Oleksandra Suprunenko
Studying biology in school I was always missing the “behind the scenes” aspect of it, it felt like teachers and books never actually explained why and how biological processes happen. In the same way all the Bachelor’s degrees I was looking into seemed incomplete to satisfy my curiosity. When I encountered Nanobiology I first was scared away by all the maths and especially physics in the curriculum. However after visiting on the open day and talking with a nanobiology student I figured out that elements of physics and mathematics is exactly the part of biology I was interested in. To my surprise the programme had even more than that. I found out that electronics, modeling and programming, which are a big part of the study, are crucial for biological research. Now I’m doing my second year and Nanobiology never ceases to surprise and challenge me. Combining various disciplines, the programme is never easy and always requires time and effort. Despite the regular mental load, I doubt there is another programme that would better comply with my passion for understanding biology.
As an international student, I was also worried about fitting in. However, the relatively small classes of around 100 people let you quickly get to know internationals and Dutch students. Knowing everybody makes it easier to get help with studying but also to meet people to have fun with. Nanobiology students form a community of not only colleagues but also friends.
Nanobiology is an interdisciplinary study that makes it general and specific at the same time. It helped to open my eyes to how many questions in biology are still to be explained. Broadening my knowledge in different scientific disciplines and learning about methods used in research, I hope someday to contribute to the understanding of biological processes. I know the skills in maths, physics and programming acquired during the Bachelor’s in Nanobiology will prove very useful.