New international students in Leiden

The final information session for new international students was held on Tuesday 23 September. This brought to a close more than a month of activities organised by the University in an effort to see that the newly arrived international students could start their studies in Leiden as comfortably as possible. These activities are an alternative for the traditional EL-CID orientation week which takes place too early for most international students.

EL-CID 11-15 August

‘EL-CID’ stands for "Enige Leidse Commissie Introductiedagen" (the Only Leiden Committee Introduction Days) and is the traditional introduction week for all new students. Although potentially a great opportunity to meet Dutch fellow students and to get to know Dutch student life, for most international students the EL-CID week takes place too early for them to be able to attend. For some, because they have a Summer job at home or because their visa simply does not allow them to arrive that much in advance of the start of the academic year.


Special attention for new international students

For this reason the university organises various alternative activities and events especially for international students, from a welcome by the Visitors' Centre at the railway station to essential information sessions at the International Office and an in-depth acculturation programme.

These are all organised because the University wants to give new international students the special attention that they deserve and, often, indeed need. If starting a university study in your own country is a new experience, it is even more so in a totally new country. Not only can this be a cultural or academic challenge, for many students it starts with unfamiliar administrative hurdles that Dutch students simply do not have to deal with at all. To name just one, students who stay for more than four months, need to show proof of registration at the Town Hall before the University is legally allowed to enroll them as students. 

Information sessions (August-September)

But, fortunately, the University is able to provide well-informed assistance on the basis of agreements with the relevant Dutch administrative authorities. All students accepted* are informed in detail about all the proceedings before they leave their own country. In addition students are invited to sign up for one of the 20 or so available information session, which take place over a period of three weeks in August and September.  “These sessions have proven to be an effective instrument in co-ordinating the complicated official processes these students have to go through to become a registered student,” says Stephen Orme, one of the Leiden University Admissions Officers.

*Note: Official counts for this year are not yet concluded. Leiden University receives approximately 800 new international students each year.


The International Office started organising twice-yearly information sessions in 2005. Over the years, the IO has improved the level of service provided. Now, a student will receive all the official forms he/she needs with all the personal details already filled out, such as the university enrolment form or the application form for a residence permit. 

This saves time and enables IO staff members to help students with individual questions and concerns in smaller groups. But there are also many “no-shows”. Some students think (or are told) that they don’t need to attend, and then don’t show up for their appointment. "But when they find out that they cannot enrol, they call us for an individual appointment", says Cynthia Armenta-Espinosa, one of the IO members of staff. In stead, the International Office decided to organise an additional collective session for all students who failed to attend their appointment. “But then there is much less opportunity for individual questions, which is a shame because we really want to assist the students as well as we can,” says Cynthia, who was once an international (graduate) student at Leiden University herself.


Acculturation weeks 18-27 August

Those students who want to prepare themselves better for the cultural and academic challenge had the option to follow a special 9-day acculturation programme  (August 18-27). The ICS Student Centre provided crash courses in Dutch and English, cultural awareness training, Dutch culture and history classes, a course in academic writing and an introduction to the Dutch academic system. The international Student Organisation ISN arranged the activities for the evening, with workshops on calligraphy and belly-dancing, a barbecue on the beach, a games evening, a boat trip with a picnic and a shopping tour of   Leiden.


Evaluation
An evaluation held at the end of the acculturation week showed that the participants had indeed enjoyed the programme very much. The Crash Course in Dutch received an average rating of 8.1 out of 10. And although the course was too easy for some students and too advanced for others, most students enjoyed the classes and felt they had learned a lot. A crash course in academic English was also offered, which was awarded 7.8 points out of 10. The academic writing course was awarded the least points (6.2). But most points (8.8) went to the social activities organised by ISN.

The programme ran for the second year and was organised by the ICS Student Centre. 46 students from 18 different countries followed the programme compared to 82 last year. Jantien Delwel, one of the organisers, attributes the difference to a combination of factors: “The acculturation weeks took place earlier than last year (because this year classes started earlier than in previous years), which is a problem for students who still have arrangements to attend to in their home country. We also noticed that there were only 3 students from China compared to 20 last year. We wonder if the Olympics in Beijing had anything to do with that.” Another unfortunate factor was that the University website experienced major technical problems so that information and the online registration and payment forms were not available over an extended period in July.

Better information next year

“We intend to provide better and much earlier information on what students can expect next year.” Jantien is hopeful that this will persuade those students to sign up, who this year hestitated to spend the participation fee of 200 euro. With less than 1% of the participants complaining while all the students were satisfied with the contents of the programme, Jantien is confident that it is money well spent.

Introduction days 28 & 29 August

This year the "international student introduction days" were also organised by the ICS Student Centre, which was the first time for ICS since the introduction days were first held in the early nineteen-nineties. The introduction included such familiar elements as a city walk, a visit to a museum and a morning at the faculty where the students will be studying. 

A new feature was the Info Festival on 29 August in the Sports Centre. Information stands alternated with a stand selling Dutch "stroopwafels" (syrup waffles) and a second-hand cycle sale as well as opportunities for music and sports.  A hot lunch was available before the start of the Info Market, with a choice of Dutch, Italian or Pakistani food. 


Reception and party

The two days, which were attended by some 400 students from all continents, ended with an official welcome reception in the Scheltema complex and in the evening a party organised by ISN.


Student's first impressions (video)

Video impressions
A short video was shot during the international student introduction week.
Start video now to listen to international student's impressions during their first days in Leiden.

Arrival at the Visitors' centre
The Visitors'centre also asked international student's about their first experiences with the city and the University.
Read comments from three students from Turkey, Italy and Taiwan.

View photo impression

GSM Walk

Since this Summer, newly arrived international students can also explore Leiden city centre with a digital guide on their mobile phones. This guide includes a city tour, an interactive map with a list of University buildings, International Student organisations, tips for cultural recreation and a few helpful numbers. The purpose of this guide is to serve international students with a handy digital guide to orientate themselves after arrival and give helpful information in English. Students can receive this mobile digital guide for free. The guide is also available as pdf flyer. 

There are 3 ways to receive this mobile digital guide:
- Send ‘discover leiden’ to 3010. You can download the walk for free if you have a Dutch phone subscription or pre-paid card.
- Browse on your mobile phone to www.lgids.nl (your network provider may charge a datarate for this) to download the guide.
- Download the guide to your computer and transfer it to your mobile phone.
See the demo version for instructions and support.
The Discover Leiden GSM guide is a joint initiative of SLS (Accommodate), ICS and International Office.


(29 september 2008/SD & RC)

Web Editor
Last Modified: 30-09-2008