Student story – Cecilia

Every 2 weeks I talk to a fellow student about studying at Wageningen University & Research. I would like to know how they experience studying here, especially since we are all far away from home. This week I spoke Cecilia who you might already know from the student tour at ood.wur.nl.

Hi Cecilia, could you give a short introduction of who you are, where you are from and what you study?

“My name is Cecilia. I am 22 years old and I am from Bologna which is a city in the North of Italy. Currently, I am doing my master’s Management, Economics and Consumer Studies in Wageningen.”

When did you first hear about WUR?

“During my bachelor’s, I was looking with some friends for a master’s outside Italy. Searching through the internet, we found Wageningen University.”

What did you think and what was the moment you knew for sure this is where I am going to study?

“Looking in the WUR website, the university seemed to be really advanced from a technical and technological point of view, and it also offered a real international experience, thanks to the fact that in Wageningen there are students from all over the world.

After a while that I was looking at the WUR website, I realise that WUR was the best option to improve my studies and to experience the international atmosphere that I was looking for. Furthermore, Wageningen was really different from the Italian university system which I liked.”

What was your motivation or passion to study in Wageningen? And how did you pick a master’s?

“In Italy, I studied Economics in the Agroindustrial system. To develop a wider knowledge about this subject I decided to continue my study experience in Wageningen. Also, the idea of living abroad for two years attracted me.

In my bachelor’s, I studied not only agriculture but also economics subjects and I did my bachelor’s thesis regarding the waste of the USA’s supply chain. During my thesis, I developed an interest in consumer behaviour, and I decide that Management, Economics and Consumer studies, with the specialisation in Consumer Studies was the right course for me.”

Which part of your study do you find the most interesting?

“The most interesting part of my study are the subjects related to consumer studies, like the course ‘Principles of Consumer Studies’ that shows the basic knowledge to understand consumer behaviour.”

What about the future? Maybe you already know where you see yourself working?

“I hope that I will work in Italy because I think that the Italian agriculture system needs the support and the new point of view of young people that can introduce new technologies as well.”

So what about the student life in Wageningen? For example, where do you live?

“I currently live in Bornsesteeg that is big flat near the campus. I really like it because I have a self-contained room where I can relax after a long day at the university.

As for the student life in Wageningen, it is quite fast. The university has a study system divided into periods and due to this fact, you have to prepare exams is not so much time as I was used to in Italy. On the other hand, offers many peaceful places where is possible to study.”

And what do you do besides studying? And is it easy to meet other students?

“Even if studying is a big deal, I like to relax a bit during the afternoon at Bongerd, the university gym. I usually follow some classes there like body sculpting, aerobics, step aerobics and indoor biking.

Two evenings a week, I am also following Dutch course at the University, in order to learn some basics of Dutch.

It is really easy to meet international people, the easiest way is during classes. Another way to meet with other students is during the ESN association’s activities or just going around in the city.”

What do you think about the campus, everything that you can do here?

The Campus is huge. It has many buildings where you can have a lecture, meetings, practicals, group works or which you can use for self-studying. Furthermore, it has also canteens, restaurant and a cool place, called the spot, where students are used to going after the lecture. Besides, there is also a gym where you can practice almost all sports.

My favourite spot on campus is Lumen, it is a building that is a sort of greenhouse where offices are in the middle of nature. It is so peaceful and when I want to relax a bit ago there.”

Garden in Lumen

Do you also have favourite spots in the city, since it so close to the university?

“My favourite activity in the city is the parties. The associations usually organise them and there you can enjoy some drinks, good music and good company.”

How do you experience the international atmosphere on campus?

“WUR is an international university, in fact, it counts 110 nationalities from all over the world. I really like this atmosphere especially because I can interact with different cultures and traditions and learn something useful from them.”

Forum building

In what way does living and studying in the Netherlands differ from your home country?

“The first thing that pop-ups in my mind, when I think about living in the Netherlands, is that the weather is different from sunny Italy, in fact sometimes it rains for weeks. Another different thing is the food that is definitively different from the Italian one.”

The thing that I like most about studying in the Netherlands is the international atmosphere. But I also like the fact that during weekends is really easy to visit the Dutch cities.”

Do you have a question about studying in Wageningen? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Or sign up for the updates to receive the next student experience.