Your Story

Text: Xanti Lizanzu

This ‘Your Story’ will be a ‘My Story’ this time because I wanted to write a piece about the student for a day program. I have been a mentor for this program for a year and I wanted to share the experience with you guys. A year has been more than enough for me, but during that year I noticed some aspects of the program that truly intrigued me.

The first of them is by telling people with little knowledge about the study. It made me think about the whole study, as well as the different courses. For example, when trying to explain what Linear Structures is about to someone who does not know any linear algebra, it makes you think about what it actually is. For me, this realization did not happen when following the course, because I was too focused on the assignments I made every day. I liked the fact that the new students made me see the bigger picture.

Next to that, new students also question things that I deem trivial. For example: what is the division between theoretical and applied mathematics? For me, this division is a given. For students who do not study here yet, it is not. Thinking about questions like that makes me form my own opinion about the study and university even better. It is also somewhat related to the argument made in the previous paragraph.

A last and final aspect I noticed I liked is that enthusiastic new students make me also re-spark my love for mathematics. New students are (most of the time) very interested in the subjects they encounter. This enthusiasm and curiosity are truly contagious.

In no way this is a promotion to join the student for a day program. I simply hope you frequently think about what made you choose this study and remember what an interesting bachelor we are following.