Studentenverhaal
Student Wieke van Raamsdonk - MSc Environmental Sciences
In her bachelor Environmental Sciences Wieke has chosen for the specialization Environmental quality and system analysis. "This has several reasons. I find both the science side as well as how people affect the environment very interesting. No wonder I continued with the MSc Environmental Sciences.
This MSc programm has been a good choice!
The integration between ecology, sociology and economics is very present in the Environmental Sciences program. You analyze the entire system: you describe all causes, consequences and interactions...
Study program
When Wieke visited the information days she often heard the quote from Wageningen University: "you get a broad basis." "To me that was cliché, but it's true! In the first year you gain a thorough background, necessary for the specialized courses in the second and third year. You get courses from a lot of directions and I find this variation very pleasant. For the same reason that I have chosen the Bachelor Environmental Science I continued with the MSc in Environmental Sciences. This master continues with the same subject as the bachelor, and that has been a good choice!
In the Master there are only a few courses that you have to take, the others are all optional. This means you have a lot of free choice and you can choose any course you want. My Masters have been very brought in the first half year, but the coming periods I will take more in depth environmental courses.
I also think that Wageningen has outgrown its old-fashioned image. More attention is paid to the economic side and the type of people is much more diversified. In Wageningen, the sustainable alternatives are considered, but it often remains within the scientific frameworks such as finding the most sustainable alternative. Wageningen is not as extreme as I expected."
Student life
Wieke sometimes misses idealism in her study program Environmental Sciences, but compensates it with activities outside her study. "I have been very active in WEP and WSO. WEP (Wageningen Environmental Platform) works on the sustainability of the university and awareness raising of the environmental problem. WSO (Wageningen Student Organization) is a student union: They stand up for the rights of the student, in the field of education and access to education. Incidentally, WSO and WEP merged together to form PULSE."
Future plans
"I would like to get involved in research later on, but only applied research that focuses on positive changes in the area of sustainability. What I regret is that research is often aimed at describing and reducing things that are negative for the environment (pesticides, CO2, etc.). Of course it is good that such research is there, but it's not what I'm looking for. I would like to change something positive outside of the current system. I think making the system more efficient as it is now, is not sufficient.“