Students have their say

"The Hague has this unique mix: vibrant and lively, but also calm and quiet when you need it. The community is very diverse and that’s the environment I like. Events like the Just Peace Festival shaped my journey, helping me understand global affairs and even refine my personal brand. And I will never forget the intro week bonding with classmates and lecturers at Scheveningen Beach. It made me feel like we were one big family."

"The international environment was the first thing that caught my attention when I came here. Our classroom brings together perspectives from all over the world! Being here encourages me to step out of my comfort zone, sharpen my critical thinking, and confidently share my opinions. It's a space where no one judges, and that has really helped me grow."

"I work as a sales representative, and thanks to the time difference, I can assist clients from Europe and the US efficiently. Studying here while working remotely has taught me the art of prioritizing, it's all about managing my time and energy wisely. My tip for the Pro students; take 10 minutes early in the morning to calm down and start your day. Write down the things you want to do that day and prioritize."

"The teachers here are more than lecturers. They are mentors guiding us through challenges and pushing us to engage. The MBA programme is intense, but it’s preparing me to become a better leader, to innovate, and to make a real impact. One of the courses challenged me to invent a new business model that really made a difference. The programme also helps me get to know other people and meet my potential clients of the future."

“If you want to study next to your job, you really have to commit. I also have a family, and combining everything takes a lot of time. My advice is to use your idle moments, like the time you might otherwise spend on Netflix. If you look at how many of those moments you have in a week, you’ll see that studying actually always fits.”

Arnaud’s tips:

• Use your free moments wisely
• Be honest about the time investment
• Seek support from fellow students

“What the programme really gave me is learning how to do research. I gained an entirely new skill set and now truly understand what research means. When someone talks about a chi-square test or a correlation, I know exactly what it is. For me, it’s incredibly valuable to use that in my work.”

“The great thing about a part-time study is that you’re surrounded by peers. Everyone is in more or less the same situation, with work on the side and sometimes a family too. You support each other because you’re in the same boat, and you gain a whole new group of friends. I’m still in touch with almost all of them.

Because of differences in age, career paths, culture and life stage, you look at challenges from many different perspectives. The outlook of someone who’s just starting in a role is very different from someone with ten years of experience and those perspectives can complement each other. That’s what I love about part-time education.”

“Typically, after the programme, six out of ten students change jobs — myself included. You can see that there are a lot of ambitious people in such a group. Sometimes that ambition no longer fits the work experience you already have. You enrich yourself by thinking further ahead and gradually moving towards a new role. You realise you have more goals in life and that your job doesn’t have to be the final destination.”

“What surprised me about the programme were the courses I wasn’t really looking forward to, like the ones on sustainability. I’m more of a numbers person. But when a lecturer speaks with real passion about their subject, you end up learning a huge amount. It even turns out to be great fun. To this day, I’m very happy with my choice for this programme.”

“The way I combine work and study is simple: I work during the day and study a bit every evening. I do this very consistently on weekdays so I can fully enjoy my weekends and go out with friends. That routine also helps on the days when things feel tough. And if it really doesn’t work out one evening, skipping once in an entire week doesn’t matter.”

“What I’d like to tell future students is this: get started, stay disciplined, and make sure you hand in your assignments on time. The flexible set-up means you can postpone a deadline, but don’t make that a habit — even when work gets super busy. If you also miss the next one, it becomes very hard to keep up the pace.”

“I definitely went through a transition during my studies. I’ve become much more mature. When I used to do research, I didn’t think it through enough and sometimes jumped to conclusions. A skill I’ve developed enormously is result-oriented searching. I dig much deeper now. And if I can’t ask a colleague or my employer, there’s always a lecturer available.”

“What I’d like to tell future students is this: get started, stay disciplined, and make sure you hand in your assignments on time. The flexible set-up means you can postpone a deadline, but don’t make that a habit, even when work gets super busy. If you also miss the next one, it becomes very hard to keep up the pace.”