The first semester and examination period are over. Time to start the second part of the academic year with a fresh head and perhaps some ambitious plans or new intentions. Are you ready? These students are.
Hanne (24): "Finally a good old edition of the 12urenloop"
"For the second semester, I am looking forward to the various elective courses within my master's in Bioengineering. This semester I can really follow my interests even more than before. Among other things, I will take classes at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences because I want to delve into more biomedical themes. This semester, I also have to take the first steps for my master's thesis."
"Apart from the studies, I am especially looking forward to the 12urenloop on 26 April because I am leading the organization this year. We are very much looking forward to it because it is the first edition without coronavirus restrictions. We can finally go full out again. At this time last year, we still had doubts about whether we would go ahead. We also have some great new ideas that I can't say anything about right now, unfortunately. A prediction for the winner of the 12urenloop? That will traditionally be HILOK or VTK, but with my own student union VLK, I do hope for a third place."
Wilma: "I want to get to know people from all over the world"
"I am from Sweden and am on exchange in Ghent this semester to study communication sciences and marketing. I hope to get to know people from all over Europe and the rest of the world here. That will probably work out fine. I have been in Ghent for less than 24 hours and I have already made friends from Spain, Norway and Italy. Furthermore, I also want to explore Belgium more. I've been to Bruges before. I really like this country."
"I chose Ghent University for my exchange because I have heard many good things about this university. There are a lot of opportunities for international students here. I am looking forward to learning new things in my field and explore communication in another culture. In addition, I would also like to improve my skills in academic English. It’s a big reason to study abroad."
Kevin (20): “I will stay another semester in Japan”
"I just finished a semester in Japan. Normally I would return to Ghent in March, but I applied for an extension for another semester. As far as Ghent University is concerned, things are fine. It's just a matter of waiting for the official approval from Tohoku University.
I am studying Japanology and I notice that my Japanese is really so much better by being here. Plus it's just really fun here (laughs). Normally, I would have gone to Japan for a year last academic year, but I couldn't because of covid measures. I therefore followed the first semester of my study abroad programme online. Because of the hour difference with Japan, I had to take online classes in the middle of the night, which was mentally very tough. I had therefore postponed my second-semester exchange to this academic year.
My main aim in my second semester is to continue working on my Japanese. Unfortunately, I was not able to work much on my thesis in the first semester. So that is also on my schedule. Finally, I will also start looking for a job. I'm 29 years old, it's about time (laughs). I would really like to work in Japan for a few years after my studies. Being able to study here for an extra semester will make that search a bit easier.”
Julie (22): “I want to visit all Ghent University campuses with my friend”
My first semester was different from past academic years. Being in my master year, I had fewer classes but I had more independent work. In addition, the search for an internship also really took up a lot of time. So it was quite a busy semester.
After the semester break, I will start an internship at the Departement of Communication and Marketing of Ghent University. I am really looking forward to it. I am also happy that I can finally start the research for my master's thesis.
In previous years, I mainly tried to participate in all classes as much as possible during the academic year. But maybe I didn't go in depth enough which meant I still had quite a lot of work during the block and exam periods. So this semester, especially as far as my master's thesis is concerned, I want to start working thoroughly right away.
This will be my last semester at Ghent University. I think I will explore the old city centre some more. I also plan to visit the different campuses together with a friend, while I still can (laughs)."
Life as a student is exciting and challenging; but it's not all sunshine and roses. You may have a lot on your mind from time to time. It's important to know that you can find support for any issue – no matter how small or harmless it might seem. You don’t have to go at it alone – get help!
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