What skills did you gain at AUC that are useful for your future? 

Being involved in such a vibrant committee life, keeping up with continual academic assignments and pursuing a busy social life, I learnt how to balance my time and priorities. Being able to make compromises between commitments and knowing when to prioritise one or the other is a valuable skill that I will bring with me into the future. I have also furthered my confidence in many different forms of communicating ideas. Whether it is a group meeting, individual presentation, research paper or something new, the range of assessments at AUC has given me experience and taught me how to communicate effectively. 

What are your next steps after graduation? 

After graduating, I am very excited to share that I will continue my studies at ESCP Business School! The Master of Science degree in Sustainability Entrepreneurship and Innovation is a two-year program situated mostly in Berlin. I look forward to meeting the diverse cohort of aspiring changemakers with many different academic and professional backgrounds as we learn to apply the tools of business to solve the world’s most urgent social and environmental problems. At this stage, I am not sure what the future holds after my Master’s program, but I am looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunities presented to me. Who knows what doors will be opened? 

Do you have advice for prospective students? 

Make sure you research the AUC's academic structure to ensure it aligns with what you are looking for. Check out the AUCSA Instagram AUCSA Instagram and AUCSA website to see all the unique student-led committees and events that you will have access to. Be excited for the strong sense of community that builds over the three years. Revel in the variety of opportunities that you'll face. Lastly, be open-minded to what your experience could become - at such a young age, it is hard to know exactly what you want. 

What skills did you gain at AUC that are useful for your future?  

On an academic front, AUC helped me to develop my skills in research and interdisciplinary thinking – both were areas in which I had little prior experience, but I am now confident enough to pursue further as a career. The capstone was a particularly integral aspect of this learning process.   
AUC also provided me with opportunities to associate with activities outside the academic domain, such as involvement with student wellbeing or various committees, which enhanced my skills in collaboration and project development. 

What are your next steps after graduation?

I am currently pursuing an MPhil in Economics at the University of Oxford. After graduating, I was keen to attend a programme that would deepen my engagement with the subject of economics and prepare me for a career in research. So, the choice of an MPhil degree was quite intuitive, allowing me to receive further discipline-specific training and to write a more extensive thesis.  

Do you have any advice for prospective students?

Initially, I found it a bit challenging to balance the breadth and depth of exploration at AUC, given its flexibility in course offerings and design. However, I personally benefitted from using the first year to explore a wide range of subjects, across the three majors, and then structuring the subsequent years to specialise in my discovered areas of interest.  
Everyone’s journey at AUC follows a unique trajectory, so keep that in mind and identify how the programme can best support you and your growth! Everyone’s journey at AUC follows a unique trajectory, so keep that in mind and identify how the programme can best support you and your growth! Along with the above, my sincere advice would be to build good friendships, as this becomes a pillar of strength during the ups and downs of your time at AUC.

What skills did you gain at AUC that are useful for your future?  

Many! Despite starting during the Covid pandemic, I got to take full advantage of the opportunities that AUC offers, for example by being a part of a committee and studying abroad, as well as experiencing the interactive teaching style. I feel like being an active part of the AUC community has allowed me to grow into my leadership skills and allowed me to practice multi-tasking, handling a high workload, communicating and forming academic and professional relationships.   

What are your next steps after graduation?

I am currently still involved with AUC as the Graduate Assistant to the Services & Communications Team. I wanted to give myself some time to process the three years I spent studying before launching myself into a new program and am excited to develop some more professional skills alongside my academic experience. During this time, I am planning to focus on my health and well-being and enjoy beautiful Amsterdam. After this year, I will start my research master's in the Sociology of Culture, Media and the Arts in Rotterdam. This program, like AUC, is challenging, highly interdisciplinary, international and small-scale; perfectly in line with the kind of education I value and enjoy.  

Do you have any advice for prospective students?

Enjoy! AUC is a very unique environment that is going to be challenging and intense sometimes, but it is so special to get to be a part of such a close community. Don't be shy to reach out and ask for help from your peers and join a committee early on! Build a community that will be valuable to you both during and after AUC.  

What skills did you gain at AUC that were useful for your future? 

