Before coming to UCG, I had no clear idea of what I wanted to study. More than that, I was not sure what I wanted from my life in any broader sense. What I did know was that I wanted something different. Leaving Germany felt enormous. Moving to a new country, alone and into a community with people I had never met before was a big step for me. Moreover, I was going through a difficult period with my mental health and there were moments where I wondered if I was capable of even doing this at all. Whether it made sense to move to Groningen for a programme that most people looked at confused when I tried to explain it. I went anyway.

The first weeks at UCG were a whirlwind of new names and faces. There were constant parties, meetups and introduction sessions. I joined Caerus and quickly found myself on the cooking committee of Sleeping Lasagnas, which is exactly as chaotic and wonderful as it sounds. Through this I was able to connect more deeply with people from the years above me and find my place in the Caerus community. My room was on the sixth floor, and the second-years I lived with, Moriah, Zoe and Kim, were always there for me when I had questions or needed some advice. Really quickly I also became very close friends with Mira and Alexa. And after three years of UCG they are still my best friends.

While UCG is really good at taking you by the hand in the first year, the social life can be a lot. I spent a lot of that first year with a low hum of FOMO. Something was always happening, and I did not want to miss it. My advice to anyone starting out: take it slow. You will find your people. Some of my favourite memories from that year are the nights where Mira, Alexa and I stayed in. We were doing puzzles, cooking or simply spent time together doing nothing. These nights did not feel like I was missing out, they felt like home.

That said, UCG is full of genuinely open and curious people. Sometimes you also just have to say yes to things and see where it takes you. Worst case, your room is only a maximum of a five minute bike ride away. We organised dinners with friends, played cards on the terrace and went for evening swims in the canal. Together we discovered the city and found our favorite spots in Groningen: the Prinsentuin, the Hoornsemeer, Mas Mas, Walters Bookshop. Coming from a big city like Hamburg, I had not expected to fall for the city the way I did. I will miss Groningen a lot.

However, next to all the socialising, the courses and the excitement I also had real doubts about the programme that year. What would I actually do with a liberal arts degree? Should I stay? These questions were nagging at me. What got me through was listening to students from older years who told me that almost everyone always gets into the Masters programme they want to get in. So I decided to keep going and trust that the shape of it all would become clearer.

The workload in the second year was significantly higher. But, I also made it harder on myself. I was learning Dutch and taking several extra courses on top of everything else. While this was definitely not easy, it was worth it.

My first project group went really well, and together with Mira and Marcus I was able to present our research on the future of education at an undergraduate symposium in Bristol. We got to connect with UCB students from Bristol, work on an interesting project and the best of it all the three of us became really good friends.

The second project, with Mira, Fay, and Fi, became something I am the most proud of during my time at UCG. We examined how the botanical garden in Amsterdam functions as an archive of colonial knowledge. We developed an alternative flyer, an informative route through the garden and filmed a short documentary. The work was accepted to a scientific symposium and eventually presented in São Paulo. Later, we were even able to give a presentation directly at the Hortus itself. I did not expect a university project to travel that far.

I was terrified before my exchange at Seoul National University. I had never left Europe before and I was the only student from UCG at the exchange university. It turned out to be one of the best times of my life. I fell in love with the city: its museums, the cafés, the little bars, the people I met and my life there. I loved my courses because Seoul National University gave me something that UCG did not: great courses in the arts and aesthetics. I am, perhaps embarrassingly, a little obsessed with Korea. In between I visited Alexa in Hong Kong and Mira in Taipei. Together with Hadrian, Dan, Julia, Tosia and I made it to Palawan and Koh Lanta after we all finished our studies.

Coming back, it finally became clearer what I wanted. The intersection of art, philosophy and technology was where I wanted to be. I applied for the Curating Arts and Cultures master's at UvA in Amsterdam. They take eighteen people. After a motivation letter, essay and interview I got in. This was due to my experience with team work, creative projects, the symposiums I attended and the external engagements. Without UCG this would not have been possible.

What I would tell myself after 3 years of UCG?: You are making the right decision.

UCG taught me how to research, how to work under pressure, how to collaborate and disagree and find a creative solution better together. It taught me that knowledge is a method, not a collection. Beyond academics, I met the best and most interesting people. I will cherish the late night talks at the canal, watching movies together until Alexa falls asleep, the nights at Three Owls and dancing together at Vera. I share my favorite moments with them and hope that we all stay connected for forever.

UCG allowed me to grow a lot in the last 3 years and has opened me so many doors. I would do all of it again anytime!