward to experience the nature, cities and culture of China.

At this moment, I am finishing the last year of my bachelor in Electrical Engineering. I have always been interested in doing more than just studying. For example, I spent a year as a board member of the study association, I redesigned the project for module 6 (controlling a model Segway), and I participated in a lot of committees. However, I never joined a study tour before. I am very interested to learn more about the Chinese culture; not only in daily life, but also the culture within companies. I am also very curious about the newest developments in the field of electrical engineering. I hope to learn a lot about this during the study tour!

Doing more than only a study, was and still is my goal. Opportunities need to be taken while you have the chance. When I heard that there was going to be a study tour, I did not doubt about signing up. I have always admired far-eastern cultures and participating brings me to places in the world I have never been before. China especially is very interesting due to its completely different culture, geography and norms. Besides the tour itself the committee provides ways to put things I have learned finally into practice, as the bachelor program does not give any room for internships or other ways to actual work experience. The professional approach with other companies is a valuable skill to learn.

In my time studying here often heard the stories how awesome the previous, so when the new study tour to China was announced knew wanted to join this one. I have been to China before as tourist, though am still far from having seen it all. I loved the place back then and now we’ll also visit different side of China: the electronics industries. In the past few years China has risen quickly to become one of the largest electronics manufacturers in the world, with culture that is very different from ours. I look forward to seeing what the country has to offer and to take home the experience.

I got the chance to join the study tour once again. However, I suspect that China is completely different compared to North America. Nonetheless, getting new experiences and gaining more knowledge always causes enthusiasm. Where the American culture is often represented in movies, series and games, the Chinese culture is a whole new experience for me. I am looking forward to visit technical companies to discover how their engineers are pushing the boundaries of technology. Although I am already doing my masters, I still do not know what to do after I graduate. Hopefully will the new experiences in China guide me in the future.

The two passions that give me most joy in life are travelling and engineering. When I heard there was an opportunity to combine these two, I immediately hopped on board. Furthermore, China has been really high on my list, not only because it has an interesting culture but also because one can’t think of Electrical Engineering and not include China in that image. In addition, I am in my last year of the Embedded Systems master and I have a couple of ideas for starting my own business afterwards. Hence, I see also see this as an opportunity to establish relationships with potential business partners.

Although nowadays I study Applied Mathematics, my bachelor’s was in Electrical Engineering and my heart with Scintilla, the study association of Electrical Engineering.. Not every year one gets the chance to take part in a study tour and I would probably regret not going. China is a fascinating designation with a culture completely different from our own. I want to live, learn and love that culture.

Before ending my Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, I wanted to see something more of the world. So after hearing that Scintilla organised a Study Tour to China I immediately signed up. I have never left Europe before, so I am excited to see what the world outside of the EU looks like. Moreover I am very much interested whether companies in China have the same look at Electrical Engineering as we have and hope to learn a lot at the other side of the world!

China, China, China; the epicentre of electronics production and therefore a Valhalla for an Electrical Engineering master student like me. The problem is that I’ve never been to Asia, so when this Study Tour was announced, I knew what to do. I’m very excited to meet both the technologies and the Chinese culture. That this culture is very different from our own Western culture makes this tour even more special. I hope to see and learn many new things!

In the four years I studied in Enschede, I heard countless stories about study tours being a valuable and unique experience. Now that I’m at the start of my master phase, I too would like to experience a different engineering culture, which hopefully gives me a better view on the business world of electronics. Besides, China is a beautiful country on itself which makes the combination of companies and culture very appealing. During the study tour, I hope to learn more about the working ethic in Chinese companies and entrepreneurship in the world of electronics. I can’t wait to experience China’s impressive electronics industry and I am thoroughly convinced that the study tour will be a great success.

Two years ago I joined the study tour to the USA. When I heard about this study tour to China, I did not hesitate at all and joined. After many years of studying, I think this tour will really provide me with insights that I would not get with just working on courses. By visiting many big companies, universities and start-ups, I think I will learn a lot about Chinese culture and industry.

