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Student life

Student life

Finding a room, making friends, going out, and somehow still finding time to study. Student life is not always easy.

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Video | Is having a beer still the norm?

7 juli 2026 - 13:00

Video | Is having a beer still the norm?

Alcohol should be discouraged. At least, that’s the advice of the Dutch Health Council, which says there is no safe lower limit for alcohol consumption and that the government should do more to discourage drinking. How much is alcohol still part of student life?

Noa commuted between Texel and the UvA during her studies (and still graduated cum laude)

29 juni 2026 - 07:30

Noa Zijlstra in front of the ferry at Texel

If class started at 9 o’clock, Noa Zijlstra’s alarm would go off at a quarter past 4 in the morning. Living on Texel while studying in Amsterdam, the past few years for the UvA student revolved around travelling, travelling, and even more travelling. Despite the long commute, she still managed t...

The thesis: an unnecessarily traumatic endeavour

29 mei 2026 - 14:30

The thesis: an unnecessarily traumatic endeavour

While the rest of us are out enjoying the sunshine, many students are cooped up indoors working on their dissertations and wondering what it’s all for, observes our columnist Kirsty McHenry. “The eternal question remains: What the hell is a theoretical framework, anyway?”

Photo report | Summer scenes on a sun drenched Roeterseilandcampus

27 mei 2026 - 07:45

Photo report | Summer scenes on a sun drenched Roeterseilandcampus

As temperatures rise, the campus slowly transforms into a summer scene filled with sunglasses, ice cream, and students spread across the grass fields. Summer seems to have already arrived — a visual impression in six photos.

Video | Amsterdam clubs launch night pass to fill dance floors

24 april 2026 - 10:00

Video | Amsterdam clubs launch night pass to fill dance floors

For many young people, going out has become an expensive habit, so they go out less often. Four Amsterdam nightclubs (Garage Noord, Skatecafe, Nachbar and Radio Radio) are now trying to turn the tide with a new experiment: a night pass for €24.50 a month that gives unlimited access. But is this ...

Magazine | How do students keep their studenthome clean?

21 april 2026 - 13:22

Pippa Goossens, Louise Zweghuis-Zierley and Roos de Kort

Over the coming weeks, Folia will be dedicating a special print magazine to the theme of ‘democracy’. Student houses are mini-democracies in their own right – places where power and participation play out even in something as trivial as a cleaning schedule. Who scrubs the loo, and just how (un...

Students on Uilenstede are frequently left without water

13 april 2026 - 16:35

Students fill pans with water when the running water cuts out

Students on Uilenstede are very frequently left without running water. According to campus residents, it happens almost every month. “We recently had no water from Friday through to Monday morning.”

Lower grades and resits for morning exams. Yet many UvA exams still start early

25 maart 2026 - 09:43

Early morning exams

Exams that start early in the morning tend to lead to lower grades on average, research shows. Yet a significant proportion of exams at the UvA still begin at 09:00 in the morning. Could this not be done differently?

Nikola Edelsztejn | We should normalise regional accents in Amsterdam student life

23 maart 2026 - 09:38

Nikola Edelsztejn | We should normalise regional accents in Amsterdam student life

Regional accents deserve a place on the UvA campus, writes columnist Nikola Edelsztejn. “It seems that people do not always fully realize how utterly absurd it is to dismiss a non-Randstad accent as less worthy of being taken seriously.”

Finally sunshine, jackets off: Roeterseiland instantly turns into a kind of catwalk

9 maart 2026 - 15:13

Finally sunshine, jackets off: Roeterseiland instantly turns into a kind of catwalk

The snow has finally given way to sunshine. Jackets off, time to strut. The Roeterseiland campus (REC), also known as the UvA’s fashion week, transformed into a catwalk filled with stylish figures.

New to Amsterdam? Get adopted by a local through the Buddy Program

18 februari 2026 - 13:42

Bas and Alisia

Moving to a new city like Amsterdam can be an intense experience, especially for internationals. The Erasmus Student Network gives these students a helping hand with the Buddy Programme, where they get linked to a native student who helps them navigate the city.

More study associations at UvA are unable to find board members

8 januari 2026 - 12:25

More study associations at UvA are unable to find board members

Many study associations at the UvA are struggling to find board members. In order to persuade students to join, other structures are being devised. One example is a part-time board, in which tasks are rotated.

The ephemeral nature of friendship as an international student

7 januari 2026 - 11:25

International friends: they’re gone before you know it

Friendships are important to prevent you from feeling alone, especially for internationals. But international students in particular tend to move on after a while. Gone are the friendships, observes columnist Kirsty McHenry.

