Stedelijk Gymnasium Haarlem

Stedelijk Gymnasium Haarlem#

My time in high school was fun, engaging, and full of opportunities to challenge myself. I chose to attend the Stedelijk Gymansium Haarlem, where I followed both Latin and Greek. After the third year, I selected a double profile: Natuur & Techniek and Natuur & Gezondheid. My favorite subject was mathematics, as I enjoyed solving complex problems and thinking logically. Throughout high school, I actively participated in various Extracurricular Activities, including MUN conferences, which further developed my skills and interests. I graduated in 2018 with the following Gradelist.

../../_images/geslaagd_KimenNiels.jpg — Fig. 1 Me and my twin sister celebrating our diplomas. It is a typical Dutch tradition to hang your schoolbags onto the flagpole with the Dutch flag to show your neighbourhood that you have graduated from high school.#

“All I know is that I know nothing” - Socrates

Latin Final Exam 2018 Syllabus

Author	Work	Editor(s)	Year	Series	Genre	Selected Passages	Notes
Cicero	Tusculanae Disputationes	M. Pohlenz	1918	Bibliotheca Teubneriana	Dialogue	1.96–104; 5.57–62	In Latin
Cicero	De Officiis	M. Winterbottom	1994	Oxford Classical Texts	Treatise	3.58–60	In Latin
Cicero	De Re Publica	J.G.F. Powell, J.A. North	2001	Oxford Classical Texts	Dialogue	6.13–20; *6.21–33	*6.21–33 in translation only
Seneca	Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium	W.D. Reynolds	1965	Oxford Classical Texts	Letters	28; 60; *86.1–7	*86.1–7 in translation only
Seneca	De Brevitate Vitae	—	—	—	Treatise	1; 2.1–3; 3.4–5	In Latin
Seneca	De Tranquillitate Animi	—	—	—	Dialogue	4.2–8; 5; 8	5 and 8 in translation only
Seneca	De Vita Beata	—	—	—	Treatise	17–18; *20	*20 in translation only

Greek Final Exam 2018 Syllabus

Author	Work	Editor(s)	Year	Series	Genre	Selected Passages	Notes
Homerus	Odyssee	D.B. Monro & T.W. Allen	1917–1919	Oxford Classical Texts	Epos	1.1–10	In Greek
						*1.11–21	In translation
						*5.43–115	In translation
						5.201–227	In Greek
						*6.1–126	In translation
						6.127–197	In Greek
						*6.198–315	In translation
						8.256–369	In Greek
						*8.470–531	In translation
						*9.193–342	In translation
						9.343–436	In Greek
						*9.437–516	In translation
						*10.261–399	In translation
						*11.140–224	In translation
						11.385–466	In Greek
						*11.467–540	In translation
						*12.39–54	In translation
						12.158–200	In Greek
						*19.103–212	In translation
						19.467–507	In Greek
						*21.404–434	In translation
						22.1–67	In Greek
						*23.1–152	In translation
						23.153–206	In Greek

Extracurricular Activities#

During high school I participated in various extracurricular activities to keep me interested. This included:

Participation in multiple Model United Nations (MUN) conferences
Executive Staff of Haarlem Model United Nations (2016 & 2017)
Pre-Universty Classes: Mathematics (2017)

Participation in multiple Model United Nations (MUN) conferences#

During the 3rd, 4th and 5th year of high school I particpated as delegate in multiple MUN conferences around the Netherlands and abroad, such as MUNISH, IMUNA and HMUN. The largest conference I participated in was THIMUN, a conference for approximately 3000 students organized in the World Forum Convention Center in The Hague.

../../_images/THIMUN_UNFPA_2015.jpg — Fig. 2 THIHMUN 2015 Delegation of Stedelijk Gymnasium
Haarlem representing the UNFPA (United Nations
Fund for Population Activities)#

Skills obtained

Participating in MUN conferences during high school greatly improved my confidence in public speaking and fluency in English. I learned to debate diplomatically, and collaborate with international peers to draft realistic solutions.

Fluency in English
Public speaking and preesentation skills
Debating and argumentation

Executive Staff of Haarlem Model United Nations (2016 & 2017)#

Fig. 3 HMUN logo#

During my time at the Stedelijk Gymnasium Haarlem, I was part of the Executive Staff of the Haarlem Model United Nations (HMUN) conference in both 2016 and 2017. HMUN is an international three-day MUN conference organized entirely by students and attended by around 600 students from across the world.

../../_images/HMUN2017_staff.jpg — Fig. 4 HMUN 2017 Executive Staff#

As Financial Manager, I was responsible for managing the conference’s full budget. This included:

Drafting and maintaining the annual budget in close cooperation with the Secretariat and other department heads.
Overseeing all incoming and outgoing funds, including participant fees, sponsor contributions, and operational costs.
Supporting logistical decisions from a financial perspective to ensure efficient use of resources

Skills obtained

This experience taught me a lot and gave me a unique opportunity to contribute to an internationally oriented event while developing real-world organisational and financial skills. The skill I learned are:

Budgeting
Teamwork
Accountability

Pre-Universty Classes: Mathematics (2017)#

Fig. 5 Leiden University logo#

In 2017, I took part in the Pre-University Classes programme in mathematics at Leiden University. This meant I was allowed to skip six Thursday afternoons at high school and take the train to Leiden instead — something that felt both exciting and a bit special at the time. Out of the available options, I chose the mathematics course because I had always enjoyed the subject and wanted to see what studying it at university level would be like.

The course focused on dynamical systems and how you can describe changes over time using mathematical models. We looked at both discrete and continuous systems, learned about differential equations, and worked with tools like eigenvalues, stability analysis and numerical simulations. There were even parts where we used spreadsheets to simulate population growth or mechanical systems like springs. It was intense, but also really interesting to get a taste of how maths can describe all kinds of changing systems — from bouncing balls to predator-prey models.

Cambridge English: Proficiency (C2)#

During high school, I was selected to participate in the Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) program, an opportunity granted to only about one-fifth of the students. As part of this program, I took the official CPE exam at a Cambridge English Assessment centre. Although the exam was challenging, it was a valuable experience that strengthened my English skills.

Gradelist#

After 6 years of hard work I graduated with a 7.9 (out of 10) average. Grades for specific courses are specified below:

Course Type	Course (English)	Course (Dutch)	School Exam	Central Exam	Final Grade
Common Subjects	English Language and Literature	Engelse taal en literatuur	7.3	6.9	7
	Greek Language and Culture	Griekse taal en cultuur	8.6	7.4	8
	Latin Language and Culture	Latijnse taal en cultuur	7.7	7.9	8
	Physical Education	Lichamelijke opvoeding	—	—	good
	Dutch Language and Literature	Nederlandse taal en literatuur	7.6	6.6	7
	Math Test 3F	Rekentoets 3F	—	—	9
	Combination Grade	Combinatiecijfer	—	—	8
Profile Subjects	Biology	Biologie	7.2	7.0	7
	Physics	Natuurkunde	7.6	8.3	8
	Chemistry	Scheikunde	8.2	8.6	8
	Mathematics B	Wiskunde B	8.7	9.7	9
Elective Subject	Geography	Aardrijkskunde	7.8	7.5	8
Combination Grade Part	Social Studies	Maatschappijleer	6.5	—	7
Combination Grade Part	Profile Project	Profielwerkstuk	—	—	8

Skill	Score
Reading	214
Use of English	211
Writing	200
Listening	218
Speaking	193
Overall	207