After completing my Bachelor in Electrical Engineering and doing a board year at our study association, I continued in the Master Electrical Engineering. During these years I have seen many people being very enthusiastic about study tours. So, when a new committee was formed to set up this new study tour, I decided to join and be a part of this awesome experience. At first, I did not really care which countries exactly would be visited by the study tour, but by now I am happy that our destination has become China. Both in Electrical Engineering and in culture it is going to be a very interesting and educative journey for sure!

In the spring of 2016, I joined the previous study tour to Canada and the United States. It was a great experience to visit companies and get to know the culture of different countries. However, in Canada and the United States, you can still understand everyone, and the culture is not that different. After this study tour, I was left wondering about the companies and the culture of places where things where significantly different, and where I was not possible to understand the local language. Because of this, I decided to help organize this study tour to China. At the moment, I am working on my master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, with a specialization in Integrated Circuit Design. I hope that the high-tech Chinese companies we will visit will further inspire me about new technologies in the field of electrical engineering.

I always like doing more then just studying, I want to get as much practical experience as possible. Seeing the world is also part of that and after many challenging projects it was time for a new adventure, a trip to China. Discovering the rich culture of the biggest population in Asia. But not only culture is important, China’s industry is one of the fastest growing in the world, especially in the field of electrical engineering. Combine the technology, culture and the fact that I have never been to Asia and this gives the perfect reason for a study trip to China!

While studying electrical engineering here at the university, I always heard great stories about study tours to all kinds of exotic places. So, when the opportunity came to join the next study tour I immediately decided that I would like to join. As a student, I have always been interested about the implementation of electrical engineering in the world. China serves as a great opportunity to see how the field can affect a country. Add to that all the experiences gained by the tour itself and all the aspects of organising it and you have yourself a great addition to your student time. I am looking forward to using my knowledge in the road to the study tour and gaining a lot of knowledge during the whole experience.

As a Bachelor student, there have not been many possibilities to implement my field of study in combination with broadening my knowledge. This tour to China is to me the perfect opportunity to not only see firsthand how Electrical Engineering can be used. Visiting the companies abroad shows me not only the variety of companies one can have, it also explains the aspects needed to run a proper business. By helping to organise this trip it teaches and expands my knowledge of valuable skills, like problem solving and learning efficient ways to work towards a solution. While also getting to know my fellow students and train in working as a group to realize an interesting study trip in a country with a powerful culture. I am looking forward to seeing the differences between cultures and how this reflects in everyday life and work environments.

During my time at the University of Twente I have been very active at the study association. Spending time organizing activities and eventually spending a year being part of the board, I had many contact with participants of previous study tours. This had gotten me very interested in joining, as everyone always said the tours were amazing, fun and educational. When hearing there would be a tour at the end of my bachelor, I immediately signed up. Hearing the study tour had China as destination also was great. I am very interested in how different (or the same, who knows) the culture there differs from home. Doing this while also having an opportunity to visit companies and see the technology in a faraway country makes it even better. I look forward to a great time in a unfamiliar country with my fellow students and learn a lot about an interesting country, it’s people and electronics technology.

After hearing a lot of amazing stories about the different study tours of Scintilla, I knew for sure that I would like to participate in the next study tour. So, I decided to be part of the organization committee of the study tour. I am looking forward to discover China: all different (new) technologies and the current and future development in Electrical Engineering and of course the culture and nature. Hopefully I will be inspired in what Electrical Engineering has to offer and use that to complete my master in the specialization Robotics and Mechatronics.

After hearing all the stories about the previous study tours to Vietnam, Japan and the USA, I became really enthusiastic about the study tour to China. As an Electrical Engineering student, I had the opportunity to join this study tour and did not have to think long to conclude that I wanted to join, so I signed up. I am excited to be a part of this unique project, raising money with a group of fellow students, be a part of the organisation and be able to practice my own language again. The organisation of the trip is a nice way to learn a lot of useful skills and obtain valuable professional contacts. I would not participate if I didn’t think it would be fun, useful and a great opportunity to see my family again.