Freshmen site: Introduction / Welcome Week
Missing a question on this page? Let us know!
- What is it about?
- Where can I find more information?
- Who will be part of my group?
- How do I go about finding accommodation?
- Will I miss something if I do not participate?
- Will I also be ragged of hazed?
What is Welcome Week all about?
Tilburg Orientation Program, TOP 
, puts on a general introduction week each year for all first-year students (Dutch and international students) at Tilburg University (including students in higher professional education), organised by Tilburg's Introduction Committee.
The activities will be held in the last week of August (2012) and aims at all Dutch ànd foreign students in Tilburg.
Aside from this, faculties, individual programs, study associations, and student associations incidentally will offer all kinds of introductory activities, ranging from camping to information days to evening meet-and-greets.
The aim is to provide new students with an opportunity to get acquainted with the city, their study program, study associations, and fellow students, not only from their own program, but also from other programs.
You will get a lot of information, learn tremendous amounts from the second-year students, and it is a lot of fun (but tiring!). You will make friends for the rest of your life during the introduction week.
Where can I find more information?
Once you have registered at Tilburg University you will receive an information package, called Ticket to Tilburg University in which you will find information pertaining to the introduction week and how you can sign up.
More information.
Who will be part of my group?
Usually, students from your own program. The group is led by two second-year students, usually also from to the same program you are taking. The groups are set up beforehand, but last-minute changes are generally possible.
How do I go about finding accommodation?
If you do not have your living quarters room yet, then you should check on possibly staying with one of your fellow group members. This is usually not a problem. For more information on this subject, please contact TIK.
Will I miss out on if I do'nt take part?
But of course! To begin with, you will miss a lot of important information. Compared to secondary school, you are expected to demonstrate far more independence at university, and to look for help, advice and information yourself when you need it. You are expected to be aware of all relevant information, and that should be no trouble, because all the information you need is available on the internet. Before you suffer from information overload, it is probably better to learn where things can be found during the introduction week and take note of what is important.
Furthermore, you will get to meet your fellow students in your program, which can come in handy if you end up sitting together in a lecture room (everything is new for everybody, after all). Or if you happen to fall ill and want someone to take notes for you, or if you need to work together in a group.
And last but not least, you will have a wonderful time and you will make friends for life!
By the way, some programs have an catch-up information day, in case you are absolutely unable to join us for the introduction week.
Will I be ragged or hazed?
The answer is no. Ragging or hazing is a sort of initiation ritual students go through in order to be able to become a member of a student association. The excesses of ragging that occasionally occur in other student cities (and that give rise to all kinds of wild stories) do not exist at Tilburg University. During the introduction week there is no such thing as ragging, only the sharing of information, opportunities to get acquainted with each other and of course lots of fun.
