Master’s Open Day: ‘I’ve mainly come to ask a lot of questions’
It was a soggy Friday, but the visitors to the Master's Open Day were made of sterner stuff. Bachelor's students from all around the world defied the rain and wind to take a look at Leiden and The Hague to find out more about master's programmes and to get to know the cities themselves.
Chinese student Eric Lee (23) laughs: ‘My only complaint is about the weather,’ he says as he looks outside. ‘That wind!’ He has come from New York, where he is studying History. He is visiting Europe to look at possible master’s programmes. ‘It’s Spring Break in America at the moment; that’s why I could come.’ He wants to study Public Administration: International and European Governance and hopes to find practical information today: about admission (‘I don’t have a European passport’) and finding accommodation. But he mainly wants to talk to people because that will give him the best idea of what it’s like to study here. ‘I hadn’t expected The Hague to be so multicultural.’
‘I didn't know that there was a beach.’
Parker Beemer (24) is standing with a steaming cup of coffee at the information fair in the Academy Building. He has a bachelor’s degree in History and wants to find out more today about the International Relations and Diplomacy programme at Campus The Hague. He’s still suffering from jetlag, he laughs. He arrived yesterday from Canada and is staying with a student that he met on an exchange in Turkey. ‘He’s really enthusiastic about the programme and the University, which is why I’m here. It’s been great until now,’ he says before he heads for the train station to take a look at the Wijnhaven Building in The Hague.
Further along, Gabriel Brown (24) sits wearing a VR headset: he’s taking a virtual train trip to The Hague, to visit the campus and see a bit of the city. He already knows that he doesn’t want to study in The Hague – he wants to do a master’s in English – but has discovered a nice bonus at least: ‘I didn’t know that there was a beach nearby!’ One of his housemates in England, where he is studying for a bachelor’s degree in History, was already enthusiastic about Leiden. The master’s programme appeals to him, and this is the reason why he and his mother are here today.
Leiden City Tour
Outside, Jonas Hofstetter (27) is on a walking tour of the city. The weather doesn’t bother him: ‘I like the wind.’ Nor is the rain a problem for him: his hostel has given him an umbrella. He has his eye on the Master’s programme in Statistical Science in Leiden, which is taught in the Gorlaeus building. He looks quizzical as he tries to pronounce the name. ‘I still need to practise,’ he laughs. He has already visited the website. ‘The programme has a lot to offer that I find interesting,’ he says, adding that he already has a master’s degree in Psychology. He hopes to find out a bit more about the city during the walking tour.
Information
Dominique van Driel (19) has a clear goal for today. She is in her second year of a Psychology programme at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, but probably won’t stay there. ‘They’ve only got four master’s programmes,’ she explains. ‘I’m looking for a combination of clinical psychology and neuropsychology, and they have that in Leiden.’ Today she is hoping to discover how admissions work – with a bachelor’s degree from another university – and is wondering which specialisation will be useful, so that she can shape her bachelor’s degree accordingly.
Sarah D’Ghoughi (27) has come to Leiden from Amsterdam. She is studying Education at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and wants to do a Pre-master’s programme in Leiden from September, followed by the Master’s programme in Clinical Psychology. ‘I’m mainly going to ask a lot of questions today,’ she says. ‘I want to know exactly what I need to be admitted: what the deadlines and requirements are.’ She’s never been to Leiden before, so when she hears that there are going to be guided tours of the city she makes a note in her schedule. ‘That sounds like a good idea,’ she nods. For many, the Master’s Open Day is therefore not just a day to find out more about degree programmes, but also a day to get to know Leiden or The Hague.
Text and photos: Marloe van der Schrier
Mail the editors