Marcel Niklas Rückwald, Germany

Coming to Groningen

2016 was the year I had to decide where to continue my studies after I graduated in Germany. I chose to pursue the dual Master´s degree “China and the World Economy” combing degrees in International Business and Economics within a global setting. As a Top 100 university, the University of Groningen provides high-quality education and the Faculty of Economics and Business belongs to the 1% of business schools worldwide with both EQUIS and AACSB accreditations.

At that point when I chose Groningen, I had only experienced the Netherlands during my vacations. I did not speak the language and I never had insight into Dutch university programs. Nevertheless, I moved to this city in the North of the Netherlands which is home to a great university and which later has become my home as well.

More than studying

In this vibrant international student city, you will be able to make local and international friends, with which you can sit in one of the various cafes, parks, or bars. You may be a foreigner in the Netherlands, but certainly not an “outsider” at RUG. Its international atmosphere makes you feel the sense of belonging to a global community and a network outlasting your time in Groningen.

Being a student in Groningen is not all about studying and sitting in the library, it’s about participating in the student way of life in one of the most famous Dutch student cities. Besides gaining the knowledge and experience you will need to succeed in your future job, it’s also about speaking to all kinds of people from around the world, about all kinds of topics and participating in various sports teams or student associations. It’s a lifestyle and an experience I would recommend to everybody!

Biography

Marcel Rückwald graduated from Leuphana University in Germany with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Economics, spent time on exchange in Shanghai and at the London School of Economics (LSE). Currently, he is completing a dual Master's degree in International Business & Management and Economics at the University of Groningen and the Fudan University, Shanghai. Parallel to his studies, he led large-scale startup events, worked for social and entrepreneurial oriented student initiatives, and completed internships in the German Bundestag, at Bosch and Philips. He hopes to use the second year of his Master in China as an opportunity to prepare him for a career at the interface between Chinese and Western markets. Marcel is 24 years old and from Lübeck, Germany.