The students started in March on the orientation module that could be seen as a taster for the actual Honours Programme. It dealt with all aspects of the programme at breakneck speed. The aim was for students to form their own opinion on a dilemma of their choosing based on the literature, film clips, training courses and master classes. Programme coordinator Ingrid Hijman: ‘The response to the course was very positive. Working towards personal objectives rather than a final exam took a bit of getting used to, though. They were also unaccustomed to having so much freedom and having to take personal responsibility.’
final selection
Seven students dropped out of the course quite early on, says Hijmans. ‘They were unable to combine the work with their other commitments after all.’ Now 34 of the 42 students who completed the introduction have applied for the programme. ‘The ones who didn’t mostly said they found the course fascinating but they would still prefer to spend their time on something else, such as competitive rowing, courses on their own subject or social activities.’The programme committee will spend the next while going through the applications and making a final selection. The idea is that 25 students will be admitted to the programme. The aim is for this to grow to 50 students over the next four years.