Pre-departure meeting

join the pre-departure meeting to farewell UT and Prepare for your departure.

The Pre-Departure Meeting aims to farewell exchange students and provide practical information to prepare outgoing students for an abroad experience. In addition to the main presentations, we provide the opportunity for outgoing and incoming exchange students to connect with each other via small group sessions per country. If you have any questions about the event, please email events-ces@utwente.nl.

Event programme

Date: Wednesday 11 June 2025
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Location: Waaier 1 (outgoing students), Waaier 2 (incoming students)

Please note: all exchange students are expected to attend the presentation at 19:00, even if there is no group meeting for your country.

View the programme for outgoing students

TIME	ACTIVITY	PRESENTER	LOCATION
19:00	Opening presentation for outgoing students	Jaap Stout, Exchange Coordinator, Faculty of BMS	Waaier 1
19:05	UT ambassadors	Joe Laufer, Senior Advisor, Alumni Relations	Waaier 1
19:10	Pre-departure practicalities	Jaap Stout	Waaier 1
19:30	Student presentation: culture shock	Rienke Mooiweer, Secretary ESN Twente & former outgoing student	Waaier 1
19:35	Health & safety abroad	Jaap Stout	Waaier 1
19:45	Erasmus Student Network	Rienke Mooiweer, Secretary, ESN Twente	Waaier 1
19:50	Closing of presentation	Jaap Stout	Waaier 1
20:00	Country group sessions	See information below	Waaier Ring Upstairs & Downstairs Canteen
21:00	Country groups conclude
From 21:00	ESN Drinks	ESN Twente	Sports Centre Canteen

View the programme for incoming students

TIME	ACTIVITY	PRESENTER	LOCATION
19:00	Arrive and be seated	Jitske Rijken, Exchange Coordinator, Faculty of EEMCS	Waaier 2
19:10	Opening presentation for incoming students	Jitske Rijken	Waaier 2
19:15	Pre-departure practicalities	Jitske Rijken	Waaier 2
19:25	Student presentation: reverse culture shock	Kai Kojima, former exchange student	Waaier 2
19:30	Erasmus Student Network	Manuel Ruz, Activity Coordinator, ESN Twente	Waaier 2
19:35	Quiz: Who is the best UT ambassador?	Manuel Ruz, Activity Coordinator, ESN Twente	Waaier 2
19:50	UT ambassadors	Joe Laufer, Senior Advisor, Alumni Relations	Waaier 2
19:55	Closing of presentation	Jitske Rijken	Waaier 2
20:00	Country group sessions	See information below	Waaier Ring Upstairs & Downstairs Canteen
21:00	Country groups conclude
From 21:00	ESN Drinks		Sports Centre Canteen

Country group sessions

Date: Wednesday 11 June 2025
Time: 20:00 - 21:00
Location: Waaier ring upstairs & downstairs canteen

Country group sessions provide an opportunity for outgoing and incoming exchange students to meet and share information about the country. Degree-seeking international students and returned outgoing students may join the group as well.

View the country groups

Please note: the list of country groups is subject to change.

Country	Group leader	Location
Australia	Liz Louden; Dr. ir. Dorien van de Belt	Waaier Canteen Downstairs
Austria		Waaier Ring Upstairs
Canada		Waaier Canteen Downstairs
China - Hong Kong		Waaier Ring Upstairs
Czech Republic		Waaier Ring Upstairs
Estonia		Waaier Ring Upstairs
Finland		Waaier Canteen Downstairs
France	Laureen Hamon, ESN Twente	Carré 2K
Germany		Waaier Ring Upstairs
Greece		Waaier Ring Upstairs
Hungary		Waaier Ring Upstairs
Indonesia		Waaier Ring Upstairs
Ireland		Waaier Canteen Downstairs
Italy	Sara Careaga Cacace	Carré 2G
Japan	Kai Kojima	Carré 2H
Mexico		Waaier Canteen Downstairs
Norway		Waaier Canteen Downstairs
Portugal		Waaier Canteen Downstairs
Singapore		Waaier Ring Upstairs
South Korea	Jaap Stout + Anne Leijzer	Carré 2L
Spain	Tahnee Smits	Carré 2M
Sweden	Sarah Kotter	Carré 2N
Taiwan		Waaier Canteen Downstairs
Turkey	Bilge Imren, ESN Twente	Waaier Canteen Downstairs
UK		Waaier Canteen Downstairs
USA		Waaier Ring Upstairs
No group? Join us at the Waaier bar downstairs	Nell Zegers, ESN Twente	Waaier Bar Downstairs

Roaming staff member: Jitske Rijken

There is no structured information provided by UT during these sessions. Rather, the informal meetings are a chance for outgoing students to ask questions about their destination country and/or partner university. Topics of conversation could include housing, cultural differences, food, cost of living, language, transport, tourist highlights etc.

Please note: country groups are only organised for the countries with registered outgoing students. The location of each group will be indicated on screens at the event. Only the larger groups have a leader.

ESN drinks

ESN Twente invites you to join them for drinks after the event. Continue your conversations and make new friends at the Sports Centre Canteen from 21:00 - 23:00. The first 100 students get a free drink.

Presentations

Below you can view the presentations from the last Pre-Departure Meeting.

Coffee with a local UT alumnus

Are you interested in meeting up with a local UT alumni for a coffee in your destination city? These fellow UT'ers offer a unique local perspective and can be a valuable resource during your exchange. Complete the registration form and the UT Alumni Office will be in touch.