The first week of February marked the welcome of 319 new exchange and master’s students to TU Delft. The Introduction Programme took place from February 2nd to 5th.
“The Introduction Programme aims to give students the best start to their studies, with a focus on cultural, practical, academic and social aspects,” said Sophie Vardon, Introduction Programme Coordinator. From past experiences, the Central International Office learned that a good introduction programme plays an important role in the acculturation of new international students. For that reason, the programme is now mandatory for all new international master’s students and optional for exchange students.
This time 52 different nationalities participated in the Introduction Programme. Total student numbers at TU Delft have grown in past years, but in addition, the percentage of international students has increased. In 2005, there were a total of 2,339 new students, of which 19% were internationals. Over the next ten years numbers have gradually increased, reaching 4,709 total new students, including 35% internationals, in 2015.
According to Vardon, there were several new elements for the February programme. To help improve integration, some of the student coaches who mentor new students started piloting a buddy programme. “They are part of a new student organisation called Inter Delft, which represents several international student societies,” she said. The Inter Delft buddy programme will match Dutch and international students after the Introduction Programme. In addition, each welcome programme includes a project for students to work in groups. Vardon noted that they try to mix groups as much as possible in terms of nationality and faculty. This time, each group was given the name of a Dutch city and the task to design and create an iconic building for their city, culminating with a poster presentation. At the end of the event two groups were awarded for “Best Building” and “Best Presentation”. And finally, all students had a mandatory appointment to arrange all formal aspects concerning their studies in Delft and living in the Netherlands. TU Delft arranged for the municipality of Delft, a bank, an insurance company and more to be present to help students arrange all practical matters at once.
As usual, the programme wrapped up with a closing event and party on the final day. Hosted at the Aula, the event had a World Cup theme, where students were encouraged to bring sports paraphernalia from their home countries, making it a colourful international scene.
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