Campus as catwalk: ‘When I’m studying, I choose comfort over chic’

“When I’m studying, I choose comfort over chic”, says 20-year-old Anna. “Today I’m working on a presentation and a paper. Thankfully, as a second-year Communication student I don’t have any examinations in the period before my internship! In the morning, I do think about what I’m going to wear that day. I also want my outfit to work if we end up making plans for the evening. I’m a big fan of red lipstick, so I throw that in my bag too.”

There are no upcoming deadlines or examinations for Britt (20). The third-year Business Administration student is currently working far ahead on her thesis. 20 March is her first deadline, 26 June her last. “I don’t really spend much time thinking about what to wear when I’m studying. For example, I might not bother with earrings if my headphones make it painful to wear them. But I do make a conscious decision about where to study. The University Library is where I go if I really want to concentrate for examinations. Polak is for when I haven’t done anything at the weekend, in which case I go there on Monday. Or if I want to work ahead.”

“I’m not a student any more”, 27-year-old Adrien confesses straight away. “I finished my bachelor’s programme in Communication a few years ago. Now I work as a freelancer and as an athlete and influencer. My passion for skimboarding takes me all over the world. I live near here and really love this place. Sometimes I might go to a coffee house, but they have coffee here as well. It might not be quite as nice, but I drink it for the effect. Today, I’m filing my tax return.”

“A can of this stuff is essential for me”, says second-year Pedagogical Sciences student Gisa (20). “I like taking a seat in Polak in the morning with my laptop and seeing the place slowly coming to life. This morning I had to go to work first, but fortunately there was still a place. We have examinations next week, so I’m writing and prepping a lot right now. When I’m studying, I like to listen to nature sounds or the Koran. Those Arabic texts are soothing.”

“We’ve just had examinations. The new, difficult period at Econometrics has just begun”, says 20-year-old Clara. The second-year international bachelor’s student in Economics and Business Economics is attending a video lecture on the fourth floor of Polak. “This is my floor, where you’ll often find me. I don’t like the library much because the chairs aren’t very comfortable. I want to feel comfy when I’m studying, so I pick my outfit and snacks accordingly. For lunch I had a focaccia and a cinnamon roll – the ones from SPAR are surprisingly good.”

“This morning, I felt like wearing something colourful”, says Yusuf (25) about his bright green sweater. He is studying for a master’s degree in Law & Technology in Tilburg. “The sweater was a gift from my girlfriend. It says ‘Esperanza Crew’ on it. That’s the name of the project she sailed to the North Pole with. It’s a nice sweater to take online tutorials in. A hit of sugar from the cola helps me to focus.”

Comfortable, but still well groomed: that’s what 19-year-old Vincent goes for when he heads out the door to study for a day. “This is also how I dress when I go shopping. I always want to look good when I leave the house. I really like jewellery. You can see my rings right away, but my pearl necklace and bracelets are under my sweater. That’s what you get when you’ve worked at the jewellery department of Bijenkorf for a while. I also need to be comfortable, because I often sit here all day – usually in Langeveld or Polak. I leave when it gets dark, because that’s when my motivation goes, too.” The first-year International Business Administration student has examinations in two weeks.