What master did you do? And where?
The research master in Language & Communication at Tilburg University. This master is in cooperation with Radboud University in Nijmegen. That means, that you can choose courses on both universities, so the number of choices is twice as big. We have also some courses together with the students in Nijmegen.

Were there any admisson requirements? 
Yes, there were. To get admission for the research master, you have to have at least a 7.5 in average for the bachelor, and you have to have at least an 8 for your bachelor thesis. Furthermore, you have to write a motivation letter. I had an average of a 7.4 for my bachelor (CIS at Tilburg University too), but luckily that was not a problem. When you have a strong motivation letter, the chance is really big that you get admission!

Why did you choose this master?
During my bachelor, I realized that I like doing research. I realized that first during Research Practical HAIT in the second year of the bachelor. That is the first time that you are setting up and doing a research and I thought that was really interesting to do! Furthermore, I liked writing my thesis. For me that was the most important reason to do the research master. I also liked the personal aspect of the master a lot. It is really important that you can do something with your personal interests. It is, for example, possible to do courses at different faculties if your interests are in that field of study.

What courses did you do?
I am doing this master just for half a year now, and I had two compulsory courses: Corpus and
Experimental Methods and Foundations of Language and Communication. These courses are compulsory and are with the students from Nijmegen too. Corpus and Experimental Methods is a statistics course, because it is of course important to have knowledge about statistics in this master. Foundations of Language and Communication is a course where you learn the basics of language and communication. This course is mainly important for students who do not have a language or communication background and do this master.

My only two elective courses until know, were Webcare and Learning Across the Life Span. I chose Webcare, because I am a research master student and instead of studying for an exam I like writing papers more. For Learning Across the Life Span I did together with another research master student an assignment more extensive than the other master students. Furthermore, I did the Research Skill Text Mining.

Next period, I will do Lab Rotation. This is not a typical subject, the teacher is not just transferring knowledge to the students, it is more like an internship. For Lab Roation, you choose a professor at the university (of Tilburg or Nijmegen) in your area of interest. Subsequently you work the whole semester on a (new) research and finally it will be published or may be even presented at a conference! Wat I furthermore like about Lab Rotation is that you can choose by yourself what you are going to do. You really get to know the academic world.

Did you live in a dorm?
I already lived in a dorm, because of my bachelor in Tilburg, so I didn’t have to move! About the courses you have to do with the student from Nijmegen: you don’t have to worry about the travelling. There are two courses and these will be given on the same day. One week in Tilburg, the other in Nijmegen.

How did you like it?
It is really fun! I think Tilburg is a nice city. It feels more like a really big town, because you always come across someone you know. I really like living in a dorm too, it is really handy because you are always near the university. At this moment, my master is not yet really busy, but next year that will probably change and then I am happy I live in a dorm! Then I am able to go to the university really quick, when it’s necessary.

Was it hard to switch?
I didn’t think it was really hard. Because of my thesis at the end of the bachelor, I was in a really busy time then, so the master could only be easy. The courses in the first two periods do not differ a lot from the normal master. And for some courses, you have to do some extra things, but in the end, you don’t have to spend a lot more time on it. Until know, I think it is really good doable. Finally, the master will be busier, certainly during Lab Rotation, but then you will be switched over from a bachelor student to a master student!

Did you know someone else who did this master?
The research master is study with a few students, so it feels really cozy. This year, for example, only four student from Tilburg did the study! I was lucky that I chose this master with three other CIS bachelor students. Of course, it is nice to know someone, but there are just a few students which means that you get to know your fellow students really fast (and very well). I know all the students form Nijmegen (20 students) now. Because of the personal aspect of the study, you get to know the students very fast, but you also get to know the teachers at a personal level!