Talent Development and Creativity

I came to Groningen because I had the opportunity to study Psychology here. I was fascinated by human thought and behaviour and I wanted to learn more about it. Furthermore, Groningen is a picturesque city full of canals with sailboats and bicycle paths that get you across town. Throughout my bachelor I discovered the cultural opportunities and liveliness that only a city with 25% student population can offer.

After my bachelor's programme I worked in Television Production in Germany for two years, before deciding to come back to Groningen for my master's degree. Currently, I am following the ' Talent Development and Creativity' master's programme. We study the nature of talent, where talent originates, and how it can be developed.

It is a unique study, with an approach to psychology that I think is revolutionary. Whereas most Psychology programmes only examine the development of large groups of people over time, the programme in Groningen also focuses on processes on the individual level. Iam very interested in that research angle - carefully studying someone's development and interactions and describing it in an almost mathematical way.

Another great aspect of the 'Talent Development and Creativity' programme is the way theory and practice are integrated. One course on talent development consisted almost entirely of lectures by practitioners: from the Conservatory, for instance, or from FC Groningen. These experts presented how they select and develop talent in their institution. Then they discussed their ideas with us and were actually interested in our input.

Most courses I have in the 'Talent Development and Creativity' trajectory are structured into two components: initially building up knowledge and then applying it to a 'real world' case. This is challenging as you might have a great theoretical Idea which turns out to be impractical when transferred to a real case. But it is also very gratifying: instead of cramming for an exam and forgetting everything the moment you exit the exam hall, you really get to put your knowledge to use.

After my study, I think I would like to work at a talent development department at an international company, conceptualizing Talent Development programmes that help employees to get the most out of themselves and to perform optimally. Given my work experience in Television, I am searching for a Media Company, because I loved the creative environment it offered.

After I finished my bachelor's degree in psychology at Leiden University, I wasn't sure which master's degree I wanted to do and I decided to first travel for a year.

During my trip I found out that I really wanted to learn more about creativity, but when I started looking for master's degree programmes on that topic I only found programmes in the US and Scotland. Then I stumbled upon the master's programme in Talent Development and Creativity in Groningen. It seemed very interesting and it is the only master's programme in the Netherlands that really focuses on creativity. I finally submitted my application during my yoga teacher training in Nepal.

We learn a lot about how to recognize talent and creativity and how to encourage people. I'm very interested in coaching. We have a course unit in which we learn coaching techniques by practicing on each other and then actually applying them in practice.

I still live in Leiden. After being away for a year, I wanted to be near my family and friends. I travel back and forth – fortunately, there is a direct train – and sometimes I stay overnight with my uncle.

My name is Marta Sveb, I am 23 years old and I come from Zagreb, Croatia. I am currently following the master's programme in Talent Development and Creativity. In addition, I am following the Master's Honours programme in Leadership

I chose the University of Groningen because it offered the exact programme that I was interested in. In addition, not only is the programme offered by a top-notch university, but it is also located in a beautiful city with a diverse student population and loads of bitterballen !

What was your motivation behind studying Talent Development and Creativity?
I have always been interested in football, although I barely ever played. Before moving to Groningen, I was part of the most prestigious Croatian football club, GNK Dinamo Zagreb Youth Academy, as a psychology assistant. For almost two years, we carried out various projects including situational observations of players, creative workshops, team-building activities and team management at tournaments in which we often ended up at the top! That experience made me realize that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, so finding the Talent Development and Creativity programme, which also focuses on developing sports talents, was the jackpot!

What skills have you gained over your time at the University of Groningen?
During my time at Groningen, I have gained many skills. One of those skills is riding a bike on frozen streets! When it comes to academic skills, however, I am happy to see how my coaching skills have developed over the course of my studies. Before, I used to avoid coaching situations, but now I fully embrace them. Being able to gain coaching knowledge through theoretical lectures and then applying that knowledge to real clients (student assistants) is the best experience that I have had at the University.

What surprised you the most about the University of Groningen?
What surprised me the most is the relationship between the students and lecturers. Namely, in lectures, students are encouraged to be critical and ask questions, which is not something that happens in Croatia. This shows that students are able to filter incoming information and actively use their minds in order to think critically about what is covered in class. Of course, it also makes lectures more interesting and interactive.

What are your plans after graduating?
As football is my biggest passion, I would like to pursue a career within this field upon graduating. At the beginning of the programme, I decided to enrol in the Honours College in order to learn more about leadership, as it combines well with my master’s programme, which focuses on developing human potential. Hopefully, upon graduating I will be able to find a job that combines leading people and developing their potential.

