You may know her from her cookbooks, blog, or Instagram channel Karola’s Kitchen. But before her career as an author and food blogger, Karolien Olaerts studied biomedical sciences at Ghent University. She was a natural student, consistently performed well, and maintained a strong interest in nutrition and the human body.. It was even a close call whether Karolien would pursue a PhD at Ghent University. On campus Rommelaere, she looks back on her student days.
What memories do you have of your university studies?
“I have many. I was a real model student. I went to almost every class, except the ones where the professor just droned through the course material. I genuinely enjoyed studying and really wanted to understand what the professors were saying. I also had a small group of friends I attended classes with and spent time with afterwards—going out to eat or drink, shopping, or just wandering around. I have very warm memories of that time.”
What was the biggest challenge for you as a student?
“That was without a doubt my thesis. At the time, topics were assigned by lottery, so you couldn’t choose one yourself. I had hoped for something in nutritional sciences, but I ended up with nuclear functions of actin-binding proteins. It couldn’t have been further from nutrition, and that really demotivated me. But being as dutiful as I was, I kept going. Later, in the lab here on campus Rommelaere, I had an accident. A glass pipette broke during an experiment, went through my finger, and severed my tendons. After surgery, a long rehabilitation followed. In the end, my thesis became a literature review, which fortunately suited me better.”
Did you live in student housing?
“No, I lived with my parents in Sint-Amandsberg, so I always cycled to class. When I mentioned at home that I would like to try living in student housing, my parents made it happen. But after six months, I wanted to leave again because I couldn’t settle in. Even though I had furnished it nicely and brought all my kitchen utensils—from a garlic press to a salad spinner (laughs). I really found the latter essential and couldn’t understand that my roommates didn’t have one.”
Which professor or lesson has stood out to you the most?
“Professor Marc Espeel was truly an icon. I had his lessons for both anatomy and embryology. He was the kind of professor who really wanted you to understand the material. You don’t easily forget people like that.”
Party animal or study nerd?
“I was definitely more of a study nerd. I did go out occasionally, but very rarely. That typical student life full of parties and drinking wasn’t for me. I didn’t drink alcohol and never really understood why it’s such a big part of student life.”
What did you do alongside your studies?
“I had a very busy schedule. I danced very intensively and also taught dance classes. That was my outlet and at the same time my student job. My life consisted of studying and dancing. I tend to go all-in in whatever I do.”
Were you already focused on food back then?
“Yes, I’ve always loved cooking. But my relationship with food was quite complex for a long time. I struggled with an eating disorder for years, and that was also the case during my student days. I was hyper-focused on nutrition and quite rigid about cooking. Fortunately, I was later able to turn that into something positive, and I’m very happy about that.”
Do you have any regrets?
“No, not really. Some people might say, ‘I wish I had partied more,’ but I experienced that phase of going out later. When I look back, I think: things went the way they were meant to. The only thing I sometimes wonder is what if I had been given a thesis topic I actually enjoyed? In that case, I probably would have pursued a PhD and might still be working at Ghent University today.”
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