Why did you decide to do the IDA Master?
I previously completed a master in Work and Organisational Psychology after my bachelor studies, but I felt I wanted to know and learn more, especially about personality, well-being and how research is done in these and other topics in psychology.
Looking at the schedule, which course excites you the most and why?
I really enjoyed Theoretical Models of Individual Differences, it was a great introduction to the master and we had really interesting discussions with other students about a variety of topics (such as motivation and personality). I also liked Dynamics of Individual Differences, it was nice to have an in-depth look at the literature in such a variety of topics. Right now I’m excited about the traineeships for which I really like the freedom to follow our own interests!
Do you experience stress/pressure in your studies? How do you deal with it?
Sometimes, but it helps to plan out and organise my time, and then to just get started with working on things. It can feel like too much in one go, but there are good spots at the university to ‘get in the zone’. Talking to other students in the class really helps too! It’s nice to relate to each other and perhaps get advice on how to handle certain tasks, or to just work together on something.
How can your knowledge from the IDA Master be useful for the real world?
I continuously am learning so much from IDA, such as for instance practical ways of working like how to communicate well with others, organise my time well, taking multiple perspectives, being a critical thinker, etc. And also research-based information for my potential future research career, such as what makes up a strong, reliable study or intervention, how do various studies compare to each other, how can we analyse a dataset, and many more.
Why do you think it is important to study what you study?
There’s a lot of information I am learning that is ‘opening my eyes’ to the possibilities, of what research can be done and what can be gained from it. There are continuously more important and interesting questions within the field of psychology, and related topics, to ask and understand better, and through continual research we can get closer to that. That feels like an important impact on the world.
What is the most fascinating thing you have learned?
I have personally really enjoyed learning about the Experience Sampling Method, experience of meaning and purpose in life, different personality measures used in research (like the Big Five) and about narrative identity.
What motivates you to keep studying?
Definitely the other students play a big part in this. Knowing we’re in this together and discussing various interesting topics related in the course really keeps me intrigued and curious to learn more. Also, knowing there’s so much to learn and explore within the topics that interest me keeps me inspired and hopeful to go on.
How are you experiencing the relationship with your teachers?
I feel quite inspired and encouraged by the IDA teachers. Currently, I get to work with a few more closely, such as on my traineeship and first-year paper, and it’s great (also a pleasure) to work with and learn so much from them – not only information about certain topics but also ways of working, researching and writing effectively.
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