International Student Network Nijmegen

DAY ZERO: PREPARATION

Special Sunday opening on August 15th 2010

On Sunday August 15th 2009 the International Office of Radboud University is opened from 2 PM to 6 PM to welcome exchange students arriving in Nijmegen. Most of you will also be able to move into your new room. On that day the International Office is at a different location on campus: Erasmuslaan 1 (Refter reception room).

Pick up service

On this particular Sunday, August 15th 2010, you can use the pick up service - which the International Office has organized especially for you - from the central station Nijmegen to our office and later on to your new address in Nijmegen.
Please go to Café T located in the central hall near platform 1, where one of the mentors will welcome you. The pick up service from the train station is available from 1.30 PM untill 5 PM.

If you are planning to arrive on this particular Sunday, but you had informed the International Office about a different arrival date, please send an e-mail to housing@io.ru.nl about your new arrival date.

The International Office is looking forward to welcoming you to Nijmegen!

DAY ONE: REGISTRATION

Registration

You will probably already have signed up for the orientation days by e-mail. Tonight you will be able to register yourself formally for the orientation days. Here you will meet your fellow international students. We will assign you to a mentor group and introduce you to your Dutch mentors who will guide you during the orientation days and after.

Please don't forget to bring the participation fee. The exact amount wil be published soon. The price for the Orientation has now been determined. Participation will cost 90 Euro. Included in the price are all the activities of the orientation days (restaurant, parties, excursion) except for the costs of the mentor dinners.

You will be given a wrist band as proof of payment.

Registration will take place from 15.00-18.00 'o clock at the Sportscafe on campus.

From 9 pm: Welcome Party at Café Piecken

DAY TWO: THE CITY OF NIJMEGEN

Word of welcome

16:00 @ City Hall

Today we will give you an impression of the city of Nijmegen. The city of Nijmegen will officially welcome you on the campus of Radboud University Nijmegen.

Guided city tour

17:00 -18:00

To get you acquainted with the city where you will be studying the upcoming period, your mentors will show you around the center of Nijmegen. Starting from the city hall they will guide you through the lovely streets of Nijmegen, along the river Waal, and into the shopping area. They will give you some historical background information and practical tips where to look for what.

Dinner in a restaurant

18:00 - 20:00

Hopefully the city tour gave you a good impression of Nijmegen and made you feel excited about studying here. After such a walk you probably feel hungry. Let's have dinner!

Supersonic Pub Crawl

20:00 - 23:00

That's better. With our stomachs filled we can go for a drink, or several. To give you an idea of the many nice pubs we have got in Nijmegen we have selected some of the liveliest ones for you. Every 45 minutes your mentors will take you to another pub where you can take part in some hilarious pub games.

International students Party

23:00 - end @ Vivaldi's, Waalkade 66

Yesterday we have given you an example of what our parties are like. We hope you liked it. Surely you will enjoy tonight's party.

DAY THREE: THE UNIVERSITY SPORTS CENTER

Sports day

11:30 @ the University Sports Center (Heyendaalseweg 141)

Radboud University has a very modern sports center. Today you can get to know its many facilities. Don't forget to bring sport shoes, sport clothes and a towel, as well as something to eat. Today your mentors can also help you register at the University Sports Center and obtain a sports card, which gives you access to the sport center's facilities. You might want to have a look on the website. Check-in: 11:30 at the lobby of the sports center.

Time to freshen up

17:00

After your visit to the sports center you have some time to go home and change for the evening activities.

Mentor dinner

19:00

An activity, other than the parties, which you will be able to enjoy frequently is the mentor dinner. Every month you can meet with your mentor group and have dinner together at one of your places. This time one of your mentors will invite you at his or her place and will prepare a meal for you and your mentor group. The costs of the mentor dinners are not included in the price of the orientation week.

Bowling

22:00 @ Bowling Center Olround: Heyendaalseweg 90

As we will be leaving very early tomorrow morning, we will not be throwing a party tonight. Instead we will go bowling together! Your mentors will show you the way to the bowling center.

