Honours alumna Resa reflects on her experiences in the programme

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Yes, of course! I'm Resa, and I am 20 years old. I study law at the University of Groningen, and I'm currently in my master's programme. I'm doing the Togamaster—it's a dual master’s programme, which means you study and work at the same time. It includes the regular master’s coursework, but you also do an internship with the legal professions lawyer, judge and juror. In this programme, you start by doing a two-week internship at each of the legal professions. After that, you choose your top three preferences for a longer internship placement, which lasts five months. I did my five-month internship at the court in Zwolle, which is also where I live, by the way. It was a wonderful experience, and they were very pleased with my performance. They even asked me to work with them until this December.

Why the Honours Programme? What attracted you to the programme, and why did you apply?

Well, in my first year, my grades were good, and I was among the top students in my class according to an invitation email to apply for the Honours Programme. I also really enjoyed studying. I was intrigued by the email from the Honours Programme. So I started Googling a bit about Honours College—what it involves, what kind of things you do.

The Honours Programme seemed very interesting, especially the broadening part. I really wanted to connect with students from other faculties. The Faculty of Law is quite large, and because of that, you don’t really get to know many people, even within your own programme. I thought that by joining the Honours Programme, I could meet students from other faculties, but also connect with like-minded, ambitious students from my own faculty. So it was a mix of wanting to meet new people, being excited about the content of the programme, and also looking for a new challenge—especially because my first year had gone so well. I saw it as a great opportunity to grow academically and personally. That’s why I applied!

The programme is very interdisciplinary. So what sort of knowledge and skills did you gain that you think are very useful?

I found it useful to work together on group projects through the Honours College. In the Faculty of Law, we don’t really have group projects—it’s mostly individual work. We also don’t focus much on developing practical skills like presenting or communication. So for me, the Honours College really helped fill that gap. I learned how to collaborate effectively in teams and developed stronger communication skills. For example, the Effective Teamwork course was especially helpful. And what I appreciated most is that the skills and knowledge I gained from this course were not only useful in my Bachelor’s studies, but they are now also useful in both my professional and personal life. For example, you can see family as a team as well, and if you encounter problems in that team, how can you approach them? That was part of the Effective Teamwork course. So it was also very useful for my personal development growth, and it gave me tools to handle challenges in this area as well. So overall, I think the programme really contributed to both my professional and personal development.

Do you have any advice for prospective students about the Honours Programme and why they should consider joining?

My main advice would be: just give it a try. I think the Honours Programme is a great addition to your studies. As I mentioned, the knowledge and skills you gain aren’t just useful professionally, but personally as well. You develop valuable skills, meet new people, and get the chance to explore topics outside your main field of study.

Of course, not every course will be equally interesting—at least, that was the case for me. But that’s true in any programme. The key is to keep an open mind. I took courses from other faculties that I initially thought might be a bit boring, but I ended up really enjoying them. So just try it if you are interested. The opportunity to broaden your academic experience is incredibly valuable, and the Honours Programme gives you that. Even after completing the programme, I still keep in touch with some of my friends from the programme. So overall, I had a truly great experience, and I would absolutely recommend the Honours Programme to anyone who is curious or looking for a challenge.