"Thanks to the selfless support from my family, I arrived at Schiphol Airport in August 2014 and started my journey below sea level."

Beijing, China
2014-2016: MSc ICT in Business

Why I chose Leiden University

My Leiden story began in the autumn of 2013. Back then, life provided an undergraduate student like me with its major choices: either starting a career, or pursuing further study. More or less at the same time, our bachelor university announced its annual cooperation with Leiden University: five undergraduates would be selected by our faculty to continue their Master studies at Leiden University. Leiden, what a dream place for both academy and diversity! Therefore, without any hesitation, I applied for a spot. Thanks to my diligence during my bachelor study, I was admitted to Leiden University. And thanks to the selfless support from my parents and family, I arrived at Schiphol Airport in August 2014 and started my journey below sea level.

My Leiden experiences

My first impression about Leiden after I got off the Sprinter train is: it is so cool here! By “cool” I mean temperature. Yes, it was extremely hard for me to imagine a summer with nineteen degrees Celsius – after all, in Beijing it is often 35 degrees or more. Later in the Orientation Week, where I met my dearest international friends, the first thing I learned was to joke about the horrible weather in the Netherlands.

At the beginning almost everything is new and exploring is a lot of fun. On average, people speak fluent English, although sometimes with a strong accent. Since I lived in the city center, the Saturday market soon became a weekly activity. The canal views are amazing and the haring fish really tasty. Little by little, I - even without realising it - began recognizing basic Dutch words. For example, “korting” and “gratis” are of the utmost importance.

To my satisfaction, my two-year study went smoothly. Since ICT in Business covers a wide range of topics from Information Technologies to the essentials of Management, I discovered my unique interest in Marketing/Communications as well as Cultural-related roles, and as a freelancer I have continued pursuing these topics. The Master program of ICT in Business has also been arranged to provide students with valuable contacts in both the academic and the business field. Take myself as an example. One of our lecturers works as a consultant in an IT-advisory company in Amsterdam. Since I was impressed by the lecturer's professionalism, I built a solid relationship with him and later successfully secured the opportunity of conducting my Master Thesis in the same IT-Advisory company, which I think is definitely useful for my future career path.

Now looking back at my student life in Leiden, one thing I miss most is the diversity and well-preserved history in the city. Looking at my friends and classmates, we made of a group of more than fifteen nationalities. Together, we enjoyed a lot of celebrating at the Leidens Ontzet or visiting Sinterklaas in De Waag. 

My reasons for becoming a Leiden Ambassador

During my second year in Leiden, I participated in OWL (Leiden University Orientation Week ) as a member of the media crew. But of course it wasn't only about taking pictures and promotion; I also tried my best to contribute to OWL by introducing the culture and events to the participants, or helping anyone who got lost. Seeing the worried look turning into a smile made my every day. Helping newly arrived international students felt like helping the previous-year-me: I felt so proud knowing how much I went through and over the course of just one year. 

During my studies in Leiden I also joined the International Student Lab (part of the Faculty of Science), as I was an active participant of Leiden Science China. I contributed my experience, feedback and suggestions to these organizations, and I am more than happy to see that Leiden University is becoming highly recognized internationally. Being part of Leiden University makes me feel so proud. That's why I became an ambassador; to continue my journey as a Leidenaar.