I loved the small-scale environment of AUC and it turned out to be a great help when it came to building skills for my future. I was able to find a supportive community and plenty of opportunities to try my hand at different areas I was interested in. I spent a lot of time working with AUC's academic journal. I also really appreciated the chance to take creative writing courses and through this I was also able to foster my love for writing, both creative and academic.  

What are your next steps after graduation? 

As a recent graduate, I am taking this year to plan for my masters and get some work experience as a graduate assistant to the Student Life Officers. Long-term, I am thinking of pursuing a masters in environmental humanities. 

Do you have any advice for prospective students? 

Don't be afraid to try things out! There are so many opportunities at AUC and in Amsterdam in general. You don't need to be too focused on one specific thing because you have the time to follow where your interests take you.  

What skills did you gain at AUC that are useful for your future? 

I learned quite a lot while studying at AUC. One thing I carry with me is the importance of your network and the people you choose to include in it. It is thanks to my network within AUC and within Amsterdam that I was able to obtain the professional and personal experiences I wanted to have. 

What are your next steps after graduation? 

I am looking for work within the art sector and trying to find where I fit within it.  

Do you have any advice for prospective students? 

Take the time to explore all of your academic interests. I initially came to AUC thinking I was going to study psychology, then I moved on to film studies and then I finally landed on visual culture. It took a lot of trial and error to figure out what I really wanted to study. I think prospective students should see AUC as an environment meant for personal growth. What you get out of it depends on what you do with this place and the resources it has to offer. 

What did you study at AUC?

‘At AUC I studied biomedical sciences, but I was also interested in other subjects such as literature and philosophy. The environment at AUC was engaging and I enjoyed being surrounded by a diverse group of students where everyone was studying different subjects. This is the kind of environment I ended up looking for in my future studies as well.’

What steps did you take after AUC?

‘Currently, I'm completing a Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Amsterdam and a Master’s in Philosophy: Bioethics and Health at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. I always knew that I was interested in biomedical science and the course Epigenetic Regulations at AUC really affirmed my passion and interest in it. On the other hand, I also took the course Ethics which introduced me to a completely different way of thinking that I also wanted to incorporate in my future studies. Hence, this is the reason that I'm doing a double Master’s degree.’

What skills did you gain at AUC that were useful for your future?

‘Since starting my Master’s degree, I realised that my level of writing and presenting skills are much more developed in comparison to students from other universities. These are exactly the kinds of skills that you can't just learn from one specific course but have to be incorporated in all your courses. In terms of lab skills, the courses AUC offers are good as they are very small-scale. Unfortunately, I could not gain a lot of lab experience because AUC didn't offer many lab courses and COVID-19 also had an impact on my studies. So make sure to go out of your way to get as much lab experience as possible because it will be really useful for your future studies. Finally, one of the most valuable lessons I learned at AUC is that a healthy work-life balance is important. AUC can be intense, but it's a good way to figure out what your priorities are and what you truly care about - not just in your academics, but also in life.’

What did you study at AUC?

‘I was a Humanities major at AUC and I focused mostly on art, media and culture. During my time at AUC, I really wanted to do a class in museum studies and curating. Such a course was not offered at AUC, so I looked at my possibilities and found the University of Toronto. There, I was able to take a course in museum curation as well as courses that focused on art outside of the Western world.’

What steps did you take after AUC?

‘When writing my AUC thesis, I stumbled upon an author that seemed interesting. So, I looked up where she had studied and found out about the Reinwardt Academie in Amsterdam where they offer the master’s Applied Museum and Heritage Studies. This was an interesting opportunity for me because it was much more practical than any other programmes I had previously looked at. It is a master’s at an applied university (what we in Dutch call a HBO Master), so it is a combination of academic as well as practical work. This means I am gaining practical experience working with professionals in the field whilst also being able to immerse myself into interesting academic literature.

After AUC, I felt as if I had all this knowledge but not really the skills to work with this knowledge. So, I am really happy I chose this master’s because I am gaining a lot of useful and practical knowledge as well as academic knowledge.’

What skills did you gain at AUC that were useful for your future?

‘I gained really good academic skills at AUC, studying here shapes people into critical thinkers that are able to look at things from many different perspectives. My reading and writing skills are also of a high level which has really helped me in my master’s. Over the three years at AUC, my English skills have improved insanely as well. Finally, AUC teaches you a certain work ethic because of how much they expect from students which is challenging but a valuable learning experience.’

What did you study at AUC?

