{"id":68534,"date":"2017-03-21T12:13:44","date_gmt":"2017-03-21T11:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/2017\/03\/21\/ik-ga-niet-naar-de-eur-toe-heb-het-gevoel-dat-ik-niet-welkom-ben\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:40","slug":"ik-ga-niet-naar-de-eur-toe-heb-het-gevoel-dat-ik-niet-welkom-ben-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2017\/03\/21\/ik-ga-niet-naar-de-eur-toe-heb-het-gevoel-dat-ik-niet-welkom-ben-2\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI don\u2019t go to EUR \u2013 I don\u2019t feel very welcome there.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDemian Janssen<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Two weeks ago, EUR students shared their thoughts on HBO students stealing \u2018their\u2019 study areas in the university library and the Polak Building. While the HR guests are recognised (\u2018by their \u2018frikandel\u2019 buns and Red Bull\u2019)<\/a>, they don\u2019t cause much of a nuisance, according to the EUR students we polled. Nevertheless, Facebook pages like EUR Confessions are having a field day.<\/p>\n

Big, bad world<\/h3>\n\t
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\n\t\t\u201cWhat you often see is that while they\u2019re incredibly smart and very independent, they absolutely hate having to do a presentation.\u201d\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAnnelies\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s quite condescending,\u201d responds Joshi, a first-year accountancy student at HR. He\u2019s familiar with the page in question. \u201cI don\u2019t go to EUR. I don\u2019t feel very welcome there.\u201d Ghitha understands why EUR students find it \u201cannoying\u201d when HBO students use the study areas. \u201cBut we simply don\u2019t have any room here.\u201d Although the second-year student does find it strange that someone enrolled in a research university would refer to HBO students as \u2018f*cking course participants\u2019. \u201cYou can find people like that, yelling stuff like that, everywhere. But in that case, I think you should take a good hard look at yourself and determine whether you\u2019re actually ready for the big, bad world outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

And in certain situations, many of the neighbours at EUR aren\u2019t, according to Financial Service Management student Annelies: \u201cWhat you often see is that while they\u2019re incredibly smart and very independent, they absolutely hate having to do a presentation. Many of our students love those opportunities. And a lot of students at Uni aren\u2019t very commercially minded. They are less bent on proving themselves, they have more self-confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bluster<\/h3>

Indeed, a number of the HBO interviewees mention their neighbours\u2019 self-sufficiency. Accountancy student Anil: \u201cThey attend a few lectures two days in the week, but for the most part, they hack it on their own. I wouldn\u2019t like that: here, they offer you more support, and you jointly discuss things.\u201d International Business Languages student Shangita\u2019s impression is that students at EUR not only work more on their own, but that they can also afford to miss a lecture every now and then. \u201cHere, this is absolutely out of the question, and indeed impossible. At HR, I get the feeling that you definitely need to know some of the things lecturers tell you in class for the exam.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u201cWhen you write the article, could you pop in my mobile?\u201d\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tErtugrul\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

And this independence is also reflected in how EUR students interact. \u201cYou see them sitting by themselves more often,\u201d says Karima. \u201cWe\u2019re more open, and we socialise more here \u2013 including in groups,\u201d adds fellow student Muhubol. It\u2019s true, confirms Daniel, who read Law at EUR last year and is presently enrolled in the International Business & Management Studies (IBMS) programme at HR. \u201cAt the university of applied sciences, you have more of a team spirit, because you do more things as a class. At EUR, we had a different group every week,\u201d he notes. According to Daniel, the typical academic student can be found hanging around a student association society building: \u201cthey go to Laurentius and RSC \u2013 there\u2019s quite a bit of bluster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Litres of Red Bull<\/h3>

In Muhubol\u2019s experience, academic students \u2018look kind of intelligent\u2019. \u201cMaybe because they tend to be calmer than HBO students.\u201d A number of other HR students reach the same conclusion. Annelies: \u201cSome HBO students are very restless, rowdy and they have a big mouth. As if they\u2019ve had litres of Red Bull.\u201d Viren smiles when he hears the Red Bull reference. He also saw the video clip in our first instalment. \u201cHahaha, well, they drink quite a few Red Bulls themselves. I don\u2019t see much of a difference personally.\u201d<\/p>\n

And nor does Samuel: \u201cWhen we get off the bus here at Kralingse Zoom, I have no idea who\u2019s going to which institution,\u201d says the first-year Accountancy student, who occasionally overhears EUR students having an \u2018intellectual\u2019 conversation in the Spar supermarket on campus. \u201cBut of course, they could also be senior-year students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u201cThey drink quite a few Red Bulls themselves. I don\u2019t see much of a difference personally.\u201d\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tViren\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Nor does everyone subscribe to the view, expressed in the first part of this series, that HBO students are hogging all the study areas on campus. Accountancy student Chris occasionally goes in search of a study area \u2013 often to no avail. \u201cWhen you arrive there around 10, you already see laptops all over the place \u2013 but no students from Uni \u2013 OK, maybe HBO too \u2013 in sight. And they only come back at say, 4 p.m. That\u2019s a far bigger problem than us allegedly stealing study areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

High-class girls<\/h3>\n\t
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\n\t\t\u201cThe girls seem really high class and are a bit stuck-up; the guys need to meet a high standard.\u201d\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMarin\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Do those intellectual conversations sound \u2018aloof\u2019? IBMS student Sanne: \u201cA friend of mine goes to Uni. OK, he does sound a bit uppity now and then, but I couldn\u2019t care less \u2013 I know him from before we started our studies.\u201d A lot of the HR students turn out to have friends enrolled at EUR. \u201cThey haven\u2019t changed,\u201d is Chris\u2019s experience. \u201cThey\u2019re still great.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the \u2018really pretty girls\u2019 that can be found at EUR are great too, according to Accountancy students Ertugrul and Marin. Marin: \u201cThe girls seem really high class and are a bit stuck-up; the guys need to meet a high standard. That can come off a bit arrogant.\u201d And \u201cwith looks like that\u201d he doesn\u2019t blame them, Ertugrul says with a smile. \u201cWhen you write the article, could you pop in my mobile number?\u201d<\/p>\n

Series EUR vs. Hogeschool<\/h2>