"After I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in European Public Administration from the University of Twente, which had granted me insights in the public administration of public life, I wanted to know more about the political side of it. What I like about the programme of the master's course is that it grants me in-depth insights into the mechanisms of political party competition, different types of democracy and political representation of the voters. I enjoy the discussions I have with my professors and fellow students who challenge me to think more carefully about the concepts, give me new food for thought and support me. The master's programme has enabled me to not only grow my academic political knowledge but as well think about the real life purpose and application of it. It really is fascinating for me to see the mechanisms and tensions of for example populism or substantive and descriptive representation play out in election campaigns and political discussions.
The teachers find ways to make the lectures and seminars as interactive as possible. They encourage us to speak up, ask questions and discuss the content we read about. The atmosphere is never judgemental and I feel treated as an equal, which makes me happy to engage with the content, the teachers and my fellow students.
At times, the amount of content can be challenging. The master's course definitely asks for commitment and time from students. However, although the deadlines and expectations of the professors are sometimes tough, I never felt pressured. When I struggled, I always encountered support from teachers and study advisors, who want to find ways to make it easier for me to follow along. The positive side of it is that I always still enjoyed the content which I was asked to study, which made it easier to follow along.
I am currently writing my thesis about vote switching from centre left and right parties to the populist radical right. I want to know which voters decide to leave mainstream parties and vote for a populist radical right party and why they do so.
I believe the degree at Radboud University prepares me well to enter the job market, because of the focused but yet still broad enough perspective. The comparative politics specialisation is focused on a comparative perspective of party politics and party systems, but still includes courses on how to reform political systems and theories about democracy. This approach enables me to apply to a broad range of jobs. After I graduate I am going to apply to the scientific bureaus of Dutch parties, as well as NGOs, like the Foundation Max van der Stoel that work on the promotion of democracy. I believe that the degree has broadened my perspective of possible occupations and prepared me well to fulfil those."