Who’s who: the Class of 2022

Since the beginning of August, members of AUC's Class of 2022 have been arriving in Amsterdam and moving into the student residences. Consisting of more than 40 different nationalities, the group of full-programme and exchange students come from countries spread across five continents. This past week marked the first time that the entire group were able to officially meet each other, their new classmates and learn more about where they’ll be spending their next three years.

Getting settled at AUC

In order to ensure a smooth start at AUC, the students participated in a week-long orientation programme divided into daily themes. The first day focused on introducing students to various aspects of AUC, including a welcome by Dean Prof. Dr. Murray Pratt, Dr. Michiel van Drunen (Director of Education), Alexandra Brown (Member of Board of Examiners), Huan Hsu (Senior Tutor), Thijs Etty (Chair of the Board of Studies) and the AUC Student Council. After a short pause, students were then able to meet their tutors and receive their course schedules. The second day was all about academics and included presentations and interactive workshops on the curriculum and expectations of an AUC student. Although often serious, there were also moments for students to relax and meet faculty and staff, including during the festive picnic to close out Monday.

The importance of community involvement

On Wednesday, the AUC Student Association (AUCSA) took the lead on Introduction Week by presenting activities related to community building, including a Committee Fair, the annual much-beloved “Crazy 44” city scavenger hunt and a festive evening programme of films, games, pub quizzes and more.

On Thursday, the emphasis shifted to getting first-year students acquainted with their new home: Amsterdam. Kicking-off the day was the Amsterdam Science Park Challenge where groups of students explored their new campus, analysed what was missing and created proposals for what could be added to enhance the area.

One of the best sources of information for any new student, current second- and third-year AUC students then acted as guides in showing new first years their favourite neighbourhoods and areas of Amsterdam. As is tradition, the last full day of Introduction Week ended with a talent show hosted by the AUCSA committee 'OnStage' at Café Oerknal in Science Park. On Friday, the student groups departed for a weekend trip organised by AUCSA near Utrecht to relax and de-stress before starting classes.

Central to the week was ensuring the smooth transition of students into both academic and social life at AUC. We wish all AUC students and staff a great start to their academic year!