When Azime first arrived in Zlín, she did not know that a single Erasmus semester would turn into two years, a master’s degree, and one of the most meaningful chapters of her life. Originally from Türkiye, with a background in Economics, she recently graduated with an MSc in Management and Marketing from Tomas Bata University in Zlín. What brought her here at first was curiosity and the chance to experience life abroad. What made her stay was something much deeper.
“I came with a one-way ticket, a suitcase full of uncertainty, and absolutely no idea that I would end up staying for two years,” she says. Like many international students, Azime arrived with questions. Would her English be good enough? Would she feel lonely? Would studying abroad be too expensive? Would she manage life in a new country?
In reality, Zlín surprised her.
Coming from İzmir, a large and lively coastal city, she expected Zlín to feel quiet and perhaps even ordinary. Instead, she found a city with its own strong identity. The red-brick architecture, university buildings, and green hills around the city created an atmosphere she had not expected. “You can literally go from a lecture hall to a walk in the forest within fifteen minutes,” she explains. Even the famous quiet Czech Sundays, which felt strange at first, eventually became part of the rhythm she learned to appreciate.
For Azime, one of the biggest strengths of Zlín is its size. Student life here may be more compact than in a large city, but that is exactly what makes it feel personal. At UTB, international students often live close to each other, meet at the faculty, share dorm kitchens, and naturally become part of the same community. Friendships do not need to be forced. They happen through everyday moments — corridor conversations, shared dinners, late-night study sessions, and cultural events.
One of her favourite memories was a country presentation event, where students introduced their home countries, prepared traditional food, shared their culture and history, and learned from each other. What could have been just another university event became, for Azime, a reminder of how warm and open the international community in Zlín can be. “You arrive as a stranger and leave with friendships that actually last,” she says.
Her academic experience at UTB was equally important. What surprised her most was how practical and interactive the learning environment was. Lectures gave students the theoretical foundation, but seminars, group projects, case studies, and industry-relevant tools helped them turn that knowledge into real skills. She describes her professors as approachable and genuinely interested in students’ learning.
Her master’s programme challenged her in the best way. It required analysis, presentations, research, and the ability to defend her own ideas. By the time she started working on her thesis, she felt prepared. Her thesis was a quantitative study with 200 respondents, using statistical analysis methods she had not worked with before. She defended it successfully and graduated with an A — something she sees not just as an academic achievement, but as proof of how much she had grown.
Studying abroad also changed her personally. Her English became something she used naturally and confidently. She learned how to work in multicultural teams, where people may communicate differently, plan differently, and approach deadlines in different ways. She became more independent, more adaptable, and more confident in her ability to handle new situations.
But not everything she gained can be written on a CV. Some of the most valuable lessons came from the people she met, the cultures she discovered, and the small everyday experiences that shaped her time in Zlín.
Outside university, her favourite place was the park near the city centre. In spring and summer, it became the heart of student life — a place for spontaneous picnics, long conversations, open-air events, concerts, and afternoons that turned into evenings. Zlín also gave her easy access to trips beyond the city, from Luhačovice to the Beskydy hills, or even spontaneous evenings in Brno.
For Turkish students thinking about studying at UTB, Azime has a few honest pieces of advice. Learn a few basic Czech phrases before arriving. Be ready for a calmer pace of life than in many Turkish cities. And most importantly, say yes to unexpected moments.
Your degree may be the reason you come, but the friendships, experiences, and personal growth are what will stay with you.
For Azime, Zlín became much more than a study destination. It became a place where uncertainty turned into confidence, where an Erasmus semester became a master’s journey, and where a city she had not planned to stay in slowly started to feel like home.
