This month, international students who are admitted at Radboud next year get a phone call from a Radboud student from their home country. The campaign, initiated by the marketing department, is meant to help them prepare better for their stay in Nijmegen. ‘They worry about having enough money, or access to religious needs.’

The calling campaign is in full swing as current international student volunteers take to the phones to field questions from their fellow compatriots about the Radboud experience. The volunteers make contact with newly admitted students and speak informally with them about what to expect, as well as hear their concerns about moving to Nijmegen. Since the campaign’s volunteers speak 18 different languages, the whole conversation is done in the students’ native tongue.

The program started when Radboud staff realised that international students have more varied questions and different worries than incoming Dutch students might have. The volunteers provide information not only about Radboud academic programs, but also about such things as typical Dutch clothing, food, and cultural customs.

Questions

Senior international marketeer Laura Derkse remarks: ‘There are many questions that prospective students do not dare to ask their programme coordinators, afraid that they would be wasting their time or be found strange. That’s when we decided to ask students, who went through the same process the year before them, to make the calls. It’s important to make students feel at home already before they arrive, and a call can contribute to that.’

Deniz Ezgi Kurt, originally from Ankara, wanted to help other students by easing any fears they might have about coming to the Netherlands. ‘Most people are very surprised. They do not expect someone from a Dutch University to be calling to check in on them in Turkish.’ She has found that the most common questions among incoming internationals have to do with housing and cost of living. Many worry about having enough money, or what the student housing is like. Others are curious what typical Dutch life is like.

Simple act

While studying abroad is usually regarded as one of the most exciting experiences in a young person’s life, the campaign aims to be more realistic and confront the fear and stress that students might feel. ‘For Turkish people, going abroad is a new beginning. But it’s also very difficult. They worry about having enough money, or access to religious needs’ remarks Deniz. ‘I even plan to meet with the incoming Turkish students once they arrive. It’s like a buddy system!’

Fellow volunteer Sylvia Waw is originally from Poland, but also makes calls to students in English. So far, she has called over 60 students and for many of them, it will be their first time in Europe, not just the Netherlands. There is never a shortage of questions about what life will be like in Holland’s oldest city. Waw notes that such a simple act as a phone call can really make students feel cared for. ‘Students are so glad that someone took their time to answer anything they wanted to know about studying here. They are amazed by the calling campaign because it was a first time they experienced something like that.’