There is of course much more to student life than passing examinations and spending weeks on end mastering the subject matter and getting those assignments done. Drinks and parties are also a facet of student life, regardless of whether one studies at Woudestein or on the other side of the city in the white high-rises of Erasmus MC.
Mila Ivanova is a medical student and writes for EM. She regularly commutes between Woudestein and Hoboken. In this column, she reveals the differences and similarities between “East” and “West”. This time, she immerses herself in the party scene of both sides of the city.
Future doctors
Come evening on Thursdays and Fridays, medical students can be found in Witte de Withstraat, not far from their faculty. Café De Witte Aap and Nieuw Rotterdams Café are very popular among future doctors. Blender was also a favourite hangout among medical students, but the establishment unfortunately closed for good.
Café Linssen at Oude Binnenweg, once the regular haunt of MFVR, the association for medical and nanobiology students, has fallen out of favour. MFVR members are now more likely to be found in ‘their’ ’t Vat bar, which is located in the faculty itself.
Widest variety of beer
A fourth-year medical student and veteran of the party scene, goes to Boudewijn for the pleasant atmosphere and to Westerpaviljoen because it’s close to the faculty and “there’s a great place to enjoy drinks”.
Regarding his other favourite bar, he added that “Reijngoud is centrally located at Witte de Withstraat, which makes it a convenient meeting place. It’s also got the widest variety of beer of the three.”
Fourth-year medical student Bennie Versluijs has another tip for those who would like to go a little crazy to something louder: “Every so often on a Thursday, TASTE, a student party that’s mainly about techno, takes place in TOFFLER.”
Hanging out with an economist (or a business administrator or psychologist, or...)
Woudestein’s own student bar is In de Smitse. Students of Rotterdam School of Management often gather there, but there are exceptions. Jan Bas, a sixth-year economics student, admitted that “I’d never been to In de Smitse before this year.”
In the eastern part of the city, students do not gather in a particular bar because of a shared degree programme. Many bars that are not far from campus, like Locus Publicus and De Stoep, which is close to Oostplein, are popular among Woudestein students.
International students tend to go to Locus International at Oostzeedijk. Grand Café De Dijk, located opposite, is the regular haunt of JFR, the law students association. De Stoep is the watering hole of EFR; economics students, in other words.
Some students are willing to travel somewhat further to reach a nice hangout. According to economics student Joep, “As a senior student, if you just want a beer or two you head to Witte de Withstraat.” Villa Thalia and Melief Bender are likewise popular, as is De Vrienden Live in the Oude Haven area. Students also go to De Skihut and Club BED.
Doctors on drugs
Do Hoboken and Woudestein students behave differently when they are enjoying a night out? An anonymous source reported that medical students often use pills. The same source also stated, however, that it was difficult to know whether such use was actually more common among medical students than it was among, for example, economics students.
According to the partyloving medical student, “Medical students perhaps party that bit harder than the average student. Maybe it’s because they don’t have much free time, so when they have free time, having a real blast is an outlet; a way of counterbalancing a rigorous and demanding training programme. I regularly go with friends to party at other medical faculties. Leiden is a favourite.”
