{"id":3564,"date":"2016-05-26T13:13:08","date_gmt":"2016-05-26T12:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/05\/26\/econometrie-dat-is-toch-echt-supermoeilijk\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:12","slug":"econometrie-dat-is-toch-echt-supermoeilijk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/05\/26\/econometrie-dat-is-toch-echt-supermoeilijk\/","title":{"rendered":"Econometrics, isn\u2019t that really difficult?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hip hip hurray! The Econometric Institute is celebrating its 60th anniversary and the FAECTOR faculty\u00a0association has been around for 50 years. Despite its long history, it\u2019s still not clear to everyone what exactly is involved in the Econometrics programme. Five econometrics students tell us why they opted for this programme and about the clich\u00e9s they get hurled at them about their study.<\/p>\n

Luc Oudenes (23) \u2018Extremely bright or hardly any social skills\u2019<\/h3>
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\u201cI always wanted to study medicine. Then one of my teachers at school took me aside. She said: \u2018You\u2019re not great at biology, but you\u2019re good at maths and economics. Wouldn\u2019t Econometrics suit you?\u2019 I didn\u2019t even know there was such a thing, and now I\u2019m here. I have never regretted my choice. Because I study Econometrics, people immediately think I\u2019m either exceptionally bright or that I have hardly any social skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mechteld Ferment (23) \u2018I\u2019d rather read a formula than a book.'<\/h3>
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\u201cWhen I tell people what I study, the first comment is: \u2018Econometrics, isn\u2019t that\u00a0really hard?\u2019 It is indeed a lot of hard work, but I\u2019d rather work on three formulas than have to read a book. Because that\u2019s what\u2019s hard for me. I first wanted to study maths, but with Econometrics you also learn how to apply maths. That\u2019s exactly what I find interesting and challenging in this programme,\u201d<\/p>\n

Wouter Hustinx (20) \u2018Isn\u2019t that really difficult?\u2019<\/h3>
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\u201cI generally get very surprised reactions when I tell people what I study. \u2018That is really difficult, isn\u2019t it?\u2019 is what I often get to hear. They don\u2019t expect it because the preconception is often that econometrists are short on social skills. But that\u2019s not been my experience. Of course you\u2019ll always have a few students that fit that stereotype, but then you don\u2019t have to have much to do with them. I liked economics as a subject at school, I wanted to do something along those lines. By choosing Econometrics, I could combine economics and maths. It makes the study difficult, but also challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sjoerd Baardman (22) \u2018You mean Economics, don\u2019t you?\u2019<\/h3>
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\u201cThe reactions that I get when I tell them what I\u2019m studying? \u2018Oh, then you must be\u00a0super bright\u2019 or \u2018Econometrics? Don\u2019t you mean Economics?\u2019 I don\u2019t think of myself as very bright, but I am good at maths. I find Econometrics is an interesting study because it is in-depth and challenging. You have to spend some time on the maths, but once the penny drops, it is really easy. That\u2019s not the impression I get from history. Now that\u2019s a subject that\u2019s hard for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitchell van Citterd (22) \u2018Are you going to be a millionaire?\u2019<\/h3>
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\u201cAre you going to be a millionaire? That\u2019s always the first question I get. It\u2019s not the reason why I chose to study Econometrics. I was checking out the EUR website for information about Economics, I read the description of Econometrics, and thought it would be a great combination of the subjects that I liked so much at school: economics and maths. That\u2019s the real reason why I\u2019m studying Econometrics: because I like it. That I may earn stacks of money later is an added bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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A conference is being held on the 27 May in the C Building (Theil) to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Econometrics Institute and the 50th anniversary of FAECTOR. The theme of the conference is \u2018Econometrics and Beyond\u2019. You can find more information on the programme here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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