BEST (Board of European Students of Technology) is a European international student NGO, present in 84 technical universities all around Europe. The idea behind BEST is to provide international and professional experience to students of member universities through technology related courses in four seasons.
The power of this courses is that you can travel almost anywhere in Europe, gathering new experience for little money. Can you imagine that you only need to cover your travel costs and you will be provided with accommodation, food, education, and social programs for two weeks for free? Moreover you can learn something new or deepen your knowledge on a particular field of technology. Visiting laser labs in Warsaw, building saunas in Tallinn, learning about F1 cars in Madrid are not an unreal dream anymore! But the best part is just coming: it is not only a good place for learning and traveling, but you will definitely enjoy cultural programs with your new international friends. More than 20 European participants will be invited besides you for each course!
Obviously participating in BEST courses is a great experience, but I must tell that organizing them is even more fun. Local groups work during the whole year to make this one or two weeks happen. The work comes with loads of group-university-company meetings which can be tiring, but it is definitely a great chance to improve your communication skills and get more comfortable with teamwork. You will learn many things in the fields of marketing, project-management, fundraising, IT or human resources. A minute later you may find yourself creating colorful leaflets, or negotiating with big companies. It can also boost your problem-solving, negotiation and leadership skills hence you will face life-like problems. In my view all this experience can be huge extra points in your resume and your later professional life!
So if you are still a European technical university student and you feel you missed something sparkling from your life, just visit www.best.eu.org to find the closest Local BEST Group.