Day of the International Student attended by 1,700 international students
02 Nov 2007
The Day of the International Student 2007 (DIS2007), which Nuffic hosted on Saturday 27 October 2007, was attended by at least 1,700 students.
The venue was the World Forum Convention Centre in The Hague, and the guests came from all corners of the country. Many students came by train, while some institutions had laid on coaches for their students. The trams and buses from The Hague’s train stations to the DIS venue were teeming with expectant students the whole morning.
Broad programme
Before the main event at the World Forum Convention Center, the students went on excursions to some of The Hague’s top attractions: Madurodam miniature park, the famous Gemeentemuseum and Panorama Mesdag.
The afternoon programme included some useful workshops and seminars, but also some fun cultural activities. Fun was, after all, the central theme of the DIS. Workshops ranged from discussions of Dutch culture and applying for jobs internationally, to clog painting and Brazilian dance.
The sponsors had booths at the information market, where they met the students and gave advice about studying in Holland, scholarships and alumni associations. StudentBase, Nuffic’s online community for students, alumni and anyone considering studying in the Netherlands, was launched at the event’s own internet cafe. Everyone who created a StudentBase profile on the day was entered into a prize draw and one lucky student was the winner of a notebook PC.
The day closed with a big party event featuring the DJBus and the eclectic band R.O.O.O.M. with lead singer Romagna Sasabone.
DIS to be annual event
During the opening session, Nuffic’s Director-General Sander van den Eijnden announced that the Day of the International Student was to become a permanent fixture in the annual calendar. By making it an annual event, Nuffic wishes to underline its appreciation of international students who have chosen the Netherlands above other countries as their study destination.
This is not the only aim of the DIS, however. It is also intended as an opportunity for students from around the world to meet their fellow countrymen, fellow students or simply like-minded people, whether at a workshop or on the dance floor. Contacts like these are usually important enough to last. Initiatives such as StudentBase and our support for the Netherlands Alumni Associations (NAAs) in other countries are there to make it easier for students to keep in touch.
Once the final students left the DIS on the evening of Saturday 27 October, the organizers were suitably content. Everything had gone well. We now look forward to doing it again next year. But not only that, next year’s will be bigger and better than before!
