Student testimonial
There is always the possibility to take extra courses which you find interesting
Student Management, Economics and Consumer Studies
Prior Education: Hotel and Catering Management, Saxion University of Applied Sciences
To me an internship has always had an enormous added value.
Follow-up Training
For me it was quickly clear that I wanted to do follow-up training after completing my Bachelor’s. During my Bachelor’s Hotel and Catering Management I felt the need for greater profoundness and challenge. Furthermore, I still did not feel like starting a full time job and therefore I knew that I wanted to do a Master’s. The choice fell on the Master’s Management, Economics & Consumer Studies at the University of Wageningen. This Master’s offers a broad study program which connects to my own interests and besides that, there is the possibility to do an internship. To me an internship has always had an enormous added value.
To be honest I never widely orientated myself at different research universities. I had heard good stories about the WUR and, when I visited for an Introductory Day, it felt right immediately. I decided to start studying here. I have not regretted this decision, everything is organised very well and the University offers great facilities, like for example, that you can play sports for a fixed price per year. Also, although everything is organised excellently, there are still a lot of possibilities to chose from and it is possible to give a lot of own input. Like so, within the Master’s there is a choice between three different specialisations with each their own different profiles. A hard choice to make in the beginning but there is always the possibility to chose a part of your own study schedule separately and to take extra classes which you find interesting.
Experiences
I have now completed my first year and, to be honest, it has gone quite well. I had expected that the English would be challenging for me, but it got used to very quickly. As of now this Master’s is very doable and I keep enough free time to relax, play sports, party and work. This is also as a result of the buffer week that there is before the exams start in which there are no classes. For me this is especially pleasant as I then get the chance to really prepare for the exams. I expect the second year to be a bit tougher, as this year does not revolve only around the theory, but also the application of it in the form of a big project, the internship and the thesis. I hope to be able to combine my internship and thesis and to do these at the Laboratory of Market Response. This because they have developed a model which I have already used during my Bachelor’s. The model was based on the BSR (Brand Strategy Research) model with which consumers can be divided into segments in a psychographic manner. I was particularly gripped by the depth and the extensive possibilities of the model so I wanted to continue with it.
Future
The topic of my thesis still needs to be decided because, as of now, I still have do not have any ideas. In any case it will be a quantitative research as I am more interested in statistics and I hope to be able to distinguish myself from other marketing graduates on the job market with my statistical knowledge. What I will do after my Master’s is also still unknown, hopefully I will be able to stick around at my internship and start a full time job there. Furthermore, I have to and will see and explore the world and I hope that this Master’s will be of contribution to this.