Being a student in Computer Science @UniBas
Student Stories
Hi there! My name is Cristina and I am a master’s student in the field of computer science (CS) at the University of Basel (UniBas). In 2015, I started my studies when only 20 female students were enrolled in the field of CS.
On the first day of uni, September 14th, I met three other girls that were also students in the same field. I was not expecting to see a lot of women in my upcoming classes because it is a well-known fact that there are more guys in this field. But since it was the four of us starting this journey together, I felt less intimidated. I was able to settle into the new routine faster and had continuous support from my peers.
I was not expecting to see a lot of women in my upcoming classes because it is a well-known fact that there are more guys in this field.
Also on the first day of uni in 2015, I met a guy who still is one of my closest friends to this day. From that day on we completed each project and solved all the exercises together. It was in 2019 when we were done collecting all necessary ECTs and were awarded our bachelor degrees. If it was not for him and the other girls and guys who were part of our uni-gang, I think it would have been so much harder to continue and complete my studies.
Questions about my experience as a women in a male-dominant field only came up when talking to people from outside the university. In those conversations, I proudly mentioned the rising number of women in the field of CS at UniBas. In the past ten years, the number of female students in the field of computer science (CS) went from 10,1% in 2010 it to 16.2% in 2020. Since I became a student it was a priority for me to motivate others to study computer science. On different occasions such as info-days at UniBas or at selected Gymnasiums I was part of the team representing our department and we answered all the questions the future students had. Fortunately, this association has now been launched so we can continue to further cultivate a sense of community and offer a support network for under-represented individuals.