A life of multitasking at Europe's biggest logistic hub: Master student Vipul Chouhan about his work and study life in Frankfurt

Vipul Chouhan was doing a lot of multitasking at the final months of his studies at ISM. The 26 years old master student was gaining work experience at the machinery manufacturing company Schenck Ro Tec in Darmstadt, while completing his master in logistics and supply chain management at ISM Frankfurt. After finishing his master, he has joined Beckman Coulter gmbh, Munich as the senior procurement analyst. In the interview, Vipul tells us about his study-experience at ISM and his life in Frankfurt.

Why did you choose to study international logistics and supply chain management at ISM Frankfurt?

After completing my bachelor program in mechanical engineering, I decided to pursue my master´s degree in the area of supply chain management. Germ any is Europe´s biggest logistic hub, which is why I wanted to do my master´s program here. After setting my mind for Germany, I started with my German B2 level, which motivated me even further to pursue my further studies and career in Germany.

(He then continues effortlessly to talk in German): “In meiner Firma sprechen wir auch Deutsch (…) Für mich ist Deutsch zu lernen sogar noch wichtiger, als das Studium selbst.“ (I am talking German at work, too(…) To me, learning the German language was almost even more important than my actual study-subjects).

Why did you choose Frankfurt as a place to study?

I chose Frankfurt because it is an economic and logistic hub and it offers many “Berufschancen”, meaning that it offers many possibilities to advance one´s career in logistics. Moreover, my father knows the city well and recommended it to me as a place, where you can make friends easily.

From my own experience I can say, that Frankfurt is indeed a multicultural city, “eine multikulturelle Gesellschaft”. I met a lot of my friends at ISM, they all come from very different places, such as Germany, Iran, Dubai, India, Asia and so on. When I started to work part-time, I also met people from all around the world. I also like that Frankfurt is a great starting point to visit the neighbouring countries. You can easily visit France, Switzerland and the Netherland s from here.

What do you like the most about your study program?

It was a new experience for me, that our teachers had been working or are still working in companies such as Lufthansa, Pfizer or DHL. Those are some of the most desirable companies for people graduating with a master´s degree in supply chain management. Learning from their work experience and getting insights into those companies, was very beneficial to us students. Moreover, the professors are very approachable and were always there for us, whenever there was any kind of problem or any questions about the subjects.

I also like the broad range of the study program at ISM a lot. I not only learned about my specific area of Logistics & Supply chains, but I also got an overview about the different business sectors like Sales, Finance & Marketing, which helped me to get a deeper understanding of how the different sectors in a company are connected.

Further highlights of the study-program were a consulting project with an actual company and my exchange semester in Budapest, where I got in touch with another European culture.

We also have to do an internship, which is a great way to get insights into a German company. It also helps to make the transition from study-life to work-life easier. During my internship at Schenck Ro Tec, I even got the chance to develop methods to integrate blockchain into the project management department. As the project involved LinkedIn, I also got to work together with the Marketing department. I could therefore make use of the knowledge that I had learned in my previous semesters at ISM.

What were the biggest challenges for you to study in Germany?

The biggest challenge to me was to get in touch with people and socialize, since I arrived in Germany during the Corona-crisis. Everything was closed and the streets looked completely empty, which was a new experience for me, as I come from India, which is very populated. The second thing was the low temperature below zero degrees during winter time. Moreover, I was very happy to have learned the language beforehand, because many people in Germany don´t speak English well. However, people in Germany and at ISM especially were always very helpful and friendly to me.

What are your future plans after having completed your master?

For the time being, I would like to stay in Germany for a while and gain more work experience. Eventually I will return to my family in India. But first, I am looking forward to a bit of a less stressful time, after I have completed my master thesis.

What are your tips for other students from abroad?

I would strongly advise foreign students to start learning German before selecting your course. My German language skills were a big advantage when I arrived, especially if you also want to find a part-time job. I would also recommend to choose your master class based on either your job experience or your bachelor thesis. So, believe in yourself, whatever you do, and do your best. Just be happy and enjoy the ride.

Pictures: Private

Karin Gessler

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