'Econometrics has a clear practical application in society'

Anna Buijsman - the Netherlands

‘In the other degree programmes I looked at, for example Public Administration Science, I always missed the maths component and the critical reasoning questions in exams. For me, Econometrics is the perfect combination of maths with a clear practical application in society. I felt that Actuarial Science was too specific, and that the issues you end up working with tend to be a little focused on the negative (when is someone likely to be in an accident, etc.).'

1-on-1 interaction
'I mainly chose the University of Amsterdam because of the study advisers, and the fact that it’s an easy commute from Leiden. I’m very happy in the degree programme. The group is small, which means there are plenty of opportunities for one-on-one interaction with the lecturers. The campus has nice, spacious classrooms. Unfortunately, study areas where you can work together on computer assignments are in short supply. Sometimes, it takes some looking around to find a suitable spot, which can be a bit of a pain.'

Enjoy building models
'In my 3^rd year I found a job related to my study. While I enjoy my studies, I was on the lookout for a challenging job that would look good on my CV. I found a job at Baken Adviesgroep, a company that carries out market and competitor analyses for businesses. For my 1st project I’ll be testing a previously developed model used for market development prognoses. This is a typical example of the kind of job you can find if you’ve studied econometrics. In this programme it’s important that you enjoy building models, studying them, and testing them.'

After this Bachelor
'I definitely plan to go on to get a Master’s degree after I complete my Bachelor’s. I’m just not sure yet whether I will do this here at the University of Amsterdam, or at Erasmus University Rotterdam. The main difference between the 2 is that Erasmus University is more focused on preparing people for the corporate world, while the University of Amsterdam is more skewed towards a future in research. After getting my Master’s, I would prefer to work for a company and sink my teeth into practical issues.'