Celeste

Bachelor: History
Hobby's: Playing the violin in the student orchestra, working out 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.'

'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: Moving out of my comfortzone

'Honours has taught me to seize every opportunity that comes my way, without being afraid of failure. Whether it’s an intensive summer school in art history or giving a two-hour lecture to a theatre full of professors: I learn the most by throwing myself in at the deep end.'

'This means that things don’t always go perfectly the first time – quite the opposite! But with enough self-confidence and preparation, I can often achieve much more than I first thought. I did have to learn to let go of the perfectionism I’d developed at secondary school.'

'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.'

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 disciplines, which makes them much more interesting. You really step out of your own bubble and get a broader perspective on topics.'

'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.'