Carolina Valladares Pasquel
ecuador
Carolina Valladares Pasquel got her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology in Ecuador. She decided to do the Master’s in Public Administration because she has always been interested in learning how the state processes society’s demands for designing public policies. She sees a challenge in the process of making policy responsive with people.
As a sociologist I wanted to learn about the discussions that are being held on the side of the State and public issues, to delve in the society-State relationship. New for me is the emphasized role of market in the public administration. I don’t know if this market perspective is a trend in the region, but I think that the possibility of comparing different perspectives allows you to support your ideas with better arguments and can also be used in the south global countries.
I chose the University of Twente because the it has some interesting specializations in Public Administration and I love the facilities here. Twente is among the best universities in the country, and the campus facilities are awesome, suitable for really focusing on studying and also for enjoying free time.
I want to keep contributing to show the hidden costs of the interwoven relations of power in environmental issues. I hope to continue doing this on researches in the fieldwork, which I think is the best ‘university’. However, maybe I would consider studying a PhD to combine theory and practice.
Morid K.D. Pagardi
Iran
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and I am currently taking the double degree Master’s programme European Studies in corporation with the University of Münster, Germany. This programme is interesting to me because I am interested in European Union values and its civilization. I believe that the EU shares its value by supporting freedom and democracy in the world and these achievements are human aspirations.
This Master’s focuses on the complex environment in which the various levels of government come together and this is exactly what I was interested in. This Master’s seems very complete and offers huge opportunities to learn from different areas. Also, I feel excited to study with international students. The experience in multicultural environment improves my communication skills while it broadens my horizon.
Because I am studying the double degree Master’s programme I also studied a year at the University of Münster. The University of Münster offered me the chance to become familiar with the European history, while the UT offered me well integrated international programmes on a well-organized level.
I am a follower of the Sufism which is a way to experience reality. I have had no problems with being a follower of the Sufism in The Netherlands: here and in Dutch society I live very peacefully and besides living and studying at university, freely, I do practice meditation of Sufism.
After my Master’s I would like to combine a PhD position with a job. I made a contract of employment with an international company. International trade officer will be my future job position in this company.
Jurrian Werler
Netherlands
I have a Bachelor’s degree in European Studies and am now doing the Master’s programme in European Studies. A multidisciplinary approach in combination with the demanding academic level are what make this programme unique. Many similar studies either focus on one aspect or lead to a Master’s of Arts degree. The programme allows you to go deeper into the analysis of European issues.
The reason I chose the University of Twente for my Master’s is because of the good experiences I have had here during my Bachelor’s programme. Also, the University of Twente has a focus on analyzing the actual output of the European Union and the thorough analysis of different challenges. Besides that, there is the opportunity to do a double degree in cooperation with University of Münster, Germany. Having two degrees, two titles, an international experience and thus better chances at the job market were all factors contributing to my choice to study at the UT.
If I would have to give prospective students some advice, I would say: stick to the given time schemes, learn to discipline yourself, and there will be plenty of time left for extra-curricular activities. By organizing events with other international students you develop many useful skills you cannot simply derive from books.
The job-perspectives of an ES-student are relatively good. With the increasing challenges faced by the EU, European Studies offers you something extra in the field of public governance. I would very much like to work for a government, for example at an embassy.