{"id":118611,"date":"2020-10-15T12:42:20","date_gmt":"2020-10-15T10:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=118611"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:08","slug":"first-year-student-nur-is-studying-misoc-that-makes-me-so-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/10\/15\/first-year-student-nur-is-studying-misoc-that-makes-me-so-happy\/","title":{"rendered":"First-year student Nur is studying MISOC and everything makes her happy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Spanish Nur * cannot stop laughing. She loves everything about her move to Rotterdam. Her study ‘Management of International Social Challenges,’ her flatmates in Hatta, the people she meets while out running. “It’s just the scooters that I find terrifying when I\u2019m cycling, they zoom past so close to you.”<\/p>\n

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Nur in her room in Hatta<\/span><\/p>

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Nur is from Madrid and studied Business and International Relations at the university in her home town. \u201cI thought it was fantastic, but when I saw that there was an association in Rotterdam that offered me the opportunity to gain experience in the IT world, I knew deep down: this is my chance.\u201dA friend of hers was already looking around at other universities in Europe. She told Nur: \u201cI\u2019m going to apply to Rotterdam, you should do it too.\u201d The study programmes at Erasmus University did in fact appeal to her, but the Erasmus Tech Consulting (ETC) student initiative was the deciding factor. \u201cI had already emailed ETC that I wanted to join before I was accepted at the EUR.\u201d<\/p>\n

Student association life<\/h2>\n\t
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\n\t\t\u2018We can really be of help; we really have something to offer. Even if we are \u201cjust\u201d students\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Nur is keen to enter the technical world but wants to keep to the business side of things. ETC organises lectures and workshops for students, which is why it collaborates with companies such as Google. What especially attracted Nur to ETC is that you can also gain plenty of experience through it. The consultancy agency links companies to technical start-ups, for one thing. As the external relationship coordinators, Nur actively looks for potential partner companies. \u201cThat makes me so happy\u201d, she says. \u201cWe can really be of help; we really have something to offer. Even if we are \u2018just\u2019 students.\u201d<\/p>\n

She can\u2019t get over the fact that there are so many different and professional student associations and initiatives in Rotterdam that everyone can become a member of. \u201cAt my previous university there was also an association for ICT, but not as established as here.\u201dShe taps her fingers on a book she has just picked up, a book from the B&R Scholarship student association. Where she also joined up as a member right away. \u201cI chose a different study so that I would have a broader education but was afraid that I was going to miss out on the business world. Now I don\u2019t have to make that choice anymore!\u201d<\/p>\n

In seventh heaven<\/h2>

Is there anything about Rotterdam that Nur is not so fond of? She is afraid of the cold weather, but not as scared as she is of the scooters zooming past. \u201cIt\u2019s just the scooters that I find terrifying when I\u2019m cycling, they zoom past so close to you,\u201d she explains. \u201cI don\u2019t know what else really. My flatmates in Hatta are cool. One of them comes from Morocco and is a fantastic cook. My room is on the corner of the ninth floor and I have a great view over the Rotterdam skyline.\u201d She is just as enthusiastic about her studies. \u201cThe teachers explain things clearly and I have plenty of opportunity to ask questions. And you also learn so much about other insights and opinions what with all the international students. So, I don\u2019t have anything to complain about, except maybe later in the year when it gets really cold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018So, I don\u2019t have anything to complain about, except maybe later in the year when it gets really cold\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Was she not concerned at all when she left home in the middle of a pandemic? \u201cDid you follow the news about Spain and corona? Things aren\u2019t going so well there either.\u201d What she was rather worried about was the people in the Netherlands. In Spain, she had heard that the Dutch come across a bit hard-hearted and strict. \u201cSo, I was a bit apprehensive about that. Should I be a bit stern too? But everyone is incredibly friendly. People say hello when I\u2019m out running in Kralingen. For instance, everyone wants to help whenever I\u2019ve lost my way. And well,\u201d she says shrugging her shoulders, \u201cif it wasn\u2019t any good here, I can get back home within two hours by plane.\u201d<\/p>\n

* The interviewee\u2019s name has been removed for privacy reasons and after the advice of the Editorial Board. The surname is known to the editors.<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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