UvA students on their special volunteer side job

4 december 2025 - 12:57

UvA students on their special volunteer side job

No money, but a clear conscience as a reward: this Sunday the hard work of volunteers is celebrated on "National Volunteers’ Day". In that spirit, three UvA students share their experiences as volunteers. “At De Kindertelefoon I sometimes get pranked.”

Thousands of Amsterdam students have a Swapfiets. But is it really such a good deal?

2 december 2025 - 12:50

Thousands of Amsterdam students have a Swapfiets. But is it really such a good deal?

Many students have a Swapfiets, but the company behind the rental bikes is struggling with strikingly long waiting times. This is despite fast service being their core promise. Bike broken? According to UvA students, you’ll be waiting a week for a replacement.

Special spots: these students live at unique locations

10 oktober 2025 - 14:00

Special spots: these students live at unique locations

While some students struggle to find a place to live in Amsterdam, others have been extremely lucky with their living situation. These three UvA students live in the most unusual places in Amsterdam.

Widespread nuisance from fraternity houses: “I’m hard of hearing and even I lie awake”

7 oktober 2025 - 08:00

Fraternity house of Hera, Nieuwezijds Kolk

Fraternity and sorority houses across Amsterdam cause serious nuisance to their neighbourhoods. Neighbours lie awake during the week because of all-night parties and shouting in the street. Due to a lack of clarity about who holds final responsibility within the houses, a solution seems far off for ...

Ritalin popular among students; even available from drugdealers

2 oktober 2025 - 14:58

Ritalin

Struggling to focus during lectures, or finding your attention span too short while studying? Ritalin has become increasingly popular among students, both with and without a doctor’s prescription. “For my last exam I used Ritalin three times in a single week.”

Receiving a mental health diagnosis as a student: burden or liberation?

24 september 2025 - 08:00

Receiving a mental health diagnosis as a student: burden or liberation?

ADHD, depression or social phobia: according to the Trimbos and CBS, more and more Dutch people are being diagnosed with a mental disorder. Does this trend also apply to UvA students, and does a label make them happier? “I cried with joy when I finally got the diagnosis.”

Young people in Amsterdam are increasingly struggling with debt: “The brain is still developing”

22 september 2025 - 09:33

Young people in Amsterdam are increasingly struggling with debt: “The brain is still developing”

Sky-high rents, poorly paid student jobs, one financial misstep and before you know it you’re deep in debt. This is happening to young people in Amsterdam more and more often, according to figures from debt collection agency Flanderijn. Getting a loan is becoming increasingly normal among young pe...

Students surprised by smoke-free UvA area: “Quit? No, no, no”

19 september 2025 - 16:49

Smokers on the corner of Nieuwe Achtergracht and Roetersstraat

The new smoke-free zone around the UvA completely surprises the ten smoking students on the corner of Nieuwe Achtergracht and Roetersstraat on Friday afternoon. Few expect to follow the new policy. “This cigarette in this spot, that’s my relaxation moment.”

From cloudy beer glasses to smoke-scented curtains: The student cleaning guide offers advice

18 september 2025 - 08:30

From cloudy beer glasses to smoke-scented curtains: The student cleaning guide offers advice

Months of unwashed sheets, towering piles of dishes and encrusted hobs: student houses do not have the best reputation when it comes to hygiene. Writer Diet Groothuis – who says she hates cleaning and has no time for it – wrote a cleaning guide for students. “Many students have not learned how...

Being a first year student feels just the same as being a first year professional

12 september 2025 - 10:11

Being a first year student feels just the same as being a first year professional

The feeling of a first year student strolling around with a yellow tote bag doesn’t differ from that of a graduate, argues our columnist Kirsty McHenry. “The self-consciousness that comes with presenting myself to potential employers feels uncannily like the awkwardness of those first few weeks ...

Wanted: friend (m/f): more than half of students feel lonely

8 september 2025 - 11:00

Wanted: friend (m/f): more than half of students feel lonely

Sitting in a lecture hall with hundreds of fellow students and still feeling lonely: many students who move to a new city to study find it difficult to make friends. “I often called and FaceTimed my parents when I felt lonely.”

This was the Intreeweek 2025 in ten photos

29 augustus 2025 - 13:30

The students went on a canal tour of Amsterdam to explore the city.

The introduction week for new undergraduate students at the University of Amsterdam is almost over! Thousands of first-year students spent the past few days getting to know the university, the city, and each other.

Want to score a cheap beer? This is the place to be

27 augustus 2025 - 10:02

Want to score a cheap beer? This is the place to be

Are there still pubs in the city where students can get a pint for a reasonable price? Folia went on an expedition.

Introduction week for first-year students at the UvA has begun

25 augustus 2025 - 15:32

Long queues of first-year students at the REC.

After a long summer break, students returned to campus today, starting with the first-year students: today marks the start of Intreeweek, a week in which first-year students get to know each other informally for the first time through a wide range of activities on campus and in the city.

