Derk de Graaf, second year Electrical Engineering

“Hello, I’m Derk de Graaf, second-year student of Electrical Engineering. I’ve always been interested in technology, but noticed while doing physics and chemistry that pure theory wasn’t my thing. So I looked for a programme which used the theory to make things. The Electrical Engineering course is the perfect combination of physics, maths and information technology. You don’t just learn about electronics and everything connected to it, but also about solving technical problems. What I really like about this programme is the fact that the practical lessons start in week 1, so that you put the things you learn into practice straight away. In addition to the practical lessons, you do several projects every year where you work as a team to apply your knowledge to developing a product. A degree in Electrical Engineering qualifies you for many fields. You could work on finding the successor to the hard disk, for example, or developing even faster computers. But designing biomedical chips, which can analyse the tiniest drop of blood, is also an option. Your broad-based technical know-how enables you to oversee projects that combine several different specializations. Wherever you end up, you are always guaranteed a ringside seat on the very edge of the latest technology.”