{"id":109486,"date":"2020-02-18T14:21:35","date_gmt":"2020-02-18T13:21:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=109486"},"modified":"2026-01-20T10:07:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T09:07:45","slug":"minister-wants-to-know-everything-about-study-related-stress-and-work-pressure-i-also-had-a-burn-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/02\/18\/minister-wants-to-know-everything-about-study-related-stress-and-work-pressure-i-also-had-a-burn-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Minister wants to know everything about study-related stress and work pressure: \u2018I also had a burn-out\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

While visiting the Woudestein Campus Monday, Minister Ingrid van Engelshoven heard about the causes of stress and work pressure among students and employees. She was also critical of the strict binding study advice and the large number of temporary contracts at Erasmus University.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI suffered from a burn-out in my thirties\u201d, said Minister of Education Ingrid van Engelshoven in a discussion with students about stress. \u201cIt was both a difficult and an instructive experience. I learned that you can\u2019t be, and you don\u2019t have to be, good at everything.\u201d Student well-being is one of the themes the minister discussed during her visit to the Woudestein Campus.<\/p>\n

The students become nervous in the moments just before the minister enters The Living Room. This living room is a place where students can relax, or just talk, when they\u2019re feeling overwhelmed by stress caused by their studies or other factors. The students aren\u2019t the least bit disturbed by the presence of a dozen EUR communication employees and ministry representatives who are closely monitoring the meeting. Once the discussion starts, the students are focused only on the topic at hand and they have a lot to say. \u201cYou\u2019ll find study-related stress everywhere on campus\u201d, says Milly Ssebudde of The US Space<\/a>. \u201cThere\u2019s a need for a place where you can talk about sensitive issues. Loneliness, racism, depression. It\u2019s like a weight off your shoulders when you find someone to listen to you. You don\u2019t feel like you\u2019re alone anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Minister of Education Ingrid van Engelshoven discussing the topic 'student welfare' with students<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAysha Gasanova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Hopeful<\/h2>

All the students at the table agree there\u2019s still a taboo surrounding saying you\u2019re unhappy. \u201cYou have to excel, you have to be happy\u201d, explains Extraordinary Life\u2019s<\/a> Adriana Mockovcakova. \u201cIt\u2019s a big step to tell your friends that you\u2019re not feeling good about yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Minister acknowledges the importance of talking about your problems, based on her own experience with a burn-out. Van Engelshoven uses the word \u2018hopeful\u2019 to describe the student living room initiative. \u201cThe problems related to student well-being need to be taken seriously, but it\u2019s a hopeful sign that no complicated interventions are needed to take action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018The problems related to student well-being need to be taken seriously, but it\u2019s a hopeful sign that no complicated interventions are needed to take action\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

\u2018BSA raises stress levels among students\u2019<\/h2>

\u201cWhat causes you to feel stress?\u201d is what Van Engelshoven is wants to hear from the students. Finances and work pressure are the main causes of stress. \u201cJust studying is no longer enough. You study full-time, but companies demand more: good grades, committee work, a board position\u201d, says Magellaan van Rensbergen.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t take long before the students start talking about the pressure caused by the binding study advice (BSA). We have the strictest BSA requirements in the Netherlands. All programmes require students to obtain all 60 credits in their first year. The only exception is the Medicine programme. \u201cI think people underestimate how demanding this is\u201d, says Nizar El Manouzi, a student member of the University Council. First-year students are so young, they\u2019re actually still children.\u201d<\/p>\n

In September 2018 Van Engelshoven made clear she wasn\u2019t a supporter of Rotterdam\u2019s \u2018nominal = normal\u2019. In order to reduce the psychological pressure on first-year students, she wanted to institute legislation calling for a BSA with a maximum of 40 credits. But the Lower House did not vote this into law. A year and a half later, the Minister still doesn\u2019t stand behind the system used in Rotterdam. \u201cI hope universities will take a critical look at the BSA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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