In ATLAS, we have something called the personal pursuit. It allows us to pursue pretty much whatever we’re interested in. This can entail anything in terms of self-development. Some have taken extra courses, some have taught at high schools, some have volunteered abroad. In this case, we’re looking at a student’s documentary on living life the way you want to.
I noticed when I started studying that people told me to enjoy my study time, because after this it would all become ‘the same boring life’. They didn’t use those exact words, but that’s what it came down to in my mind. Because of this, I decided that I wanted to show people how they could avoid this, how they could make their own choices in life so that it wouldn’t happen to them.
I also wanted to inspire them with examples of people who managed to do this successfully; people always hear “you should just do what you want to do”, “just do it”, but if there are no real-life inspirations or examples, that’s really hard to actually do.
That’s also what I really liked about my Personal Pursuit: talking to people who had succeeded in living the way they wanted to, even if that was different from the ‘normal’ way. It was inspiring to hear their opinions of themselves, and the stories of how they pursued their own dreams. Had I had more time, I would have loved to spend it living with the people I interviewed; I heard their stories, but I’d also love to actually experience their way of life.
It’s sometimes hard to effectively reflect on your own life and the choices you make, but my Personal Pursuit has really helped me to be able to think “I don’t have to do this, it’s my choice to make.” It all comes down to a quote that really stuck with me:
“Did you think of this, or did other people think of it for you?”
University College Twente offers a unique bachelor’s programme, Technology, Liberal, Arts and Sciences, to top students. Visit the University College Twente website for more information about the college and Technology, Liberal, Arts and Sciences website for more information about the bachelor program. Or visit us during the open day, a student-for-a-day or an insight-day. For more information and stories about personal pursuits visit our personal pursuit website.
