European Studies

Interview with Maria Palazón Simón, Student ambassador Bachelor European Studies 2023-2024 Maria is a first year student European Studies from Spain

Why did you choose to study European Studies in Maastricht?

“I took a gap year after high school, so I had plenty of time to think about what I wanted to study. I love history, politics, and languages. I wanted something that combined all these things. And I wanted to study in a very international environment. That’s why I chose to study in Maastricht.

“In my programme there are many nationalities in class. That way, I get to know many perspectives and opinions. The PBL method at UM is new to me. In high school the teaching method focuses much on memorizing facts, and I want to develop interpersonal and communication skills. PBL is a great method to develop these skills. In the future I would like to work in one of the EU institutions, so being able to communicate with people from various background will be very important.

How is living in Maastricht for you?

“Before I came here, I was excited but also a bit scared. I thought it was going to be hard to make friends, but actually it was quite easy! Me and my future classmates were already connected by FASoS in a WhatsApp group, so we could share tips and easily meet up in Maastricht. And Maastricht is a good student city. There is lots to do and there a lot of nice cafés. I love running and there are many nice parks to do that. I also started to learn Dutch. It’s easy to get around in English here, but I want to be part of the culture and that will be easier when I know the language.”

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

“I would love to do an internship during my studies, to get to know the job market and how people work in several places. My main goal would be to work in the EU Commission or the EU parliament. My motivation to study European Studies is that I would like to contribute to a union of countries that work on the same goal. And I think that the young generation should be in the lead of that!”

Elena Dimitrova, Alumna BA and MA European Studies: International Relations

Elena Dimitrova graduated from the bachelor’s programme European studies (2016-2019) and then in 2019-2020, she also pursued her master’s at FASoS. For the master’s programme, Elena decided to study European Studies: International Relations.

When we asked her what made the study programmes unique, she answered: “in my view one of the best aspects of the European studies programme is its interdisciplinary approach and that you are able to switch from different topics such as: economics, law and international relations. Practically this also allows you to understand and work on EU issues from various perspectives. For me the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach has also made this programme more constructive because it made me think critically and be actively engaged in an international atmosphere.”

Elena looks back to her student time at FASoS with huge nostalgia. She plans to visit the faculty soon. When we asked her which extracurricular activities she did during her studies, she told us that she was actively involved in the Concordantia Student Association and with the Euroteachers organisation.

Currently, Elena works as the Permanent Representative of the Bulgarian National Assembly to the European Parliament. “I basically inform the President of the National Assembly about everything that’s happening in the European Parliament. I am in charge of all the interparliamentary communication and conferences that EP committees organize. I attend the EP plenary sessions, meetings of the political groups. I also follow some of the delegations here (precisely the Western Balkans countries, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Georgia and Armenia). In other words, I am in charge of the entire communication and cooperation between the Bulgarian Parliament and the EP. I also attend meetings organized by COSAC (which are the conferences of the Parliamentary committees for the Union affairs).”

When we asked her how the study programmes at FASoS helped her with her current career, she stated: “I know that Maastricht University has one of the best reputations especially in Brussels. Let’s not forget that Maastricht is the city that established the EU. FASoS has not only given me theoretical knowledge on variety of topics about the EU, but also the skills that I now apply at my current job. The research orientated approach, the PBL and the ability to work in multicultural teams have prepared me well for this career.

Elena is still in contact with students and staff from FASoS. “With some of them I even created a political blog where we started writing about topics such foreign and security of the EU, the Western Balkans integration and energy security. I also keep in touch with some of them who are currently working at the EU institutions.”