Would you recommend the University of Groningen to prospective students?
Yes, I would definitely recommend the University of Groningen to prospective students. In my programme, the course units are very specific but also manage to go quite in depth, the lecturers are always kind and willing to help and fellow students are not just people who you see in lectures, but rather your Friday night friends as well. The energy of the university is very positive, which makes studying much more enjoyable. Additionally, the city is picturesque and there is always something happening – from quiet picnics in the beautiful parks to a number of extraordinary and unusual festivals.

Sten is currently working as a sportspsychologist/basic psychologist.

Psychology is concerned with everything related to human behaviour. For me, clinical psychology means counseling people who need help. Helping people go from -1 to 0, so to speak. That is very important work, but I found myself much more interested in guiding people who are already doing well. Helping them to go from 0 to 1, to really achieve great things.
At the moment, I work both as a personal trainer and I have my own business where I work as an independent sports psychologist. As the latter, I coach athletes, especially in the context of performance: how do you perform under pressure, how do you keep your concentration, and how do you deal with the thrill of competition?
As a personal trainer, I train people in a sports studio. That is very physical – I make sure they do all the exercises right – but at the same time, my education as a psychologist proves very useful. People get stressed, they want a lot. With my background, I can guide them well.
During my studies, I took quite a few courses in sport psychology, and I still use the theories I learned. The courses on performance and coaching, for example, where you are taught to talk about improving and changing behaviour in a one-on-one setting, have proven to be very useful. My work is all about turning theory into practice.
In future, I would like to do a lot more in the field of achievement. I want to apply psychological insights to take sports in the Netherlands to a higher level. That is possible, if coaching and talent development are employed in the best possible way. I would love to make a contribution to that, and to develop myself further as a psychologist.
My advice for (future) students? Your university years can come with a lot of insecurity, especially towards the end. All of a sudden you are a graduate, and then what? If we all had our way, we would complete a study, get a job right after, and have everything go in a nice, straight line from there. But it never does, and that is all right. It is part of life, and it can teach you valuable lessons.
Above all, I would tell students to really treasure their time at university. It is a wonderful phase of your life, one in which you have a lot of freedom and the opportunity to figure out what really matters.

I'm the first student to have completed this Master's programme. That's because it's new: officially the programme only started this academic year. But I was allowed follow some of the course units last year, which explains why I have already completed the programme. In Talent Development and Creativity you learn how to bring out the best in others. You help them to discover and develop their talents.

This topic has always interested me, which is why I chose the programme. I’m particularly interested in sport, but I didn’t want to limit myself to sport psychology. In this programme, you learn about the development of various sorts of talent: in sport, in music, at school, at work… you name it.

The best course unit that I took was the one on coaching. First you learn all the theories and models of coaching, and then you apply them in the practicals, by using role play. And then, and this was the part I liked best, you actually coach someone, a student assistant or PhD student. This meant we could immediately apply what we had learnt, and in fact that was the case with all the course units. I think that is a major strength of this Master’s programme.

Although you can do a placement as part of the programme, I chose not to. I wrote an extensive thesis, which involved conducting research into affordances, the possibilities that people see to take action, and psychological momentum in a sporting event. The expectation was that a person who is in positive momentum – who has a lead over the opponent for instance – will see more affordances than a person who is in negative momentum. And that proved to be true.

I’m now working on a PhD proposal that follows on from my thesis. Research didn’t appeal to me very much before, but this topic is so interesting and I am so into it now that I really like the idea of finding out more.

I am interested in how companies and organizations can use talent in the best way possible. That is very important for an organization, but at the same time very complicated. How do you define talent; how do you make sure people use the talent that they have ? How can you develop talent and how do you let talented people work together in the best way possible. During the Master 'Talent Development and Creativity' you learn to look at talent from this complex and dynamic perspective.

At the moment, I work as a HR analytics advisor at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports. I analyze data from different staff systems to get new insights for HR managers, policy makers and advisors. I have meetings with them to find out which data they find most interesting. I also talk with the people who provide all the information to discuss which data I can request for my analysis. Finally, I make analyses in Excel with graphics in PowerPoint to share my new insights.

During the master’s programme, I learned how psychological processes work in organizations and how you can examine them. Because of this study programme, I can look with a different, more creative perspective at approaches to examine processes. My study is still very useful for my current job.

I look back at my student time in a very positive way. I really enjoyed the atmosphere in Groningen. You will know what I mean by this when you have studied there.