DAY FOUR: EXCURSION

Today you will go on an excursion. We will show you around Amsterdam and take you on a boot tour on the canals.

And of course there is a party in the evening @ Café Piecken.

DAY FIVE TO SEVEN: WEEKEND!

After having experienced an intense and amazing orientation week, our interntational weekend will provide you with enough opportunity to release the energies you might still have left. We will stay at a local guest house, located in a still partially operational farm, in the rural village of Putten. The program includes two parties, an afternoon of games including a competition, and lots more.
Not only will the weekend be a spectacular closure of the week with lots of parties and fun, it is also a good opportunity for you to meet other international students whom you might not have got to know during the week itself (during the weekend we will make new groups). This will certainly make your stay in Nijmegen a lot easier, especially in the beginning.
Coaches leave in the afternoon from the university toward Putten (the exact time and place will be announced a.s.a.p.). Please do not be late, because the coaches will not wait. Please bring a sleeping bag or a blanket with you. Also, bring a spare set of clothes, and be prepared for rain and shine.

Please note that there are only a limited number of places available for the weekend. You will have to register in time to be able to join. If you are not participating in the weekend the amount of money that has to be paid for the orientation will be reduced.

DAY EIGHT: BIKE RIDE AND BBQ!

Bike ride in the afternoon

15:00 meeting point in front of the International Office.

This afternoon we will take you for a ride in and around beautiful Nijmegen.

Barbeknoei a.k.a. "messy BBQ"

20:30 @ Cafe Piecken

To end the day in a nicely we have organised a BBQ for you at Café Piecken.

DAY EIGHT: RADBOUD UNIVERSITY

Word of welcome by the International Office

10:00 - 10:15 @ meeting point: in front of the Erasmus building
10:30 - 11:00 Word of welcome

@ CC4, Mercatorpad 1

Today, you will have the opportunity to explore Radboud University and to attend your first "lessons" at the university. You will be formally welcomed by the International Office of Radboud University Nijmegen. We will meet in front of the tallest building of the university, the Erasmus Building, and then go to Collegezalen Complex 4 (CC4).

Workshop: "The Netherlands, a Crash Course on: Grasping the Dutch, Rising Rivers in a Descending Country, and Political Turmoil in Pacified Polders"

11:00 - 12:00

An intercultural workshop about dealing with the Dutch by Rob Verhofstad.

Lunch in the university's restaurant, the Refter

12:00 - 14:00

We hope that you feel more confident in dealing with the incomprehensible people that we are. Our advise: just smile, nod, and offer us a drink. Now you have some time to enjoy the delicacies of our university's restaurant. An excellent opportunity to observe the refined Dutch table manners. The costs of your lunch are not included in the price of the orientation days.

Guest speakers

14:00 - 14:45 @ CC4 (Collegezalen Complex 4)

You will be given information about KISS and Blackboard by the International Office. Also, several guest speakers have been invited to present their organizations that might be of interest to you during your stay.

Campus Tour

14:45 - 17:00

When the presentations have finished, guides from the main faculties will show you around the university campus where you will be studying the upcoming period. Guides of the following faculties will be present: Arts, Management, Law and Social Sciences. Once you guided tour is over, head for the Cultuur Café. Here your mentors will be waiting for you. If there is no representative of your faculty, you can go straight to the Cultuur Café to have a drink with your mentors who might show you around the campus themselves.

Mentor dinners

17:30

To regain strength it would be convenient to have a proper meal now. For the last mentor dinner of the orientation week we would like you to prepare a special dish from your country for your group and especially, given their efforts, for your mentors. During the rest of your stay, mentor dinners will be organized at least once a month. The idea is that every time a couple of members of the group set it up and invite the others to their place.

Party: "I-Feest"

22:00 @ the Refter

Tonight you will have the opportunity to attend a big party with all the other people - also Dutch - who are going to study at Radboud University Nijmegen. You will have to wear your Orientation wrist band to get free access.