Behind the scenes with Haike

About Haike

My name is Haike, I am 19 years old and I live in Albergen. Albergen is about 26 kilometer from Enschede. At this moment, I am a second year bachelor student Business Administration at Saxion University of Applied Sciences. Because of my previous study, I am able to complete my bachelor in three years instead of four years.

I live very closeby

Because of my previous studies, I had the opportunity to go to the University of Twente. In the Netherlands, there are several levels of obtaining a bachelor's and master's degree. I chose to get a bachelor's degree at a university of applied sciences. I think this way of learning fits me better than scientific studies. I always enjoy to put theory into practice.

Because I live close by, I knew Enschede already. I always thought it was a nice shopping city and I visited the Oude Markt regularly. I chose not to rent a room in Enschede, but to commute between Albergen and Enschede. I also save money by doing this.

Two side jobs and the nano challenge

Besides my studies I work at two side jobs. I work as a sales representative in a shop and I do administrative tasks for a company. Mainly during my work as a administrative assistant I learn a lot about business administration.

During the previous semester, I joined the nano challenge of Enschede Lab. With the nano challenge, you get to solve a societal question from the municipality of Enschede that is really taking place at the moment. During our challenge, we had to find a solution for smoking at schools. The law states that there cannot be designated areas for smoking at schools. But because of that, students often go smoking in the neighbouring areas. Many residents in the surroundings of school do not agree with this, because of the smoke and waste.

We had to think about a solution where schools, the municipality and the neighbourhood of school would not have any problems with smoking. Our solution was to create a eco-friendly smokers cabin. It is sustainable by adding solar panels and green on the roof and it will not give any issues to others.

During the nano challenge, we worked with international students from all institutions. For example, there was a Chinese student studying at AKI ArtEZ in my group, who was joining by video call, because she was in China. It was a lot of fun to collaborate with people from other countries and other studies.

"GEZELLIGHEID" - FREEDOM - CONNECTION

What I like the most about studying in Enschede, is the fact that the Saxion campus is so close by the city centre. We often go to the city centre to go shopping or to have lunch.

When I had to describe my student time in three words, that would be: cosiness (gezelligheid), freedom and connection.
- Gezelligheid, because I really enjoy doing fun things with my classmates
- Freedom, because it is all really up to you. Lecturers will not tell you what to do, you have your own choices.
- Connection, because I feel a connection with my institution, lecturers, classmates and the city. I think when you are studying together, you have the same interests and it becomes more fun to work together. Also, the lecturers are always open to help.

The Oude Markt

My favourite hotspot in Enschede is the Oude Markt. Most students will say this, but it really is a nice place to go to in summer. Every day is crowded and terraces are packed. I often go there with study friends

Don't forget to enjoy

If I have to give advice to future students, it would be: enjoy your student time. It is a period of time that you will never get to do again. Of course, finishing your studies is important, but having good contact with fellow students makes life way more fun!