Testimonials
Do you want to know how our current and former students experience the programme? Then check out the interviews and videos with Luana, Raf, Daniëlle, Marco, Diewertje, and Annick.
Luana Moreno Sampaio Guimaraes (she/her) is a student
"I was looking for a Bachelor's programme that has film studies, but also history and intermediality, which kind of gives you this broad concept for internships and masters. It gives you a lot of good background for the future."
Raf Cornelissen (he/him) is a student
"I think the workload of doing Media and culture is fine. I find myself having enough time to do various things besides my studies. In this way, I can really gain practical experience next to my studies, for instance by performing in theatre plays."
Daniëlle Walsteijn (she/her) works as a content coordinator/creator
"I chose to apply to the Bachelor in Media and Culture in Utrecht because I was looking for media education that moved beyond production and centered around the creative analysis of media and performance."
"In addition, I really liked Utrecht for its beautiful historical buildings in which classes are taught and the warm ambiance I felt."
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Practical education
"What is important to know, however, is that the program offers little to no practical education. Even though the courses’ focus on learning and working with theory regarding media and cultural practices may be challenging at times, I did have enough time to work and enjoy other activities besides my studies. In fact, the program and teachers support your desires and encourage you to engage in additional activities to get to know the cultural sector. I chose to do an internship at the Dutch Railroad Company during my studies and I did volunteer work for the Netherlands Film Festival in Utrecht each year, which were both fun and useful."
Variety
"Both the broad range of artistic disciplines within Media and Culture, as well as my volunteering, have taught me that I like variety in my work. I don’t like solely sitting behind a desk, I also need to be physically active and creative. Fortunately, my current employer Maxilia affords me this variety: I work as a content coordinator, content creator, photographer, and sometimes film director. I can successfully perform all these tasks both because I am academically trained to think critically and prevent problems, and because I have gained practical experience in media production."
Marco Amaduzzi (he/him) is a student
"Before coming to Utrecht to study Media and Culture, I had been living in my hometown near Venice, Italy all my life and wanted to do something really different. I was interested in working in media, but I felt that I needed to gain some theoretical knowledge before learning the practicalities of film and television production."
"I liked the Dutch higher education system, specifically Utrecht University’s system, so I settled upon applying to the Media and Culture programme."
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Coming to Utrecht
"As an international student, the transition from an Italian high school to a Dutch university was hard at first. Although studying the material itself has been doable, I found that my academic research skills could be improved. Beyond my studies, coming to Utrecht has been pretty amazing. The city is small, beautiful, and very accessible to bikes. However, finding housing can be challenging. My advice would be to start looking for a room as soon as possible, and don’t be afraid to use your network to look for housing possibilities."
Future
"After my first year of Media and Culture, I know I am studying the right subject. Although I still want to improve my academic skills, I really enjoy learning about media theory and I look forward to starting my specialization Screen Cultures in Transition. That being said, I know this Bachelor is not my final destination. After completing this degree, I would like to pursue a more practical media-centered education and ultimately enrol in the cinema or television industry.”
Dieuwertje Sjoerds (zij/haar) works at Kunsthal KAdE
"After high school, I knew I wanted to do something in the cultural field, but I found myself being interested in so many different disciplines that I didn’t want to limit myself to either film, theater, or art. Therefore, I applied to Media and Culture at Utrecht University."
"This program introduces you to all kinds of cultural creative practices and centralizes the overlap between them. After the first year of introductory courses, I designed my curriculum to exist of a specialization in film and theater, electives from art history, and a minor in “Brains & Bodies.”"
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Vibrant culture
"As a Media and Culture student in Utrecht, you find yourself situated in a city with a vibrant cultural field. Even while the program focuses on media theory, teachers will make efforts to practically introduce you to the objects that we study, for instance by attending the Netherlands Film Festival or the SPRING performing arts festival. Still, I found this theoretical fundament to not always meet the employment requirements within the media and cultural landscape. I had specialized in film studies, but I did not know how to truly make a film. By doing an internship or starting a project at media agency Studio M, you can gain practical experience to make the bridge between the program and the cultural sector."
Different artistic disciplines
"After finishing Media and Culture, I worked as a marketeer and I pursued a Master’s degree. Currently, I work for Kunsthal KAdE in Amersfoorst, where I organize events and support their marketing and educational projects. This job allows me to continue studying the overlap between media that I started during Media and Culture through combining different art disciplines in our exhibitions. Moreover, my time during the programme resulted in a fun and strong network of people dedicated to working in the creative field that I can draw from for my work."
Annick van Rooijen (she/her) is a student
"My interest in Media and Culture came into existence when I read that you learn to research cinema. As the first year with introductory courses to four media disciplines progressed, I discovered that television, new media, and theater also really peeked my interest."
"In my second year, I chose to specialize not only in film studies but also in theater and dance studies. I was happy to learn that we had barely any exams and nearly always finished our courses by writing papers about our own interests."
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Workshops
"While the programme is mostly theoretical, there are certain workshop courses that you can take in which you gain practical experience with media. I took workshops on interactive storytelling and audiovisual media, in which we made a game and a movie in teams. The collaboration with students of Media and Culture is really a highlight of the bachelor: you get to know a lot of great people who share your passions in film, theatre, digital culture, and more."
Confidence
"The biggest challenge for me was my lack of confidence. I did not grow up in an environment with many people with university education, so adjusting to the system, the expectations and practices took some time. The lesser I compared myself to others and the more I chose to follow my own path, the better I felt in my studies. Don’t let the thoughts of being different and being insecure whether you belong here stop you from your goals, because your perspective is so valuable to increasing the diversity and accessibility of university education."