A week of HITTING THE BOOKS Julia Cleton (22, fiscal economics) recorded her student life in a diary for a week. By Sebastiaan van de Water
U
niversity studies can be so much more than a road to 240 credits. That is the deep conviction of Julia Cleton (22), fiscal economics student. She makes full use of the possibilities that TiSEM offers students to develop themselves outside of the lecture hall. “If you want, you can have a successful academic year here without having obtained a single credit,” Julia says. She recorded her student life experiences in a diary for a week.
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Julia Cleton Born 30-01-1998 Resident of Tilburg
2019/20 student assessor TiSEM 2018/19 vice-president of the SAM party 2018/19 seat on the University Council 2017/18 treasurer of Serve the City Tilburg 2016-heden Fiscal Economics bachelor 2010-16 vwo (subject cluster Economics & Society)
Monday
Tuesday
I finally know the answer to a question that is difficult to answer. For the past two months, I have lived with my parents, in Haarsteeg, because of the corona crisis. A village hidden between pastures full of grazing cows. After eight quiet weeks, I stood at the door of my student room in Tilburg for the first time last night. I opened the door and breathed, ready to discover what the cramped room I’ve been living in for three years really smells like. And... wow. From now on, I will never doubt the unsurpassed effect of fresh laundry fragrance sticks. So much for the good news. This promises to be a tough week. The exam period is approaching. Including, for me, two exams in one day. I owe it to myself, though. Last year, I was a full-time member of the University Council of Tilburg University. Some students think you’re there for show, but you have real influence, even where the university budget of 250 million Euros is involved. What’s more, you learn to networks and cut Gordian knots. Unfortunately, it results in a grand total of zero credits. So, I have to catch up. Starting this week by hitting the books here at my desk. Fortunately, it smells like clean laundry.
My gym is hermetically sealed, so I did a tough YouTube workout by one of those fitness girls this morning. That was the highlight of my day, because after that I dove into the subject of “Principles of Company Taxation”. I’ll quote the textbook: “Cessation is the termination of subjective enterprise of the natural person. In the case of cessation, you have to settle all profits that have not yet been taxed.” So now you know. I admit, I never used to think, “Yeah!!! I’m going to study taxes when I grow up.” After vwo, I chose to study business economics. But there was only one subject that fascinated me: fiscal economics. That’s why I switched to that program. FE has two parallel dimensions: the legal side and the numerical aspect. Together they form a labyrinth of limitations and possibilities. The challenge is to find optimal ways out of the labyrinth. So, it’s like a puzzle. Sounds a little better, doesn’t it?
28 | New Scientist | Tilburg School of Economics and Management
