Hi guys! My name is Veerle, I am 24 years old and I was born in a small town in the Eastern part of the Netherlands. Currently, I’m a master student of the Econometrics and Management Science master specialisation in Analytics and Operations Research in Logistics.
Why did you choose this study programme?
During my Bachelor's in Econometrics, I learned that Operations Research is similar to puzzling. You have to be quite creative to turn all kinds of problems into a mathematical formulation, and then again be creative to design an algorithm or solution method to solve that mathematical problem. The thing I like about optimization with econometrics methods is that you can mathematically prove that the solution you found is the best, or how much you deviate from the best solution. In that way, you know that the solution is not debatable and cannot be improved further, which is very satisfying.
What is your favorite subject and/or favorite teacher?
My favorite subject is Algorithm Design. In this course, you learn to design an algorithm in a structured and efficient way to find solutions to mathematical programming problems. This course makes you think about the complexity of algorithms you can use, and how to improve the performance of these algorithms. After following the course, you are equipped with some sort of ‘toolbox’ to solve all kinds of mathematical programming problems.
All lecturers in the Logistics track are really engaged with the students! My favorite lecturer is Twan Dollevoet (Transportation and Scheduling), who is very good at explaining complicated things clearly and is always happy to take extra time to help you.
What is the most interesting you learned so far?
The complexity of the P versus NP question. The informal question is: Can problems solutions to which can be quickly verified, also be quickly solved? I didn’t actually learn it, because it is still an unsolved problem and one of the most famous ones in theoretical computer science. You can even win a million dollars if you can solve it, so this master’s can be worth a lot!
What is your favorite study-break spot on campus?
I love to get lunch at the canteen in the Tinbergen building. They have really good food for affordable prices. When the weather allows it, I enjoy my lunch or coffee on a bench near the waterside on campus. It’s a relaxing environment.
What is your best tip for doing fun things in Rotterdam?
Spend your warm days and summer evenings at Kralingen Lake! It’s a huge lake in the Kralingen Forest, where a lot of students and Rotterdam inhabitants like to spend a lot of time. Whether you go there for a walk, a swim or a barbecue, it’s always very relaxing and makes you forget you live in a big city. You can even see the beautiful Rotterdam skyline from there and watch the sunset.
