Jet Veenhoff

After finishing my bachelor’s degree in Arts and Culture at Erasmus University, I took a full 2 years to decide what to do next. I knew I loved gender studies, sociology, and psychology and loved studying that Erasmus, however I also wanted to do something that was in tune with real issues connected to the world around me. I wanted to do something where I was dealing with relevant societal topics and I was unwilling to limit myself to only one aspect of society. After 2 years (and a pandemic) I finally found a programme that suited my needs and aspirations, the Social Inequalities programme.

In the Social Inequalities programme I feel I have flourished in ways I had not foreseen, and I look back at it with positive feelings only. Something that is of great value, and is also quite unique, is the programme's small scale. It is quite unique within academics, and adds so much value to the experience of being a student in the programme. There is close contact with the heads of the programme, the teachers, and the tutors. Everyone is incredibly kind, helpful, and understanding of personal situations, which makes navigating the programme and dealing with the pressures of university a lot easier. Next to that I have thoroughly enjoyed the fact that everything I have learned has been rooted in, and connected to, the world around me. I have learned so much about current events and issues in a clear and non-abstract manner, this programme gives you information you can really dig your hands into. Moreover, within the assignments there is often space to pick topics that you as a student find most interesting, you have a personal connection to, or you wish to learn more about. This makes studying a lot more fun, as you’re allowed to follow your passions.

The last thing about the programme that really stuck with me, is its human approach to tough topics. Although, from an academic perspective, I have found that the topics discussed in the program have been incredibly interesting, at times it can be hard to constantly think about social inequalities and the ways in which people are essentially suffering. Especially during the introductory course there was space to discuss how we, as students, felt during the start of the programme. Is it hard to think about these issues sometimes? Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed? Are some problems hitting close to home? It was completely okay to share this with  fellow students and teachers, and everyone was more than supportive. I’ve really enjoyed having this communal feeling throughout the programme.  On top of that there was such a willingness to receive and incorporate feedback. There was a lot of room for discussion about what ways of teaching work best for the group, and what might be causing issues. To me this was really refreshing and creates a really nice and open atmosphere in which it is easy to feel safe and at home.

All in all, this programme has been an incredible experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world. For all of you interested in understanding, dissecting, and resolving social issues in today’s society, bring your passion along to this programme!