Our Academic Outreach Program organised a Study Choice Program Experience Day for a total of 130 students from 4, 5 and 6 VWO from three Rotterdam high schools - Montfort College, Avicenna and Zuidergymnasium. Our student teachers Kyshaya and Patrick hosted the event and told the students openly about their own journey to Erasmus University Rotterdam. They told about the timeline when choosing a study and assured the students that it is normal to experience doubts and stress, but that it is not necessary, because each choice brings them closer to their desired future.
Education scientist Dr. Sabrina Alhanachi gave a motivational speech about her own experiences and career: "Don't let people who say you can't achieve anything make you feel small. Just because something is difficult doesn't mean you can't do it.' Students could also learn more about the studies of Medicine, Economics and Econometrics, Business Administration, Psychology, Sociology and Public Administration and History, Media & Communication during workshops. For example, in Medicine, students measured their blood pressure before and after consuming energy drinks, while in Business Administration they were able to make a pitch for a new type of energy drink. Students found the workshops useful for their orientation on which direction they were or were not interested in.
Some comments of students during the experience:
'My options are wide open'
'A special and educational experience and also a lot of fun, I had a good laugh!'
'I learned that not everything may turn out the way you hope or expect, but that there are plenty of other directions and routes.'