I majored in the Sciences at AUC and focused on the Biomedical and Public Health Tracks. I found out about AUC after I went to a United World College (UWC) during high school. Being in an international and diverse environment already at UWC, I was looking for a similar environment for my Bachelor’s. Also, I had broad interests so I did not want to choose a really specific Bachelor’s at a young age. What I really liked about AUC were the small classes. I think what makes university worthwhile is not what you learn from books you read in your room, but what you learn from discussing important topics with your peers in the classroom.

What steps did you take after AUC?

In most of my classes at AUC, we were given room to choose specific topics we were interested in for papers and presentations. I found myself writing about issues of women’s health and taboos around sexual health. This is how I found that I was particularly interested in understanding the social side of health issues. AUC gives you the opportunity to redirect within your degree, so I started taking courses in anthropology and qualitative research methods. In realising my interests, I found a Master’s in Reproductive and Sexual Health Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

My Master’s was a fantastic choice because it was very specific. After being broadly educated at AUC, this worked well for me. After my Master’s, I stayed in London and gained practical field experience as a sexual health outreach worker giving sex education at high schools. Currently, I work at the Dutch Aidsfonds where we fund such outreach projects. I am the Gender Advisor at Aidsfonds, ensuring we critically look at how our programmes address issues of gender inequality and HIV, as well as reflect on gender equity in our own organisational processes.

What skills did you gain at AUC that were useful for your future?

One major thing that I did not expect was how good my writing skills became. With the number of essays you have to write, I think you really learn how to write well. Similarly, I now have really good presenting skills. But mostly I learned a lot from my peers at AUC in terms of critical thinking and intercultural communication. Being in an international environment, you get exposed to both what you have in common as well as how you differ. This has proven to be really beneficial now that I work in international environments.

What did you study at AUC?

'I majored in the Sciences with a focus on physics and mathematics. I also took some psychology courses and some Chinese courses when I was in Hong Kong at CUHK.'

What steps did you take after AUC?

'After AUC, I first did a pre-master and then my Master' degree at VU Amsterdam in Theoretical Physics, Chemistry and Material Sciences, which was an Erasmus Mundus. The first semester was in Amsterdam, the second semester was in Rome and the last year was in Lyon. After that, I did my PhD in Prague in Applied Physics. After finishing my PhD, I decided to participate in the Nationale DenkTank, which I'm doing right now, where I'm working on the quality of education and equality for every student in the educational system.'

What skills did you gain at AUC that were useful for your future?

'The cool thing about the DenkTank is that they really try to select people from all different fields. While I do have a hard bèta background, I still work together with people from humanities and from social sciences, just like you sometimes do at AUC, where you combine all those powers to create something new and innovative. The most valuable skill that I learned is to always look further than your own field of specialisation. And I think that is exactly why I am now doing the DenkTank because it does not fit in the picture of what I was trained to do. However, I definitely learned about the power of collaboration and the respect for people that think in a different way.'

What did you study at AUC?

I liked the idea of designing your own curriculum and that a multi-disciplinary perspective was encouraged. I chose the Pre-Med Track at AUC and combined it with playing the bassoon at the conservatory of Amsterdam. I enjoyed the small-scale education which created a challenging environment where you are trained to do many different things simultaneously.

What steps did you take after AUC?

After AUC, I continued to pursue my Bachelor’s degree in music at the conservatory. After one year, I felt that I also wanted to continue my studies in biomedical sciences and found the Cardiovascular Research Master’s at VU Amsterdam. Since I enjoyed the course Cardiovascular Diseases at AUC, I knew it would be a good fit.

From April 2020 until March 2021, I worked as a Research Assistant at the Amsterdam UMC cardiology department. Through a classmate from my Master’s at VU Amsterdam, I found my current job at Quin – an online healthcare platform – where I am responsible for developing new healthcare pathways for cardiovascular diseases. I am glad that I can still combine this job with my music career.

What skills did you gain at AUC were useful for your future?

Personally, I really enjoyed the courses at AUC because they are comprehensive and you learn to look at issues from a multitude of perspectives. Also, my English improved greatly at AUC, which has proven to have a major impact on my career. The take-home message I would like to share is that if you want something, you just have to go for it. It does not matter if you have all the necessary pre-requisites or not; if you really want something there is always a way!