Hannah

Why did I choose my programme?
I was initially interested in studying the hospitality concentration, but when I looked at the three different available concentrations, I decided to pick “service and innovation” in order to have more options in regard to the career path that I can choose later. I’m very happy I did this - because I found out I didn’t actually want to work in the hospitality industry, but rather in the service sector in general.

What do I like the best?
I like the most that there is a lot of group work (exercise classes, smaller presentations), because I really benefit from studying with others. But at the same time, the assessments in the courses are often on an individual level, so you get the benefit from studying with others but also showing your individual strengths!

What do I think is difficult?
I think that the difficult part about SEM is the frequency of exams. Since the course has a quarter structure, you have exams twice a semester. There are many things I really like about that, like the fact that you never fall too far behind because your courses change quite frequently, but at the same time it’s also difficult at times to study all the course material in a short time span. 

What would I have liked to have known before starting my programme?
SEM does have many quite math heavy courses. A lot of my friends didn’t realise this before, and were disappointed when they realised how much math there actually is. I personally don’t mind at all but it’s just something to be aware of.

What do I want to do after finishing my programme?
I am currently working in the finance department of a small firm that works with the service innovation of car sharing, and I find it extremely interesting. I think that I want to stay within finance in the service sector, but that is still very broad. So I’m not 100% sure yet what I want to do, but that’s definitely the direction!

If I could give myself a piece of advice, before starting it would be…
DON’T take a lot of notes during lectures - I have wasted many lectures trying to write as much as possible down, when I would have benefitted a lot more from just listening to explanations by the teacher. Especially in the math heavy subjects!