RENEE (4th year)

“I never had school experiences like I think others or rather how I had imagined it to be. Mostly due to personal reasons and the feeling of having to help out at home, rather than being able to enjoy my high school or student life more carelessly. Simply because I often felt like there was no space for that since energy was required for supporting others. So also, these days, I wouldn’t say that I am the typical student nor feel like one. What I mean by that is that I am not necessarily one that joins a student association or has my life evolve around campus. In addition to that, another thing that I’ve always felt that removes me a little bit from others, is also my way of socialising with others here. I grew up in the northern part of the Netherlands, where emotions are not as displayed as much as they are in my university environment for instance. So, after HOPweek, and once I stopped drinking, I found it difficult to form proper bonds with fellow students, which meant that it led me to live my life more individually. Due to the way I am wired, I do not necessarily need too many social contacts, but there are still moments in which I wonder how it could have been different if I would have had different personal circumstances.

Also, growing up you are taught such a specific perception of what student life is supposed to be. But especially since I started dating my girlfriend, who lives the more typical Dutch student life, I realised that maybe I did not miss out on much. Maybe it’s just not for me." (Renee, 4th year, the Netherlands)