Orientation Week Kick-Starts New Students' Involvement with Life at Wittenborg

https://www.wittenborg.eu/different-nationalities-wittenborg-now-exceed-100-new-students-join.htm

Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences welcomed more than 100 new students from at least 25 different countries for the 2019-20 academic year – pushing its student nationality count for the calendar year to well over 100!

Though classes for both new and current students are due to start on Monday, 2 September, new students were invited for a series of activities as part of Introduction Week which has been a staple at Wittenborg since the beginning. The idea is to kick-start student involvement, familiarise them with the academic programme, and orientate them in terms of the country, the city and the campus.

The Introduction Week programme included a session by Wittenborg’s student organisation SWIFT about student activities and a tour of the city of Apeldoorn. As well as a session from the Work Placement Coordinator, Sanne Nalis-de Jong, on studying and working in the Netherlands and Dutch rules and regulations for highly-skilled graduates who wish to look for a job after graduation. Non-EU graduates are allowed to live and work in the Netherlands without restrictions for a period of 12 months after graduation.

The new intake includes both bachelor's and master's degree students, the majority of whom will study at Wittenborg’s main campus in Apeldoorn, while some will study in Amsterdam. Besides IBA and MBA students, Wittenborg also had its first intake of students for its new Master of Business Administration programme.

During an informal lunch with staff on Thursday, the group was given a warm welcome by Wittenborg’s chair of the executive board, Peter Birdsall.

Commenting on the new intake, Wittenborg Student Registrar, Santosh Aryal, said there is a definite increase in the number of students who graduated from one of Wittenborg’s IBA programmes and then return to do a master's degree.

Also growing is the number of students following either an IBA in Entrepreneurship & SME Management, or an MBA in International Management, at Wittenborg’s Amsterdam campus.

In general, the most popular undergraduate programmes are the IBA in Entrepreneurship and SME Management, the IBA in Marketing & Communication, as well as the IBA in Hospitality Management.

Feeling the pressure of the general shortage of student accommodation in big Dutch cities, Aryal admitted it can be a challenge to find accommodation for new students in Amsterdam, but said that Wittenborg will not renege on its policy to guarantee new arrivals housing for at least the first few months. It has therefore started looking outside Amsterdam. Students then have time to settle in and thereafter look for their own accommodation.

In contrast, the institute does not foresee any problems with accommodation for students who are studying at its Apeldoorn campus.

The new students are from Vietnam, Denmark, Nigeria, Germany, Ghana, Peru, Nepal, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Mexico, Turkey, Argentina, Russia, Spain, Indonesia, India, Cameroon, Sri Lanka, China, Pakistan, Georgia, Bangladesh, Syria, Iran and Zimbabwe.

WUP 1/9/2019
by Anesca Smith
©WUAS Press