Students look back on a year full of emotions and experiences. What grade do they give 2023?
6
“I think that certain things regarding school should really be better arranged. Especially with regard to exams. Things are often not communicated properly, which means that you are not placed correctly on the list and you are not allowed to take an exam. School just has a really big influence on my social life.”
Hedwig, Law
7
“I had a very nice year with my study association, but my aunt also passed away this year, so that is of course not nice. I went on holiday and saw beautiful places in Prague. The intro period was a highlight of my year. It was a ridiculously bad year of football with Chelsea, I would have liked to see that better.”
Robbe, Journalism
7,5
“The COVID-19 period is now somewhat over, so everything goes smoother again. We can finally do more things again, which is a relief. I also had a good year privately. I have gone on a number of holidays, nothing to complain about. School is also going well, I’m in my last year now, so, I am happy that it is COVID-free.”
Deanne, Nursing
8
“I have experienced very positive things. For example, the fact that I have been able to meet many deadlines always feels good to me. What really made it great for me is that I was finally able to see my family again after two years, so I really had nothing to complain about. 2023 was certainly a successful year for me.”
Hiba, International Business
7,8
“I have been able to learn many new things, for which I am grateful. In addition, COVID-19 is now really over, at least all limits are gone and everyone can live normally again. A seven is a fairly normal score for this year, but I think it could still score slightly above average.”
Thijmen, Information & Communication Technology
8,5
“Living on my own has made my life much more enjoyable. I have also recently joined a student association, which is also very nice. I passed my first year of school except for one test, but oh well, I am allowed to move up to the second year.”
Manou, E-commerce
8
“School gave me the opportunity to go on a ski trip. There I was able to get profiling points to eventually become a ski instructor, which is really cool. Other than that, life at home is going well, sports are going great and my subjects are also going smoothly.”
Philip, Teacher Education in Physical Education
9
“Last year I put way too much pressure on myself with school and I was constantly thinking about it in my head. That is very different now. I am now more concerned with social things than with school, which makes me feel better about myself. School is not going as well now, but that doesn’t really matter to me anymore.”
Femke, Psychomotricity
7,5
“I passed my HAVO (Higher General Secondary Education) exams, which is chill. I didn’t like the start of the new school year because I made the wrong choice of course. Fortunately, I was able to switch, which puts me in a better place. In addition, the PVV (Dutch political party) won the elections. It’s a good prospect for me. Moreover, Heracles (Dutch football team) has also been promoted to the Premier League, so I really can’t complain.”
Julian, Teacher Education in English
4
“In general it was fine, but compared to 2022 it was a bad year. So it does score an insufficient grade. So many things could have been better. For example, I am not yet completely satisfied with my study choices, I don’t always enjoy work that much anymore and my grandmother has passed away. So yes, those things added together have quite an influence on my grade for 2023.”
Tessa, Communication
Text and photos: Indy Roozendal
