“In Mannheim, you will grow as a person”

Hyder Amin comes from Anantnag, a small town in Kashmir but he grew up in New Delhi where he went to school and obtained his bachelor’s degree. He is currently in his second semester of the master’s program Mannheim Master in Business Research. In his myUniMA story, he tells us why he chose to study in Mannheim and how this decision has changed him as a person.

How different is life in Germany compared to life in your home country?

My life in Kashmir and India was quite unorganized and I had a “come as you are” way of life which is rather chaotic and impulsive. Life in Germany is pretty organized and people tend to plan every little thing. That can be very helpful at work, but at first it was hard for me to adapt to this lifestyle because I’m a pretty disorganized person by nature. Now that I have settled in, I very much enjoy it here though.

Did you always plan on doing your master’s abroad?

No, not really, it just happened. When I studied Business Administration in my bachelor’s, I specialized in finance – but I soon realized I didn’t really enjoy juggling numbers. For my master’s degree, I decided to focus on Business Research instead, and the University of Mannheim is one of the few universities that offer this program. What I particularly like about the program is that we deal with the why and how of problems instead of applying marketing techniques for instance. On top of that, the university’s reputation really stood out to me. Mannheim is the best university in Germany for Business Administration and one of the best in whole Europe.

If you could go back, would you make the same choice again?

To be honest, I really have to work hard to keep up with the program but nonetheless – if I had to make the decision again, I would always pick the University of Mannheim. Through the program, my way of thinking has changed positively and I can now see the big picture. I also feel as if I have always had a connection with Germany. For example, back when I had to pick a foreign language in school, I chose German. And I was part of a German school band.

What are your plans for the future?

I am not sure yet. I would love to get a doctorate but I also want to do more practical work. Back when I finished my bachelor’s, I co-founded a start-up which specialized in improving the infrastructure in poor areas. It was an amazing and humbling experience and it created a certain work ethic in me. Kashmir will always be my home – so eventually I want to go back and collaborate with an institute to work in the education sector. I would really love to give something back.

What do you do in your leisure time?

I am a sporty person and participate in many courses of the Unisport. I am a passionate mountain biker and used to bike in the Himalayas, so I am looking forward to making experience here in Germany as well. And I spend a lot of time in the kitchen as I love cooking.

What advice would you give to other internationals who are thinking about studying in Mannheim?

Studying at the University of Mannheim might be a challenging experience but it will be one of the most rewarding things you have done in life. You will learn so much and grow as a person. For instance, I used to be a disorganized person but my time here has changed me a lot – in a positive way. Other than that: Enjoy the beer!

Text: Lisa Buu / February 2019