US college life with Global E3

For more than a year now, the news has been full of US politics, and the negative headlines show no sign of ending. At the same time, our US partners are committed to student exchange. Sixteen HAW Hamburg students completed an exchange semester in the US in the 2025/26 winter semester and lived their long-planned dream of US college life. One of the students was master's student Louis Treinies, who studied at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) through the Global E3 network.

© HAW Hamburg/I. Weatherall

Louis Treinies has been studying the master's programme Production Engineering and Management at HAW Hamburg since the winter semester 2024/25. He moved to Hamburg because he wanted to deepen the engineering and management skills he acquired during his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering and to focus more on the interface between production, management, and sustainability. He also wanted to expand his knowledge by studying abroad. ‘The USA was my clear favourite for a semester abroad because I have been thinking about starting my own business for a while now. The “American mindset” in the field of entrepreneurship is famous worldwide, so, in my opinion, being in the US offers a particularly inspiring environment for experiencing entrepreneurial thinking, practical relevance, and networking.’

He chose New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) as his host university; swayed by the combination of the university’s location near to New York City, an international environment, and its practice-oriented approach in teaching. He chose courses in two different colleges and enrolled in the master's modules “Supply Chain Engineering,” “Total Quality Management,” and “Introduction to Entrepreneurship.” ‘These courses allowed me to sharpen my technical and analytical profile on the one hand, and on the other hand to build new skills that are particularly relevant for a future career in an international environment – and, in the long term, for starting my own business.’

My semester abroad at NJIT was a long-planned dream come true. I learned an incredible amount academically, but that's not all. What I took away with me is a package of professional growth, independence, an international network, travel, and a college experience that felt like something you see in the movies

Louis describes his studies at NJIT as very practice-oriented and linked to projects and real-world challenges. In both the “Total Quality Management” and “Introduction to Entrepreneurship” modules, he worked on his own business idea and put the theory from the course into practice during the semester. In “Supply Chain Engineering,” he applied models to real-world case studies and strengthened his skills in data-driven decision-making, systemic thinking, and supply chain optimization. With quizzes, homework, midterms, and projects, his knowledge was regularly tested throughout the semester, and he completed the semester with “A”s in all three courses.

Louis found all of his courses really interesting for different reasons, and his favourite course, “Introduction to Entrepreneurship,” exceeded his expectations. ‘The course was structured so that at the beginning of the semester, you presented your own business idea. You then developed this idea step by step throughout the semester, with the goal of creating a final business plan at the end. This not only encouraged creative thinking, but also a focus on marketability and investor suitability.’

The semester abroad at NJIT also had other advantages. From his dorm window on the 7th floor, Louis could see the New York City skyline with the Empire State Building, and he could reach Manhattan in about twenty minutes by train. He visited New York two or three times a week and explored the diversity of this exciting city. And there was always something happening on campus, too. The dormitory organized weekly game and movie nights and other events to help students network. Especially in the beginning, these activities helped him quickly make friends and settle into life on campus.

Back in Hamburg, he sums up the semester for himself: ‘Studying abroad promotes the ability to work with people from different cultural backgrounds - a skill that is increasingly crucial in later professional life, especially in international projects. It means leaving your comfort zone: a new language, a new system, and a completely new everyday life. It was precisely this combination of self-organization, adaptability, and networking that was a major motivating factor for me. The location, so close to New York City, made the experience even more special. My semester abroad at NJIT was a long-planned dream. I learned an incredible amount academically, but that's not all. What I'm taking away with me is a package of professional growth, independence, an international network, travel, and a college experience that felt like something you see in the movies.’

-----------

Text & photo: I. Weatherall

Contact

Ingrid Weatherall
"HAW goes USA" strategy
International Office

x