Hi Comar. Nice to meet you. Tell us, who are you?  

Hi! So, I’m Comar. I’m a third year student of urban studies at Leiden University and student ambassador of the programme. My interests within urban studies lie with mental health, population health, and access to health care. That is why I’m following a minor in health economics and management, where I learn how health(care) is governed, financed, and networked, as I aim to pursue a career in health administration.

 What motivated you to become our new Student Ambassador?

There were a couple, really. But for the most part, I think it was the opportunity to improve my communicative skills, like speaking, writing and working in teams while being able to help prospective students with their quest to find a suitable study program for them.

What are the aspects of our program that you cannot wait to share with prospective students?

I cannot wait to share the fact that the interdisciplinarity of the programme reflects the complexity of cities, and with that the world; not approaching urban phenomena from different disciplinary lenses makes them impossible to understand. The increasing connections you make between the several courses you follow throughout the course over the years is very satisfying. For me, this also meant that every time I leave my house I immediately see what was discussed in class. How you understand your environment changes with this programme. Furthermore, I’m excited to share with prospective students the diversity and togetherness within the course, due to the course size and its international student profile.

Next to studying, how do you spend your days?

Besides studying, I spend most of my time with friends. We go out, have a drink or two, play sports, and visit other towns and cities. I also play football, so I go to practice and play matches. I also enjoy trying new restaurants and cuisines, for the Hague is so culinarily diverse. 

What is your favourite city and why?

 My favourite city is, quite frankly, the Hague. I’ve seen and lived in plenty international cities across the globe, but it struck me not too long ago that the Hague might be one of my all time favourites. Parks, diversity, freedom, beaches, and good public transport, all in one city. But at the same time, I might be biased, for it might be that studying urban studies here opened my eyes to the complexity and beauty of the city.

Any wisdom you would like to share with our new students? 

What I’d like to share with the new students is to approach university and student life open-mindedly; don’t be afraid of not knowing what you want to do after university; take care of your mental health, have fun, go out; and do the readings on time (it’ll save you lots of stress)