Student testimonial
Elisa – MSc Animal Sciences (international student)
When Elisa trained her horse she realized she wanted to know more about their behaviour and the way horses communicate with each other. Therefore, she moved from Italy to the Netherlands to study the MSc Animal Sciences.
My goal is to become an equine behaviourist. I would like to teach people how to adapt to the horses’ needs. I would like to do research on horse behaviour as well as working in the field as a consultant.
Pre-education
As a child, I would always say that I wanted to become an ‘animal cuddler’, but then I discovered that I could not just cuddle animals for a living. Biologists study animals and nature in general, and that is why I chose to study BSc Biology in Bologna, Italy. My BSc thesis was on rebuilding oyster reefs in the Mediterranean Sea. However, after completing this study, I concluded that I wanted to dive deeper into animals and their behaviour.
I have always been very passionate about horses. When I bought my own foal and trained her myself, I concluded that I was interested in the way horses communicate with one another. Therefore, I wanted to study Animal Sciences at WUR, with a focus on equine behaviour.
Moving abroad
Coming to the Netherlands was a big change! During my study in Biology, the focus was mainly on the micro level (small organisms and cell structures), whereas Animal Sciences focuses on the macro level. Furthermore, the student’s opinion is valuable here. Group work is also interesting since you can do research on a topic that they give to you, or you can come up with a topic yourself. Professors give you the opportunity to try new things and this helped me to discover myself and what I like or dislike. Throughout my studies, I got to know that Animal Sciences is much more practical than most other studies. By doing practical work, you will remember much more of the theory that you have learned. Here, at WUR, it is very cool that you have a lot of freedom and that you can design your own study programme!
My study passion
Within the specialisation Animal Ecology, I am most interested in behaviour. Issues like ‘How can humans adapt to animals?’ intrigue me. We have been domesticating animals for centuries already, so I feel like those animals are adapted to the human system to a great extent, especially because we breed them in a certain way. With time, we might be losing our ability to communicate with animals. People tend to care for their animals without sometimes realizing the different needs and necessities of animals when compared to humans. My thesis, for example, will be about horse recognition abilities: is the horse able to discriminate the owner from unfamiliar people or a photo and what is the effect of someone familiar in case of stressful situations?
My goal is to become an equine behaviourist. I would like to teach people how to adapt to the horses’ needs. I would like to do research on horse behaviour as well as working in the field as a consultant.
Student life
I live in a student house with ten people. Everyone is completely different from each other, but we are on the same wavelength. My roommates feel like family. There is always someone there for you. That is key when moving to an unfamiliar country. Wageningen is a very welcoming place! Besides studying, I am a member of the study association the Veetelers, and I am on the board of Hipac St. Joris, the horse-riding association of Wageningen.
Take home message
I would definitely recommend Wageningen to students from abroad. Here, there is a whole community of young and enthusiastic people who are all focused on the relationship with nature, animals and plants. That is amazing! I love the dynamic environment and cosiness of Wageningen.