~ by Dide Stroek
Upon reading the title of this blog post, one might think I am studying to be a magician – but no, try again. What about learning to be a witch at Hogwarts? No, but we are getting closer. I am studying Attractions and Theme park management, also known as ATPM. In the next few paragraphs; I will tell you about the journey I undertook to be accepted into the ATPM track. There were 3 elements that I needed to be successful in: an encouraging motivational letter, a good-looking CV and a sufficient grade in the English language exam. Finally, the nerve-racking interview was held.
My journey started when I got a lecture about the ATPM track, it immediately caught my attention as the professor spoke with such passion about the course. During his lecture, I realised I had an interest in attraction and theme park management that I did not know I had. I knew then, that I wanted to do my best to get selected for the ATPM track. What got me to the first part of the selection process what was to put together a great motivational letter and make a good-looking CV. As I already had a CV, I only needed to update it and make it look more attractive. The motivational letter was a different story, I took a lot of time to write it. The struggle for me was persuading the reader that I was a good fit for the program, as I had chosen this course recently because it deeply interested me. Knowing this, I had heard from other applicants who specifically came to NHTV for ATPM and had been planning to take part in this course for years. This made me nervous as I did not have a big explanation why I wanted to do the course and I was unsure of what I could offer the course. But I didn’t give up and wrote an honest yet confirming motivational letter.
Needless to say, I was delighted when I received an invitation to take part in the second part of the selection process – the English test. When the day came to take the English test, it was more of an adventure than the previous part was. I could do that from my room, but now I needed to go to a new building that I have never visited or ever seen. So, I did what every person would do, I trusted google maps to guide me to it. So, there I went walking nervously to an unknown building with my phone in my hand trying to find my way to the building. When I arrived at the building, I quickly made my way to the first floor. Luckily for me, I found the classroom with ease and I could sit and prepare for the test to calm my nerves. I had a hard time imagining what to expect from it; but I began to regain some confidence as I had some experience in English exams that I could refer back to. In the end, the English test had multiple short assignments that were not as bad as I was expecting. All I could do now was hope for the best and make a great impression at the interview.
The Third and final activity of the selection process was the interview, which was done in pairs. The thought of having the interview with a partner made me very nervous as I was anxious that the other interviewee would be more knowledgeable about the attraction and theme park industry. In addition to this, I also did not know what department within the industry I would like. As previously stated, I acted on a feeling so I was unsure of what to tell the interviewers when they asked why I wanted to get on the course. Despite these nerves, I answered all their questions calmly and in a professional manner; I showed them who I was and hoped for the best. My wishes paid off, I made it into the ATPM track; and from that moment onwards, I knew I was going to start an education of dreams and magic.