It’s that time of the year when Master open days take place in Nederlands.. You might be wondering, isn’t it a bit too early for a 3rd year,who has just recently started her last  year, to be looking for a graduate study? Well, I would say the earlier you start doing your research, the more time you will  have at your disposal to think about your options. In this blog post I will explain to you guys,  the BEGINNING OF MY MASTER PROGRAM “HUNTING”.

Firstly, I have to mention the fact that I am planning to stay within the Netherlands, for I really like the vibe in this country. Besides the fact, that multiple Dutch universities are highly ranked among the top 100 faculties in the world, it offers an amazing student life and an infinity of options for you as a student to grow and flourish in your area of expertise.

Back to my story now. Last weekend I attended an open day at a Dutch university and went to four master degree, informative sessions. Due to my preferences for business and Entrepreneurship related studies, I chose the MBA (business administration) tracks and an Entrepreneurship  joint degree, which was a collaboration between two universities. Being honest, I am a  bit skeptic when it comes to these informative sessions, due to the fact that they focus more on a marketing/promotional strategy rather than explain the content of that program. Nevertheless, that is not always the case and I personally  do find them helpful, hence I would highly recommend all the prospective students to go to these events. Afterwards do take some time to reflect about that experience,  for it can be very useful. The number one advise that I’d give to all of you is the following: Please, do not expect to find all the answers to your questions in one day. It’s simply not possible to find all the required guidelines you need for your future academic path in two or three faculty events. However, the more information you will obtain the easier it will become for you to narrow down your options. I know that sometimes, completely the opposite occurs and suddenly you find yourself even more confused than before. Nevertheless, at the end you simply have to listen to your gut feeling.  Yes, pay attention to the things you are passionate about, the things that make you feel excited and motivate you to perform better. Motivation is essential for everything you do in your life . A master degree is costly, financial and time wise,  therefore make sure that whatever you will be doing for the upcoming one/two years, are the right investment for you. Do never fall for the “I must have a master because everyone has one” mind-set.  I have heard that sentence way too often by now, and it worries me so much the fact that people would make a decision based on other’s opinions instead of theirs. That degree will belong to you, thus it is going to be your personal accomplishment, not someone else’s. For some it’s an easy choice, they simply continue to specialize in the same, more or less identical field. Others, however, have too many preferences, including myself, and find themselves stuck. Do take your time for that decision, but try not to overthink and stress too much. It won’t help you anyways.

From my personal experience, I find the opening/experience days a good way to start the research about my future studies.(but this is simply the Jona way of doing things : )              I collect information about that particular subject or area, I see the related career opportunities, then I also double check if there is a suitable fit between my interests and these academic  offerings. Please, be aware that your preferences might also change throughout the years, and you decide to pursue something completely different from what you initially planned. It is normal for such deviations to happen, after all, the student journey, just like any other journey, consists of the unknown and the unpredictable. These second thoughts can really make the whole experience a bit challenging, but at the end it is all worth it.

Patience is key. I am assuming you are familiar with the saying, one step at a time, but sometimes it might be a good idea, to be ahead of things and take several steps at the same time. To elaborate a  bit on the latter, it all relates to planning and prioritizing your long term goals. It doesn’t matter if you are in your second year, or last year of high school or university, you can already start your search. Oh, and you will thank yourself later that you gave yourself time to analyse your decisions, instead of rushing and submitting everything just one day  before the deadline. If you need a starting point, just ask yourself a simple question: WHY?

Why do you want to study this subject? Why do you want to continue an academic education? Why is it important for you to obtain a degree from x or y faculty? Once you figure out the answers to these questions, you will realize how easy  the decision making process can be. During the events or experience days at UCG I always get the same question every year, why did I chose this particular study. I always respond differently, however one core sentence always remains the same, the program resonates with my personality and my interests. Besides the program structure, I like the ideology behind university college. Some would argue that it is better to have an objective and rational way of thinking when making the next step in your life, but deep down it all goes to our valuing system. The latter consists of the things  we value the most and concerns the topics which we, as individuals, find  the most important to be informed about.   Choose carefully and most importantly choose wisely, that is the takeaway lesson from this post.

In the upcoming blog I will give you guys a detailed set of do’s and don’t’s, when it comes to making decisions related to your studies. Stay tuned and please feel free to share and comment on our blogs.

Till next time.

All the best,

Jona. H