Interview with a current student — Meet Madalena!
December 2021 — By Bella Brüning
Hey Madalena! Hope you are doing good. Could you please introduce yourself?
Hey, for sure! My name is Madalena Rodrigues, I’m 23 years old and I’m originally from Coimbra, Portugal. I did my bachelor’s in Business Administration at Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics . I moved to Maastricht about 5 months ago to do my master’s in International Business following the Strategic Marketing track.
Since you are from Portugal, could you describe some main differences you realized (regarding the mentality or the university itself)?
One of the main differences I noticed is that there are a lot of rules regarding trash collection and disposal, be aware of this so you won’t get a fine. Then, of course, the biking culture is quite different from Portugal. Here you can get everywhere by bike super easily, and once you get used to it you will take your bike everywhere.
Regarding uni, I would say that there are a lot of differences, the first being that the tutorials are much smaller than the average class size back in Portugal. Also, the learning is much more dependent on your own organization, you don’t have a lot of class hours, but you have to work and prepare for tutorial sessions independently, no one will remind you of your deadlines. Lastly, most of my courses have been based on facilitations and that is very different than the usual presentations I was used to preparing.
What’s your favourite spot in Maastricht / what is a MUST DO?
I really like the center overall, taking a walk from the Vrijthof through the stores at Grote Gracht, and crossing Sint Servaasbrug all the way to Wyck, which is also a nice neighborhood to browse through the local shops. The Markt is also a really nice spot to just hangout (when it’s not raining) or for taking a bite outside. Also, a nice plan to do with friends when there is nice weather is to have a few beers by the river on the stairs close to Noon.
And — one of the most important questions — what is your GO-TO restaurant/food in Maastricht?
My favorite spot is this little place in the Markt square called SAP Bagel & Juice bar (they also have a place close to the station). They have a lot of choices of bagels, salads, pancakes, smoothies, juices, etc. It has vegetarian and vegan options as well. The environment is quite cozy and chilled. It’s great for a quick bite or to go to lunch with some friends. If you want to go to a nice place for dinner, I would go to Il Bacaro on the corner of the Vrijthof, which has a lot of nice options too.
Do you have any advice for future SBE students?
Don’t be fooled by the fact that you don’t have a lot of class hours, you will do a lot of self-study. Be aware of deadlines and try to do the readings before class (but don’t sweat it if you can’t). Take advantage of tutorial sessions because most of them will be quite helpful with your final assignments. And good luck with Data Analytics!!
What are your plans for the future?
Great question! Well, I always thought of staying in the Netherlands for work for a couple of years and then going back to Portugal. Right now, I am not absolutely sure, because being away from home during a pandemic has not been great. Honestly, only time will tell and for now I will be focusing on my thesis which will give me my next hundred headaches haha!
Thank you so much for taking the time! All the best for the future!
Best,
Bella
