{"id":178519,"date":"2025-04-30T14:13:38","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T12:13:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=178519"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:48","slug":"hamburgers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2025\/04\/30\/hamburgers\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamburgers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since I am in the last year of my bachelor’s I am orienting myself to different master’s programs. I wouldn’t know what else to do next year.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPauline Wiersema<\/a>, \t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLevien Willemse<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Together with my brother I\u2019m visiting an open day of the University of Amsterdam. At the central station, a band of Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses is playing a version of The Final Countdown<\/em> about Jesus and God. I make my way past cozy cafes and coffee shops. One shop window is full of bongs, space cake, and copies of Anne Frank\u2019s diary. A British tourist takes a bite of herring and spits it right back out.<\/p>\n

My brother and I arrive on time at the university\u2019s location, a very old building, according to the sign outside. I registered for the presentation of the Journalism master\u2019s degree. Without registration, you can\u2019t enter the room, the confirmation email said. My brother asks if he can still attend the presentation. He can.<\/p>\n

During the presentation, a teacher explains that the selection procedure is very strict and the number of places in the programme is very limited. A requirement for the application is that a self-made journalistic product must be delivered. A motivation of at least 1,000 words must also be included. If you get through the first round you\u2019ll be invited for an interview, after which you\u2019ll hear whether you have been admitted. She also says that you can\u2019t have a job next to the master\u2019s: \u201cThe programme is just too demanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

My brother and I have dinner at a pizzeria afterwards. He asks if I\u2019m going to enroll in this. I exhale while catching a slice of mozzarella sliding from my pizza. \u201cYeah, I might as well do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two weeks later, I hand in a complete application, including my resume, grade list from my bachelor\u2019s degree and grade list from high school. My journalism product is an interview with a journalist I conducted during my second year. After this, I ask my roommate if he wants to have dinner together. He suggests making hamburgers together. This doesn\u2019t get me excited right away, because I\u2019m in a lazy mood. He says: \u201cWe don\u2019t have to.\u201d This annoys me considerably: \u201cNo? We don\u2019t have to? How insanely awesome to hear that we don\u2019t have to!\u201d Shortly after this, we make hamburgers.<\/p>\n

The application review comes in a month and a half later. I have been rejected. The mail says that the selection procedure is very strict and the number of places in the programme is very limited.<\/p>\n\n\t

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