First thing first, welcome in Rotterdam. We’re Erasmus Magazine, the independent news platform of the university. Basically, we’re the ones who provide you with information on education, student life and everything related to the university. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
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Woudestein campus
‘Where am I supposed to go?’ is a question regularly asked by most first-year students, particularly when they first arrive in Rotterdam. Campus Woudestein is an overwhelming place, and the names of its buildings can be confusing. For this reason, EM asked a collective of illustrators called ikRotterdam to draw a map of the campus.
The Mandeville Building is not the M Building, but rather the T Building. You might expect the Tinbergen and Theil Buildings to be T Building, but they are called H Building and C Building, respectively. So what’s that all about, then?
The names given to the buildings on campus Woudestein do not appear to be very consistent. Some buildings are indicated by letters only, while others have actual names. So why do certain buildings have proper names, and whom were they named after?
From a special toilet for Queen Beatrix to a footbridge where professors could avoid having to rub shoulders with the plebs. The oldest buildings on the Woudestein campus are full of all kinds of secrets. Restoration architect Gerard Frishert took EM on a tour of some of the most intriguing places to be found in the concrete Monument that is Woudestein.
Campus Woudestein was born in 1968. Take a look at some of the changes and judge for yourself if the 1960s campus is still recognizable.
In September 2022, a new building will be opening its doors at Campus Woudestein. It (working name Multifunctional Education Building 2) will be erected next to the Polak Building, which it will also resemble in terms of appearance, at the Burgemeester Oudlaan end.
And this is what the new sports building will look like:
The plan is also to renovate existing buildings in the coming years. The Tinbergen Building is on that list, but partly due to a failed tender, it has been somewhat delayed. Thanks to an overheated contractors market, not a single contractor was willing to get the job done for the proposed budget.
How do I survive?
Ahhh…the student life! For most, it’s the first glimpse of freedom and what adult life may feel like. Some even go to the extent of saying university years were by far the best moments of their lives. Still, most students completely disregard the subtle changes made when more and more responsibilities fall on their shoulders. Where is the next lecture? What are the basics for cooking? How does an insurance actually work?
Sooner than later you, the freshmen, realize that a lot of the skills you require to live by yourself are not actually taught in school! Do not worry. EM has compiled a crash course of vital lessons to ease the shock and surprise you may be feeling at the moment.
Student life
How does the beer taste, does the place attract a chill crowd, and are the snacks worth checking out? EM is on the hunt for the coolest student hangouts. Our mission? To tell you where to go dancing, dating or drinking tonight.
Eurekaweek is usually the place to scour the student associations to see which one clicks. Now that there are covid restrictions, it will be more difficult to choose. That’s why EM has decided to focus on the five largest associations, from large to small.
