Five questions for Sanne, second year student Management, Society & Technology (MS&T)
About Sanne:
- 22 years
- Profile (high school): Economy & Society
- Interested in the developments of different societies
How do you like studying MS&T in Enschede?
I’m half way through my studies in Management, Society & Technology and I’m really content with my choice of study. I’m learning how to combine different disciplines and I really like that. You learn how to look at a problem from different perspectives and to create a solution that involves all the stakeholders. Projects are key to the educational model at the UT. A study year is divided in four modules of ten weeks. In every model I take two, three or four courses and I work together with fellow students on a project to solve a societal problem. The knowledge from the courses of the modules come together in that project. So everything you learn during the module can be put into practice!
How does technology play a role in your study?
A good example is the second module of the first year, with the topic of mass migration. In the ‘Sociology of Europe’ course, we learned how social relationships work between different groups of people. In the course ‘European Integration and Markets’, we learned what influence the development of the European market has no migration. And in the project the technological aspect of mass migration was emphasized. We learned that modern technologies like social media can make a big difference in how migrants look at Europe. There is a lot of room for your own creativity, and our group chose to look at the implications of the implementation of a European army. This example shows that you don’t have to be an engineer to study Management, Society and Technology. Neither am I. I learn primarily where to find the technology, and how this is influencing our society. A big advantage is that there are a lot of technical study programmes at the University of Twente. It is quite easy to find students from a technical programme and to ask them questions.
What is the value of this bachelor for society?
I feel like MS&T as a study of public administration that involves a technical viewpoint, is preparing better me for the problems of the future. I expect that students from Management, Society and Technnology can end up in various positions. A job as consultant or policymaker is mentioned often.
What kind of job do you see yourself doing after your study?
Of course I don’t know for sure what I’ll be doing later, I hope to find a job in international politics. For example as a policymaker for the European Union.
Why did you choose for Management, Society & Technology at the University of Twente?
Before choosing a study programme, I started reading into the different websites of the universities. I found out that a broad study like MS&T appealed to me. I compared the pros and cons of the different universities. My intuition says a lot to me, therefore I decided to visit the Open Days to see if I would feel at home at this place. The UT is small-scaled, which appealed to me directly, I don’t like to take lectures with 300 people. Also, there is a personal approach, the study coordinator was interested in who I was and where I came from. I made a final choice after I experienced Student for a Day with Hannah, a girl who was in her first year at that time. She told me about the activism in Enschede. The UT is a big supporter of students who join extra-curriculair activities next to their studies. And I’m doing that as well! In my first year, I joined a committee at our study association. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun!
Are you doing any extra-curriculair activities this year?
This year, I joined an honors programme. The programme is called the Netherlands Asia Honours Summer School and it is a programme of all the 13 Dutch universities. Not only students of Twente are joining the programme but also students from other parts of the Netherlands. In the summer, we’ll go to Chengdu, in China, where we’ll do research for a big Dutch company that is located in China. At the moment I have preparatory meetings for the trip. I get 2 hours of Chinese language lessons every week and we get workshops with different themes that relate to the relationship between China and the Netherlands. I’m really looking forward to my trip to China!