Tessa from the Netherlands
Personal information
- Name: Tessa Baart
- Age: 23 years
- Country of origin: the Netherlands
- Current residence: The Hague
- Likes to go sailing & swimming
Hi! My name is Tessa and I am a student of the master programme Industrial Ecology (IE). I would like to tell you a little bit more about the process I went through to finalize my choice of studying IE and my experience with this master programme.
For my bachelor I studied Psychobiology at the University of Amsterdam. With Psychobiology you study the brain, from the molecule level/neurons to the human behaviour. In order to study the brain and learn about it, you have to read a lot of research articles and conduct your own research. To be honest I was not too excited about my bachelor and I learnt that only focussing on research is not something for me. Hence, I decided not to apply for a Psychobiology master.
The following question was, what master DO I want to do? By coincidence a friend of mine was studying IE and she was very excited about the study. After a two-hour meeting with her she convinced me IE was the right choice. How? See a list here of some of the arguments that got me super excited when I had to decide:
- When studying IE, you will try to find solutions for sustainability issues from various perspectives (environmental, social and engineering). In practice, this means that the (mandatory) courses vary a lot. Regarding the engineering perspective, IE provides courses about programming and renewable energies for instance. The course System Earth delves into the natural sciences perspective and gives a broad perspective on the interactions within the natural environment. The social perspective is elaborated within courses such as Sustainable Innovation and Social Change, where you will learn how to analyse the development of sustainable initiatives. Moreover, during the course urban infrastructures, you will have the task of designing an urban plot in a sustainable manner taking into consideration the use of materials, energy and water. I would really recommend having a look at all the course descriptions, in order to gain more insight into the master.
- Besides the mandatory courses, you can choose elective courses from both universities Leiden and Delft, to delve a bit more in depth into the topics you are most interested/excited about (18 ECTS).
- IE is an interdisciplinary master programme, which means that the students come from multiple backgrounds (social, engineering and natural science). When doing group projects, individual assignments and/or studying for the exams, students help and learn from each other which creates an amazing atmosphere of collaboration between the students.
- IE has a high rate of international students, which can broaden your point of view when facing global issues.
- The people. There are a lot of social activities to join, normally organised by the study association of the masters (SHIFT). Every Thursday you can join at Bouwpub (Architecture) for some beers while getting to know your fellow students. Also, there is a study trip (about 8-10 days) which is a lot of fun.
When looking back, do I actually enjoy the master? YES. The courses have broadened my view and I can actually say I am now able to analyse sustainability issues from different perspectives automatically. A lot of aspects need to be taken into account when making decisions regarding sustainability. However, I must admit that the master can be overwhelming from time to time. You will face global issues and will try to find solutions while considering EVERYTHING. Hence, this study is complex in its own way (not necessarily in a technological sense). Luckily, you can talk about it (and sometimes complain of course) with your friends (fellow students) at IE.
What will my future entail? What kind of job do I want? Honestly, I am not sure yet. I do know it will be all about improvement. How can there be less pollution, energy/water/material use, etc. And what’s more fun than that?
Lastly, I’d recommend you to join one or two courses for a day and talk to some students of IE to get an idea if this study feels right for you. Having a good gut feeling is quite a good indicator of whether you are making the right choice (at least for me it was). Good luck deciding on a master and perhaps see you soon!