{"id":101192,"date":"2019-08-06T09:44:30","date_gmt":"2019-08-06T07:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=101192"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:24","slug":"if-things-go-wrong-it-will-typically-be-in-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/08\/06\/if-things-go-wrong-it-will-typically-be-in-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018If things go wrong, it will typically be in the summer\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

For 99 per cent of the tens of thousands of people who can be found on EUR on any given day, the summer months are when they enjoy some peace and quiet and their holidays. It\u2019s when they take a brief break from all the exams, re-sits, deadlines and meetings.<\/p>\n

However, there are people on campus who are working very hard indeed at the moment. So who are these people, and what are they doing now that many other people are enjoying lazing about on a hot summer\u2019s day?<\/p>\n

This week, let\u2019s hear from Mari\u00eblle van Leeuwen, 45, a study advisor at ESHCC.<\/p>\n

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Mari\u00eblle van Leeuwen<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

What on earth are you still doing on campus?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m an Arts and Culture Studies study advisor at ESHCC. During the summer, my work mostly consists of helping students who are in trouble, ranging from first-year students who didn\u2019t obtain enough credits to be allowed to stay at the university to Master\u2019s students whose theses have been rejected. Summer is the busiest period of the year for me, because if things go wrong, it will typically be at this time of year. Moreover, I\u2019m the only study advisor for the eight programmes that come under Arts and Culture Studies.\u201d<\/p>\n

So are you actually allowed to go on holiday during these months?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I am. I haven\u2019t been told not to, but I hardly ever do it. My job is to support and advise students. Students don\u2019t want to wait two weeks for their e-mails to be answered, so I don\u2019t really want to leave them, either. It doesn\u2019t bother me much, though. I started doing this work 12.5 years ago because I wanted to help students, and I still enjoy doing that a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018Even after twelve years, I still don\u2019t think: ugh, here we go again. This is the best job there is, even in the summer.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

But surely you worked from home during the days when we were suffering tropical temperatures?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I was here even last week, when it was so hot. We were allowed to work from home, but unfortunately, that\u2019s not an option in my position. Students can call or swing by at any time.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are these busy weeks like, what with all your students\u2019 emotions running high?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very beautiful time of year. Obviously, when you\u2019re dealing with sad students all day, you\u2019ll feel less cheerful by the time you\u2019re going home. And things can definitely get emotional around here, because people either give off a lot of energy or drain yours. But I\u2019m also thoroughly energized by my new students or by students who have just, say, completed their theses.\u201d<\/p>\n

How much contact do you have with students in an average summer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot. Of course there are also plenty of students I\u2019ll never see, but other students I\u2019ll see every month. I also maintain eight programmes\u2019 Facebook groups, as well as replying to their e-mails and answering their phone calls, many of which come from abroad. These will be international students who have returned to Rotterdam for a little while or Dutch students who were told their theses had been rejected while on holiday.\u201d<\/p>\n

What will the next few weeks be like for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cVery busy, because all the induction programmes must be organised, as well. Our teams always make a concerted effort to ensure those first few weeks are good. This is the time of year we have most fun. Even after twelve years, I never find myself thinking, here we go again. It\u2019s the greatest job in the world, even in summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

When will you be able to take a break?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNot until the end of Block 1, in November. The marks for the exams will have been announced by then, and all the new students will have landed on their feet. I\u2019m going on holiday in December. I\u2019ll be spending three weeks in Australia. No, I don\u2019t think the students will miss me. It\u2019s the perfect time of year to go away. It\u2019s too early for any crucial obstacles to have arisen. They won\u2019t arise until the next year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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