Good morning and welcome to Erasmus TV.
How are international students doing during the corona pandemic?
How is EUR preparing for their arrival in the next academic year?
Our guests today are Rose Korver,
Marketing & Communications coordinator at the International Office,
and Cara Sainsbury,
Vice President & Marketing Manager at the Erasmus Student Network.
We’ll start with you, Rose. Talking about next academic year,
do you know how many international students will come to our university?
It is hard to say. There is one thing that we know:
we already processed over 400 immigration procedures
for non-EU students. They will be coming in September.
For EU students, it’s hard to say.
They can travel across borders without an entry visa.
So we don’t really know about that yet.
But we hear that we have more students coming.
We had more applications than last year, so that’s good news.
But how many will actually come to the campus is still a bit uncertain.
OK. Now, Cara. How are you and your fellow international students doing?
I think we’re doing well.
A lot of students went back home to their home country,
so they had to adjust to that,
but I think a lot of students who stayed in Rotterdam
are excited to see the new academic year starting.
Hopefully, in September and August,
there will be more happening again than in the last few months.
I’m doing fine myself as well.
Did you get yourself a new hobby or a pet or a plant?
I actually moved, so I renovated a new apartment.
I learnt a lot about DIY and painting, so that’s my new hobby.
-So you’ve been busy. Yes, very busy.
Cara has been busy.
Two international students, Annija and Riti,
decided to go back to their home countries.
Let’s see how they experienced the last couple of months.
Cara, do you recognise what they said in the video? The boredom, the loneliness?
Definitely. We’ve seen that a lot.
We tried to organise some online events at the start of the pandemic.
We chatted to some students through a Speed Friending platform.
We heard a lot that they appreciated that we organised something
so they had something to do on a Thursday night or a Monday night.
But as time went on, that also became a routine and a little bit boring.
That means that we had to reinvent certain things.
Definitely recognise what they’re feeling. I felt the same, I think.
ESN also has a Buddy Project, where you match a new student
with another international student who already lives here in Rotterdam.
Is this your way to combat loneliness? -It’s one of the ways that we do so.
The buddy programme is a nice tool
for students across the faculties to meet each other.
Students who are new in the city will get matched up with a person
who has been in the city – an international or a Dutch student –
for a bit longer.
They spend some time together as a guiding place for them to be.
So if they have questions or something like that.
Do you think the project has become more important during the crisis?
I would hope so. I’m not entirely sure how the project will take shape.
The project is very much geared towards physical activities.
‘How do I get onto public transport? How does that work?’
We’re not entirely sure how it would take shape in an online setting.
We hope that we can facilitate that in the new academic year.
Rose, you are a contact person for incoming international students.
What kinds of questions or worries have you come across?
We mainly get a lot of questions about, at the moment, from incoming students,
about for example their immigration procedure.
‘When is my entry visa ready or my residence permit?’
‘Did you already receive my living fee?’ More practical concerns like that.
Also about housing. The good news is that we still have housing available
for next year on campus. -The first time in years!
Yes, for the first time in years. I’m happy about that.
We can still welcome students here on campus to live here.
We also received some concerns about paying the rent.
The COVID pandemic also had an impact on students’ financial situations.
So, we receive many sorts of questions.
How will you welcome international students in this corona time?
What will be different?
Usually we have a soft landing programme, which is mainly physical.
This year, it will be a blended form, so online and physical.
For example, the official welcome, which is normally here in the Auditorium,
that will be online. We can’t have a large group of students in one room.
But registration at the city hall, at the one-stop shop, will be physical
in the large sports hall of Erasmus Sports. So it will be a blended version this year.
It will definitely be different than other years.
Cara, the International Office has to switch to mainly online activities.
Is this also the case with ESN?
Yes. We also have an introductory period right after Eurekaweek,
geared towards international students to show them around the city.
We’ll also have an online version and an offline version of it.
Students can sign up to be online because they can’t be in Rotterdam.
They can be online because they don’t feel comfortable being physically present.
Or they can experience the full 4 days with both online and offline activities.
So that will be very nice. -So there will be no party?
It’s not an introduction week without the parties!
That’s very true. We’ll probably try to collaborate with our partner Café Beurs
where we do more of a drink. ‘Borrel’ is the Dutch term for it.
Not a party until late like a clubbing evening,
but more of a relaxed, outside on the terrace drink.
Which will be really nice.
Do you think the next academic year will be good, despite the circumstances?
I definitely think so.
The next Board is very motivated to make it an interesting year.
They want to move towards a place where everybody feels comfortable
participating in whatever social activity that they would like.
Do you already have ideas or plans for next year?
Many ideas are circulating.
We tried to give a lot of creative freedom to our committee members.
We’ll see what comes of the ideas,
but many different ideas have outside spaces, 1.5-metre activities,
online pub quizzes, for example. A lot of things.
Rose, do you agree with Cara that it will be a good year after all?
Yes, definitely. All students are welcome here.
As you heard, ESN is organising many fun activities.
We encourage students to sign up for the buddy programme as well.
It’s really helpful in getting to know the city and your fellow students.
The Netherlands is a nice country to live in during a pandemic, relatively.
Many things are your own responsibility. I think it’s a nice place to be.
Do we have a corona measure for students coming to the Netherlands?
Yes, students who are travelling from a country with an orange colour,
so called by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
they have to go into a 14-day quarantine.
The International Office is setting up quarantine services
for students who have to live in quarantine for 14 days.
For example, how can I get groceries, keeping in touch with students online
or with the International Office. So that’s to be continued.
OK. We’ll be waiting. Last question for both of you.
Do you have some tips for internationals,
both here in Rotterdam or those who are coming?
For those who are coming, I can say, arrange housing on time. Prepare that.
Arrange your insurance as well, before travelling here.
Be sure that you’re insured while you are travelling.
The only thing I can say is: you’re welcome here.
I hope that many students will come to Rotterdam next year.
If you are coming to Rotterdam, try to have the best time that you can.
Don’t feel pressured into anything.
Make sure that you feel most comfortable in the activity or social programme
that we try to organise or any other association on campus.
If you are not joining us in Rotterdam, or if you’re joining us online,
you’re more than welcome. We’ll facilitate that as much as possible.
You are all welcome. Thank you Rose and Cara for being here.
And thank you all for watching. Don’t forget to visit our website,
erasmusmagazine.nl. I’ll see you next time.