Emma from The Netherlands

Personal information

Name: Emma Bokel
Age: 23
Country of origin: The Netherlands
Current residence: Delft

Introduction

Hi, I’m Emma and I just finished the first year of the EPA masters. I would like to share why I decided to study EPA and my experiences with the program so far.

Background

Growing up, I always enjoyed math, science, and anything that I deemed ‘logical’. So, for my bachelor's, I chose computer science, where I ended up enjoying the data science classes the most. I did however feel like some sort of goal was missing; the thought of working for a tech company whose only objective is profit did not excite me. So, I started looking around for a degree where I could use my data science skills for some sort of bigger purpose.

Although I had done my bachelor's at TU Delft and was pleased with the university, I wanted to study abroad for my master's for the sake of adventure. Unfortunately, each country and its universities I considered had drawbacks such as course content, lack of prestige, or high costs. So I started looking into Dutch universities and realized that the program I was looking for was right in front of me all along.

Why EPA?

EPA seemed like the perfect fit for me because:

It teaches you how to use your technical skills in social contexts.
It seemed international, with its cohort, course content, and study exchange opportunities.
It seemed centred around trying to deal with these ‘grand challenges’ which is something I’m passionate about.

Experiences vs. expectations

Now the big question is: How did my experiences compare to these expectations?

Overall, EPA did turn out to be the right fit for me, and I am thankful that I chose it over any other program.
The main thing that happily surprised me was the sense of community in the study. People know each other, including the professors which has me even more motivated and excited about the study.

Course content-wise, there are three types of classes: modelling, policy and politics, and integration. The policy and politics classes were new for me and I enjoyed them. I feel like the knowledge I gained from them is very applicable. I was already familiar with many of the technical concepts taught in the modelling classes but loved the context in which we were using these concepts. It also allowed me to focus more on the larger picture of the assignment instead of solely focusing on the code itself. Lastly, the integration classes were a combination of the two.

All in all, I would recommend EPA to anyone who enjoys both technical things such as coding, but also is passionate about policy and dealing with these ‘grand challenges’ humanity is facing.