A fresh start after a warm summer

While most colleagues are taking it easy as they get back into the grind, the Campus Student Life & Sports team is already well underway because they organised the Warm Welcome Week for all new students. Ciska de Bruijn, Student Services Advisor: “Everyone is welcome, but we notice that international students in particular need a foundation for all their questions and social connections.” 

Warm Welcome Week kicked off last Tuesday with a Q&A, followed by activities including a city tour and a walk in Scheveningen. All activities were led by student assistants Sara, Mara, Isabelle and Miguel. Miguel, who is starting his second year as a student assistant at Campus, still clearly remembers his own experience of starting as an international student. 

Miguel: “I arrived in the Netherlands well prepared because an agency helped me, but many of my international friends didn’t. Think about things like renewing your passport or dealing with taxes. The school does provide them with information, but during Warm Welcome Week we noticed that they prefer to hear about these things from a fellow student.” 

Learning from experience 

Mara first got to know THUAS four years ago through Warm Welcome Week and made some great friends along the way. “International students find themselves in an unfamiliar environment where they don’t know anyone. Naturally, that can make them nervous, and we’re happy to take that worry away by connecting them with other students and helping them find their way around our city and school.” 

Where should you go? 

The new group of students was more open than the previous one, which made it easier to break the ice. Sara: “This time, we didn’t have to put much effort into the social side of things, so we focused on practical matters, such as where to do your grocery shopping. Some students were going to Albert Heijn, so we pointed them towards the more budget-friendly Lidl, Aldi or The Hague Market.” 

A warm welcome 

Ciska: “Over the years, I’ve seen students from different programmes continue to seek each other out, just like Mara and Sara, who met during Warm Welcome Week. This year, one student even said that he immediately found a group of friends. That’s why this remains my favourite event to organise at THUAS.” 

The Campus Student Life & Sports team organises events for students throughout the year. At the start of the academic year, students can even take part in free sports activities, and there will be a Free Furniture Festival on 15 September. Do you know any students who are still finding their way? Refer them to Campus.