'I Interned at Audi and Lamborghini'

Sebastiaan Tuil dreams of a career in the automotive industry. To achieve this goal, he didn't start a bachelor's degree at a university after his pre-university education (vwo), but chose to study Mechanical Engineering (ME) at Hanze University of Applied Sciences. After various internships at companies like Audi and Lamborghini, he is now beginning his master's degree at the University of Twente to bring his dream job closer.

'After completing my pre-university education, I consciously chose ME because I wanted more practical experience. I felt that university bachelor's degrees lacked this. Additionally, I had a clear goal in mind: I wanted to enter the automotive industry. During my studies, I also interned at Audi and Lamborghini, and graduated with Van Amersfoort Racing, a Formula 2 team. I really enjoyed that there was a lot of room to do internships and gain experience during the course.

I've known from a young age that I wanted to do something with cars, and ME was a great stepping stone for that. I deliberately chose ME over, for example, automotive engineering, because I wanted to have more options in case the automotive industry didn't suit me. I've always had a passion for cars, so that was my focus. In the first year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I made sure to get the highest possible grades so I could apply to Audi. And then I got the opportunity to go to Germany.

This was also really good for my personal development. By going abroad multiple times, first for half a year in Germany and then for half a year in Italy, you become a lot more mature and independent. Additionally, you learn how things really work in the business world.

During this course, I've learnt a lot and have become a better engineer. However, I did think we would go a bit more in-depth with subjects like mathematics and physics. This is also one of the reasons why I'm going to pursue a master's in Mechanical Engineering with a specialisation in Aeronautics at the University of Twente. It was nice that I could prepare for this by doing a pre-master at university during my elective semester. During that time, I also took many courses, such as linear algebra, which fit well with this field.

If you choose to study ME and want an internship or job in the automotive industry, it's almost a requirement to have participated in Formula Student. I joined the Hanze Racing Division (HARD) during my studies. HARD is a small team, which allows you to take on more tasks and really broaden your knowledge. The advantage is also that you can do it part-time alongside your studies. Moreover, it looks great on your CV. I found it a fun and valuable addition to my student life.

If you want to study ME, it helps to have a clear goal. You have to make the course special yourself, and for that, you really need to have that drive. You can do all sorts of great internships, but you have to seek them out yourself. I'm very happy with my diploma now, and I think I'm certainly stronger in the job market than if I had done a university bachelor's degree. But I really had to put in the effort to get the most out of it.'