Student experience - Dieke - University College

Choosing a Master

Why did you choose to go to a University College for your bachelor? How did this reflect in your choice to study at Wageningen University? Why did you choose for Wageningen University?
When deciding what to study for my bachelor, I found it difficult to commit to a single field of study. I knew I wanted to study science, but was interested in physics, genetics and evolutionary biology. A University College allows you to explore your options and then decide on how you want to combine your different interests into a study programme that suits you. This is why I decided to do a broad bachelor, and use my master for further specialization.

For my master, Wageningen was a great choice because it offered so many courses in or related to biology and genetics. Many of these courses were on subjects that were not available during my bachelor, or courses that were interesting because they were applied so I could learn how to actually do research. The courses suiting my interests and the enormous variety of research done in biology here is what made me definitely choose for Wageningen University.

Experience in Wageningen

What is your experience at Wageningen University? How was the transition between your Bachelors and Masters? Did you have to do a premaster? What was different/the same from your Bachelor?
Because biology is a broad field of study, I was required to do a pre-master of 18 ECTS consisting of courses on topics not covered in my bachelor. Though I was not really interested in the courses themselves, it did give me the chance to get familiar with Wageningen University without these courses actually counting towards my master. I did not mind doing the pre-master, but I can imagine if you do not want any delays in your studies a pre-master would be inconvenient. My advice would be to talk to the study advisor for your particular master and see how to deal with topics not covered during your bachelor.

With or without the pre-master, my transition from UCR to the WUR went more smoothly than I expected! Though of course there were some gaps in my knowledge, each MSc level course has students from different backgrounds, so I felt more at ease knowing other students were also unfamiliar with pars of the curriculum.

Future

What are you busy with now, in your Masters? What opportunities did Wageningen University bring, that were not possible in your Bachelor? Do you have any perspective for a future career?
I currently just started my thesis, and I am looking forward to doing my internship and afterwards perhaps finding a PhD position at a university. Wageningen University gave me the opportunity to learn both theoretical and practical skills that I am sure will continue to use in whichever career I end up in.