Students in the spotlight: why join the Honours College?
Meeting new people, exploring other disciplines and growing academically, professionally and personally. The Honours College makes it all possible. Three honours students tell why they do something extra during their bachelor.
Celeste
Bachelor: History
Hobby’s: Playing the violin in the student orchestra, sporting in nature, cooking, meeting with friends
Best thing about honours: Excursions (‘seeing what something is like in practice’)
'Honours is a place where you are challenged. You learn to think differently, meet motivated fellow students and have a lot of contact with lecturers. You are not looked at oddly if you ask a lot of questions. My honours classes are always the highlight of my week.'
‘Honours is perfect if you want to develop yourself more broadly’
'I think a big misconception is that only try hards sign up for honours. People in honours are just very broadly interested and motivated to look outside their own disciplines. That's something you can learn a lot from.'
'I only have one message to freshmen: apply! Honours is perfect if you want to develop yourself more broadly. And if you ever run into something: you can always talk to coordinators, study advisors, and lecturers. They are ready to help you!'
Alexander
Bachelor: Biomedical Sciences
Hobby’s: Making art, visiting museums, reading and going on fun dates with my girlfriend
Best thing about honours: Taking part in international student competition iGEM
‘I can often do much more than I think’
'I have learned from honours to seize all opportunities that come my way, without fear of failure. I can often do much more than I think. I did have to learn to let go of my perfectionism.'
'The most fun I had was participating in iGEM, an international biology competition between student teams. This involved things like coming up with an idea, finding funding, doing lab work, building a website with results and many fun opportunities to present our project, including a conference in Paris!'
'The course load of honours is generally not too bad. Since I have my programme built around topics that interest me, I am very motivated to dedicate time to it. The courses are a lot of fun! And I have enough time to relax and do fun things with my friends, family and girlfriend.'
Alexa
Bachelor: International Relations and Organisations
Hobby’s: Windsurfing, sailing, reading and going to the beach
Best thing about honours: Passionate teachers
'Thanks to honours, I have learned the value of hearing different perspectives. You take classes with people from different studies, which makes them much more interesting. You really step out of your own bubble and get a broader perspective on topics.'
‘You only know what suits you when you try things’
'The lecturers at honours are incredibly motivated and passionate - you can tell by the way they teach. It feels much more personal than regular lectures, where you may take a class with hundreds of other students.'
'You can choose between courses, allowing you to discover new interests, meet people from other faculties and broaden your knowledge. I have one message for doubters: just give it a try! You only know what suits you when you try things.'
More honours education
No longer a first-year student? No worries! The Honours Academy of Leiden University offers extra education for advanced bachelor's students and master's students, too. View all honours education at the student website.