Maike Schmeitz, alumna BA European Studies
I think my biggest take away from the BA European Studies is the interdisciplinary approach it taught me. After my BA, I decided I wanted to go more into the direction of policy making, preferably in the field of public health or healthcare. Luckily, I could start an MSc in Healthcare Policy, Innovation and Management at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at UM right away.
Even though the MSc did not link in directly with my BA in European Studies, I was able to complete it in a year. I truly believe this was possible because my BA enabled me to be able to analyze problems from different theoretical or disciplinary angles, and even more importantly, to see where they overlap, deviate or complement each other. After I completed my studies, I rejoined FASoS for 6 months, while working there as a teacher in the BA European Studies. I got offered a PhD position at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) after 6 months of teaching. Currently, I am involved in a research project on decision-making in entrepreneurial teams. Again, something completely different! Still, I see the value of both my BA and my MSc. Even though I am currently relying more on the theoretical background I studied in my MSc, my BA still provided me with a lot of methodological knowledge, as well as that ability to switch and work in between disciplines.
Maike Schmeitz (Dutch)
PhD Student, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)
Year of graduation: 2016
