What to expect in your first week of studying

We all dreamt of studying at WUR. I am sure you are excited to be a part of the big family in Wageningen. As a new international student, you will need practical information to manoeuvre your way around in your first week of studying. In this blog, I will share with you some helpful information that will guide you in your first week at our great university, such as your first lecture.

WUR card

Your WUR card is very useful as you will need it for identification as a student, entering some buildings and even the main educational buildings during the weekend. To this, do not forget to pick it up at the Student Service Centre (SSC) desk in Forum.

Organising your schedule

Studies can be quite intense, especially when there is fresh energy at the start of the academic year. As an international student, you may not be used to the periodic calendar system at WUR. As a result, it is vital that you organise your schedule for at least the first few weeks ahead. To do this, you should check the ‘TimeEdit’ for your class’s time slots. You may also find them in the course manual on Brightspace. It is important to make a handy schedule; this is easily doable with the myWURtoday app. Download it and customise your timetable to your own preference. Check out this video for more information about the myWURtoday app.

Going to your first lectures

As international students, you must always learn about your new learning environment. The education at WUR might be a little pacy compared to what you were used to previously. Therefore, you’ve got no time to waste. Before you attend your first class, please make sure to check the preparation materials and take note of your questions for the class. Feel free to ask these questions in class whenever you are in doubt. If you feel left behind, ask questions to your professors. You can talk to your colleagues too. Talk to someone during break time and make some friends. Please check Paula’s blog on how to meet fellow students for tips on how to make friends here.

If you have practical lessons, make sure you have done the Laboratory safety course. In the laboratory, be sure you understand every instruction given. Whenever in doubt, ask the lab assistant.

Finding your lecture room

Finding your classroom may be a little bit of a challenge if you are new to WUR. To find this easily, you can know the building location on the ‘TimeEdit’ website. Each of the educational buildings on the WUR campus has unique digits. With this, you can easily figure out the building within which your building is. For instance, rooms in Aurora have 4 digits, usually starting with a 9 – G9103. While Orion also has 4 digits, it can start from 1 to 8, as shown in the coloured digit – G8017. Leeuwenborch has 2 digits ending with a letter, and the first digit starts with either 6 or 7, as shown in the example – G0065C or Goo74C, and rooms in Forum usually have 3 digits – G0310. Learn more about this on TimeEdit or check the notice boards within each building to learn more.

Talking to your study advisor

Typically, we encountered study-related challenges ranging from planning to critical issues beyond our problem-solving skills. These and many more are the reasons why we have our kind and helpful study advisors available. I am sure you were assigned a study advisor before you started your study. Do not wait so long; book an appointment with him/her and talk it through. Booking an appointment with a study advisor may vary per study programme. Therefore, you should attend the study day during the Annual Introduction Days to learn more about how you can contact your advisor. If you missed it, do not worry, you can email your study advisor for clarity with communication channels or ask a friend who attended the study day.

Tips

• In Wageningen, it is common to ask whenever you are in doubt. Therefore, do not hesitate to ask people if you want to find your way around.
• If you cannot make it to your class, kindly send an email to your Professor explaining your situation to him/her. Please do the same to your colleagues if you will miss a group assignment.
• Do not wait for long into the period before you start studying your course materials. Start your personal studies in the first week since the structure of education at WUR does not favour late starters.
• Take breaks whenever you need to and be reflexive of your own learning to process to discover where you are improving and where you fall short. This will help you enhance your learning style.
• Check out Samuel’s video below for more tips on finding your way on campus as a new international student.

 

 

I am excited that you have started your study with us at WUR. I wish you a great academic year and enjoy every moment of your life here at WUR. ?