Why did you decide to do the IDA Master?
I decided to do the IDA master because it’s a challenging program that will best prepare me for a career in academics. I think this master will help me gain the skills to hopefully pursue a PhD in the future.
Looking at the program schedule, which course excites you the most and why?
The courses that excites me most are biological correlates and the internal traineeships. Biological correlates excites me because of the practical lab sessions. The internal traineeships also seem really exciting, because I think I will learn a lot from different people in the academic world and I hopefully will receive critical feedback on my work.
Do you experience stress/pressure in your studies? How do you deal with it?
I do experience some stress, but it’s still manageable. I deal with it by planning ahead, so I don’t have to do everything at the last moment.
How can your knowledge from the IDA Master be useful for the real world?
I think we will gain a lot of critical thinking skills, analytical capabilities and theoretical background regarding individual differences and assessment
Why do you think it is important to study what you study?
If we know how individuals differ and what the underlying mechanisms are, we can apply this knowledge in a lot of different fields (e.g. we can use this to improve clinical interventions).
What is the most fascinating thing you have learned?
The most fascinating thing I have learned so far, is the neural correlates of the personality characteristics neuroticism and extraversion. I was not familiar with that differences in personality could be related to differences in brain chemistry.
What motivates you to keep studying?
Even though this is a challenging program, it motivates me to know that I can direct some of the courses in this program in the directions that I’m interested in. Also, the other students also motivate me to make it to the end as a group.
How are you experiencing the relationship with your teachers?
One thing that differs a lot from the bachelor is the relationship with teachers. Beforehand there was barely contact with teachers and most of the time we weren’t allowed to email them. Now we can personally contact them, and the replies are really quick. They are also more invested in our progress and interest.
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