The ASWU effect: Insights from our alumni community
What happens after an Antwerp Summer and Winter University (ASWU) programme? To find out, we invited our alumni to reflect on the impact of their ASWU experience. The insights below are based on responses from more than 450 former participants from around the world and offer a valuable snapshot of how respondents perceive the lasting impact of their participation.
While these findings may not represent the experience of every ASWU alumnus, they provide a unique perspective on the academic, professional and personal value that ASWU can create.
A first step towards international learning
For many survey respondents (43%), ASWU represented their first international learning experience.
The impact extends well beyond the programme itself. Following participation, 79% of respondents reported an increased interest in further international learning opportunities, including study abroad, international research experiences and global career pathways.
Academic and professional development
Across all respondent groups, participants reported a strong impact on both their academic and professional development.
More than half of student, researcher and professional respondents described ASWU as highly impactful for their academic development, while approximately half reported a similarly strong impact on their professional development. When asked which aspects of their programme had the greatest impact on their development, respondents most frequently selected the following:
- Learning from experts and guest speakers
- Developing subject-specific knowledge and practical skills
- Strengthening academic and/or professional orientation
- Expanding professional and/or international network
- Supporting personal growth, confidence and adaptability
The survey also revealed distinct patterns between different participant groups. Student respondents frequently highlighted personal growth and self-confidence, while researcher respondents placed greater emphasis on expertise and networking opportunities. Professional respondents most often pointed to practical knowledge and skills directly relevant to their careers.
Creating opportunities beyond the programme
Many respondents reported concrete outcomes and opportunities that they associate with their participation in an ASWU programme. Among the most frequently cited were:
- Network contacts that later became relevant
- Participation in additional educational programmes
- Applications for study opportunities abroad
- Expanded career opportunities
- Research collaborations and academic outputs
Learning across borders
The survey suggests that international mobility can strengthen the overall learning experience. Respondents who travelled internationally to attend an ASWU programme reported higher levels of satisfaction, stronger professional impact and greater gains in intercultural awareness than respondents who participated closer to home. They were also more likely to report an increased interest in pursuing further international study opportunities after their ASWU experience.
These findings underline the value of bringing together participants from different countries, cultures and professional backgrounds in an international learning environment.
Ready to start your own ASWU journey?
Whether you are a student, researcher, professional or lifelong learner, ASWU offers an opportunity to engage with leading experts, connect with an international network and explore new academic and professional perspectives.
Every ASWU participant follows a different path. The experiences shared in this survey demonstrate the many ways in which a short-term international programme can contribute to future study choices, research collaborations, career development and lifelong learning.
We look forward to welcoming the next generation of learners, researchers and professionals to Antwerp Summer and Winter University.
Participating in the INSPIRE summer school was the best experience for me. As an aspiring oncologist, seeing the real-time impact of anticancer drugs on cardiac function through echocardiogram comparisons was unforgettable. Learning the complexities of drug development showed me the long journey a drug takes from the lab to the physician’s hand. Bringing together world-class professors and diverse participants, this program inspired me to begin my own research. I am grateful for this opportunity and will always cherish these memories.
Ekaterine, from Georgia
The programme inspired me to shift the focus of my research towards the concept of healthy cities, which I found both engaging and socially relevant. As a result, this topic became the central theme of my doctoral dissertation, which I am currently finalising. Looking back, the summer school was a turning point that not only broadened my perspective on urban health and well-being, but also gave my research a clear direction that I have followed ever since.
Narek, from Poland
My participation in the Antwerp Summer School was a turning point in how I see myself and the world around me. Coming from a background in architectural engineering, I was suddenly exposed to a completely different way of thinking alongside participants from diverse cultures, ages, and mostly business-focused educational backgrounds.
At the beginning, this was overwhelming. I struggled to keep up with the teaching style and felt a lack of confidence, especially during group work where I felt the responsibility to contribute meaningfully despite coming from a different discipline. One moment that stayed with me was during our group project, where I realized that in order to add value, I had to push myself beyond my comfort zone, engaging more in discussions, asking questions, and actively connecting what I learned in lectures and workshops to our work. It wasn’t easy, but it forced me to grow quickly.
What shifted my mindset was the influence of the guest speakers and external experts. At that time, entrepreneurship was still a vague concept for me, especially coming from Egypt where it wasn’t widely understood in my academic or social environment. Seeing how passionate these speakers were, and how openly they shared their experiences, made me feel a sense of responsibility to take this opportunity seriously. It motivated me to believe that I could also create something of my own.
Looking back, this experience made me more open-minded and confident in stepping into unfamiliar environments. It introduced me to the idea that success in business is not only about money, but about multiple pillars such as value creation, impact, and sustainability. This mindset stayed with me.
In fact, a few years later, after graduating, I started my own interior design studio focusing on fit-out works for residential and some commercial projects. We completed around 50 projects. I can confidently say that the Antwerp Summer School was the spark that awakened my entrepreneurial spirit and pushed me to think differently about my career and what I’m capable of achieving.
Ahmed, from Egypt