WHO WILL YOU MEET DURING THE KICK-IN?

The Kick-In is of course completely organised for the new first-year students, but these are certainly not the only people you will meet. Almost all students at the UT will be present during the KickIn to let you experience the best possible time. We have listed a few of them for you.

Lisa Karst

The largest group that will be present during the Kick-In are of course the kiddos: the future students. The kiddos form small groups of about 8-12 students, a so-called do-group, with whom they will experience the entire Kick-In. All these students are from the same study programme, so these will become your first friends of your student days. Many do-group brothers and sisters (yes, because that is what they are) you will see for years to come!

Technical Medicine, 19 years old

DID YOU PREPARE FOR THE KICK-IN? IF SO, HOW DID YOU PREPARE?

I tried to find a room before the Kick-In started. Back then I lived on the other side of the Netherlands, so I needed a room. Unfortunately, I could not find a room before the Kick-In, but luckily this did not matter. On the first day of the Kick-In, I made a lot of new friends. These friends offered me a place to stay during the Kick-In, which was nice! During this week I biked around Enschede and stayed the night with different friends, which was a lot of fun.

DID YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF THE KICK-IN COME TRUE?

Before I came to Enschede I did not know what to expect. During the opening of the Kick-In, I realized that it was much bigger than I imagined it to be. We did fun activities starting in the morning and ending late at night. I did a lot of things during the Kick-In that I never did before. I made long days, but I enjoyed every single moment and would definitely do it again if I had the chance.

WHAT IS THE BEST MEMORY OF THE KICK-IN?

There were lots of nice moments during the Kick-In. If I needed to choose something I think the Cantus was one of the best moments that I remembered. I never experienced anything like this before and everyone was mysterious about it beforehand. Nobody told us anything beforehand to keep it a surprise. I liked that I did not expect anything before it started, so I could experience it myself. It was really impressive and I will not forget this memory easily.

DO-GROUP PARENTS

A do-group is guided by senior students. These students are often in their second or third year and therefore already know a lot more about Enschede, the campus and the university.

WHY DID YOU BECOME A DOGROUP PARENT?

First, of course, because it’s fun! I had a wonderful experience as a kiddo and as a do-group parent you can organise part of it yourself and give your own twist to the Kick-In for the kiddos. I am a member of a fraternity: HGB, a large group of friends and we have had a do-group for the study of Business Information Technology for over ten years! Together with a large group of friends where a lot of experience about the Kick-In is present, guiding an activity group during the Kick-In is great!

Liam van der Veen

International Business Administration, 21 years old

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE THE NEW KIDDOS THE BEST KICK-IN EVER?

Long before the Kick-In starts, we start with the preparations. Then we look at the programme and work out what we think is the best programme and which parts you want to attend no matter what. In addition to the general programme, we also set up small fun activities such as a BBQ and drinks throughout the Kick-In. The rest of what we do happens during the Kick-In, as a do-group parent, uncle or aunt you build a bond with the kiddos and try to give them the best possible impression of what student life here in Enschede entails. We help with practical matters around the study and talk a lot about our own experiences, but of course we also party very hard during the KickIn!

WHAT MAKES THE KICK-IN SPECIAL FOR YOU?

In just over a week, you change from someone who is new to Enschede with only new people around you to someone who feels at home here in Enschede and who knows many fellow students of the programme. You lay the foundation for a great start to a new chapter in your life and, personally, I have made friends for life during the Kick-In. If I have to pick one programme part during the Kick-In as my favorite it would definitely be the Storming of the Bastille! I do not want to give away too much just yet, because you will have to experience it yourself, but the Storming of the Bastille is a really unique activity compared to other introduction weeks in the Netherlands. It tests your endurance and is a great bonding experience for a do-group.

Crew Members

The Kick-In is not possible without the help of crew members. Every year there are over 150 crew members who work during the Kick-In to give the kiddos a great time. There are many different crew groups;

• All-round crew

• Media crew

• Care crew

• Info desk crew

• Transport crew

• Technical crew

• Calamity crew

• iDB Committee (ICT crew)

This coming Kick-In is my 4th year as a Kick-In crew member. I started off as an all-round crew member in 2020, after which I joined the transport crew. We are a close group with excellent car drivers and are responsible for solving the logistical puzzle during the Kick-In. This year I’ll be the head of the group, being a kind of chairman. With our 4 vans and the big red manitou we move everything from A to B, from tables & chairs to pens and whiteboards! This also means that we are the first to arrive and the last to leave, but are always in time for the parties.

What I really like is the solidarity that you get with each other. You spend a lot of time together during the Kick-In and you forge friendships in that time that will last a long time! The transport crew is very close. People that once also partook in the Kick-In as transport crew I still have good contact with. We once had a drink in Utrecht and a couple of people that I’ve never met also joined in and we hit it off immediately. This all comes through the shared experience called the Kick-In. During those two weeks you see each other’s high and especially low points, because it can be difficult sometimes. However we always pull each other through it!

Ha, this is a difficult one, because every activity that’s on the menu has something nice to offer. The logical answer should be the ‘Storming of the Bastille’, arguably the most iconic activity of the Kick-In. An activity that kiddos talk about for weeks, but you also look back on after a couple of years. But from a logistical point of view, it is just a really long day. I personally would make a case for the end show. Last year we got glimpses during the Kick-In of what the technical crew was upto in the big tent; Programming away with the lights, hearing bits and pieces of the to-be end show. And then, after two weeks, you stand in the back of the tent and see the lasers doing their thing on the beat of the music, it really closes the Kick-in off in a fantastic way. It is hard not to pink away the tears then haha.