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Uncovering Student Stereotypes: The Art Student

Aila Kubat Feature

Five students from different studies share their thoughts on students they never met. They share the stereotypes they have of certain groups of students, and we check which ones really apply in reality.  We start with the art student.

‘Messy hipsters with an uncertain future’ is the first thing the students come up with when they think of a typical art student. But is it true?

The stereotypical art student
In the eyes of the interviewed students the art student is a creative person who:

  • ‘loves to create and is alternative’
  • ‘practices a lot of yoga to relax’
  • ‘wants to open a gallery or work in big architecture projects in the future’
  • ‘chose their study because of the freedom’
  • ‘is always too late’

The student behind the stereotype
How much did the students get right? Let’s first start with the term ‘art student’ which is ‘where the stereotypes start’ according to Nande Overtoom, who studies design at the Minerva Art Academy in Groningen. ‘People always assume that you want to become an artist when you go to the Art Academy. This is why I always emphasize that I study design when people ask me what I do. It feels like people always see it as a useless study where students create useless art, but that’s not true.’

The typical art student that the interviewed students created turns out to be quite similar to Nande. She is interested in architecture and loves to create. ‘You often hear that people think that there are a lot of alternative people at Minerva, but that is a bit exaggerated. Or I’ve gotten used to it, that’s a possibility as well.’ When she heard that students thought that art students do a lot of yoga, she laughed, ‘I do practice yoga, but I guess that could be a coincidence.’

Nande didn’t choose her study because of the freedom, ‘I have always been creative, and I find the way things work at Minerva very interesting. Both my parents went to Minerva, so that played a part in my decision as well.’ And is an art student always too late for appointments?  ‘A lot of my fellow students are actually very organized, but I can’t say the same about myself. I am, as the stereotype suggests, pretty much all over the place!’