Student life at WUR – Kiwi’s POV
By Kiwi
Hi everyone, it’s Kiwi (or Kiara, whatever you prefer) from Indonesia again! I’ve been working as a WUR International Student Representative for almost two years now and one of the most common questions I get asked is “Can you tell me about the student life as an international?”. And, honestly, I’ve been getting quite good at answering that question. As there are so many ways to answer this question, I’d usually ask whoever is asking to elaborate which aspect about student life they want to know. However, I also thought that it’d be quite helpful if I just put all the answers to said question in a blog to make sure I really cover all that you’d possibly want to know (hopefully!).
Social Scene (and finding your people)
Many international students find the thought of having to integrate into the social circle here in Wageningen to be quite daunting, and that is completely understandable. However, what most students don’t realise is that everyone is on the same boat and trying to look for new friends, especially in the international community here. Hence, most of the time if you just put yourself out there the slightest bit, you’ll end up with your own friend group. So, really, there’s nothing to worry about. You’ll fit right in with some crowd for sure.
Some friends and myself on Liberation Day!
I, myself, am not part of any associations and never attended the AID and I still have my own little family of friends here. However, if you’re super worried about this, you can always find new people by doing said things. I really do mean it when I say people are quite welcoming here and that the international community really embraces each other.
At The WUR Campus
Another question about student life I get quite often is how the weekdays look like when studying at the campus. Usually you’d have a morning and afternoon course and, throughout the day, you’ll probably attend some labs, lectures or tutorials. In between, you always have breaks and you can talk to your peers or maybe even have a quick nap (The Jester did a piece of all the places on campus you could have a quick snooze).
The City – Wageningen
Wageningen is quite… cosy. I sometimes compare it to Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls, except with a bunch of students. However, I personally find it very conducive for your studies. And then again, there are still some activities that are quite characteristic to Wageningen.
During the weekends, students will usually flock to the Saturday market and, if the weather allows it, they go to the river Rhine. You’ll always find that you bump into people you know when you do either of these things.
A pretty picture I took at the Rhine. I promise you, it’s quite delightful.
A quick mirror selfie at the sunglasses stand at the market 🙂
If you’re feeling just a slight bit adventurous, you can also go to the arboretum up the hill. If you’re feeling even more adventurous, you can go visit another city.
Other Cities
Sometimes you’d find yourself bored in Wageningen. However, that doesn’t really tend to become a problem, as a trip to a different city takes next to no time. Arnhem is just a bus ride away, and from Ede-Wageningen station, Utrecht is a mere 30 minutes. Most international students I know also subscribe to the Weekend Vrij (“Weekend free”) train subscription. It’s quite handy as you pay the equivalent of a return trip from here to Amsterdam and get unlimited train travel on the weekends for a whole month!
Night Life at Wageningen
It’s a question I get more often than you’d think. There’s not a lot of actual clubs here but there’s always The Bunker or ICA. However, after students settle in, they usually find that they prefer the corridor/house parties hosted by other students. In a city full of students, the lack of a great club gets them creative and you’ll be surprised at the things they come up with. And just like mentioned before, you can also explore the night life at other cities nearby – tourism and fun at once!
Balancing Work and Play
Many incoming students do take into consideration the amount of free time they would have if they were to study here. I did too.
As much as classes for most courses are daily, you do find that you’ll almost always still have time to wind down with your friends after and binge watch a show or two. Many people still manage to do this even though they are part of an association, go to the gym everyday and hold a part time job.
Sports at WUR
To carry on about balancing work and play, the university gym offers a membership which would get you unlimited classes of any sport you can think of. You can try pole dancing classes, join a rowing team or join the quidditch (yes, quidditch from Harry Potter) association. Many of the sports associations also have the option for you to train competitively and join championships and such.
This concludes my little summary/blog/FAQ(?) about student life. I hope that I managed to answer your questions regarding what it’s like to be a student here. For the visual learners, I also included a video showing you what life is like here that a team of students put together, including myself! Of course, if you have any more questions, you could always leave a comment or ask a student directly via the chat with our students function on the university’s official website!
Greetings,
Kiwi <3