Student testimonial
At the Open Day people talked with so much enthusiasm and there are so many options within Biology
Student Biology
Previous education: University College Roosevelt
When I started with the first courses I was not familiar with all course material, but it did not take much time to get at the right level
Choose a Master
I started my bachelor study at University College Roosevelt in Middelburg where I could combine my two greatest passions: music and biology. It was great to have a programme that enabled me to combine courses from so many disciplines. However, when I had to choose a master programme I knew I would have to make a much more specific choice. I decided to go for a biology / ecology related master and went to the Open Day at WU to learn about the possibilities. There, it became clear to me that the biology programme would suit me most. I really liked that people talked with so much enthusiasm about the programme and that there are so many different options within the programme.
Experiences
When I started at WU last year, I really had to get used to student life here. On the first day I entered the classroom and there were about 70 other students. Somehow they all seemed to know each other, so I felt kind of left out. It took me a while to get to know people and to know my way around the campus. However, the number of interesting courses is fantastic. At UCR there were only a couple ecology courses and they did not involve much practical work. I really liked all courses I have taken so far at WU.
I expected that I would have difficulties with some courses because not all subjects were covered in my bachelor. However, at UCR I learned to work hard and I have more experience with academic skills, like writing papers and presenting, than other students. When I started with the first courses I noticed that I was not familiar with all course material, but it did not take much time to get at the right level.
At the moment I am writing my thesis at the chair group Nature Conservation and Plant Ecology. I am doing an experiment in the greenhouse to test the effects of inbreeding on plant fitness, how inbred plants respond to environmental stress and how epigenetic mechanisms play a role in this. It is great to set up an experiment and combine practical work with theory.