Can hazing be done differently? This writer and former student association member thinks so

19 augustus 2025 - 12:05

Introductory period at the ASC/AVSV

Good hazing rituals do exist, according to Barend Last. He wrote a book about introductions within student associations and other clubs. Based on his own experiences and conversations with members, he outlines how hazing should be done. ‘It’s that one per cent that goes wrong.’

Silence around Thalia fraternity house: neighbours relieved as initiations fail to take place

18 augustus 2025 - 17:19

Silence around Thalia fraternity house: neighbours relieved as initiations fail to take place

This week the initiation rituals at the student associations are starting. At Thalia’s fraternity house – where the board of A.S.C./A.V.S.V. intervened last week with a halt on new members – it remains completely silent. Much to the delight of the neighbours, who in previous years during initi...

How can you cycle safely through Amsterdam as a newcomer? The cycling professor gives advice

18 augustus 2025 - 09:20

Meredith Glaser

Teenagers speeding by on fat bikes, confused tourists on the cycle path, or parents on cargo bikes who think they own the road. With more bikes than residents, Amsterdam’s cycle traffic can be quite intimidating for newcomers. That’s why Folia asked cycling professor Meredith Glaser for some tip...

Lukas van de Coevering | Pick one box and stay in it, please

11 juli 2025 - 13:30

REC-P, homebase of PPLE.

For many of us students, choosing the right degree program in the Netherlands was like playing a game of darts with our eyes closed, says our Lukas van de Coevering in his farewell column. “You don't know what courses actually teach what and if you chose wrong, the only thing you can do is wait an...

These UvA students found solace in the church: “It can be quite tough being a Christian in the student world”

19 mei 2025 - 10:51

Oude Lutherse Kerk

A larger percentage of young people describe themselves as religious than the generation above them. This is a striking break with tradition, because ever since these figures have been recorded in the Netherlands, the percentage of religious people has declined with each generation. Folia therefore ...

Gifted at university: “You are so smart but you do so little”

13 maart 2025 - 13:00

Gifted at university: “You are so smart but you do so little”

A fifth of gifted students do not graduate in higher education due to motivation problems, among other reasons. In the Week of the Gifted, study advisors and student psychologists draw attention to the subject. “It is a misconception that gifted students only get A’s.”

UvA student sells summaries as a side job: “Converted to hourly wages, it is quite lucrative”

11 maart 2025 - 15:27

Summaries

Many a student uses them during their study: online summaries. For some, selling them is even a side job. Like for Lotte Peerdeman (25), master’s student in clinical psychology at the UvA, who earns several hundred euros a month with her summaries.

Folia has Fomo: six places where you can have an excellent night out this weekend

7 maart 2025 - 15:00

Folia has Fomo: six places where you can have an excellent night out this weekend

Where should you go on a Friday or Saturday night in Amsterdam? Six unmissable places in Amsterdam for a cultural weekend full of music, theatre and partying.

What is it like to be a student with autism? “I cannot fully function at university”

25 februari 2025 - 13:01

These students do not appear in the article

Overstimulation, unclear deadlines and professors with insufficient teaching skills: for many students with autism, university is a source of frustration. What can teachers do to make life more pleasant for these students? Folia took the UvA course Autism in Education.

Kirsty McHenry | Life in the big city as an international student

17 februari 2025 - 14:22

Kirsty McHenry | Life in the big city as an international student

Columnist Kirsty McHenry moved from a tiny village in Ireland, where everyone knows her name, to Amsterdam. It took some time to settle in, to say the least. “Without the reassuring network of enforced proximity to fall back on, I had to rely on my personality alone to make friends.”

Kirsty McHenry | As my bachelor nears completion, I feel more adrift than ever

10 februari 2025 - 09:21

Kirsty McHenry | As my bachelor nears completion, I feel more adrift than ever

As the end of her undergraduate degree approaches, a slight existential crisis lurks, writes columnist Kirsty McHenry. “Ironically, after almost three years of studying and countless hours of lectures and tutorials, I am more confused now than when I first enrolled.”

Is non-alcoholic beer more common at sororities and fraternities?

28 januari 2025 - 13:34

Is non-alcoholic beer more common at sororities and fraternities?

The consumption of 0.0 beer has been increasing in recent years. How do fraternities and sororities look at this alcohol-free alternative? “I took an alcohol policy course with other societies and afterwards we all went out drinking.”

Lukas van de Coevering | In 2025, I will no longer let my phone rule my life

14 januari 2025 - 12:00

Lukas van de Coevering | In 2025, I will no longer let my phone rule my life

Six hours a day, Lukas van de Coevering spends on his phone, and it doesn’t exactly make him feel better. On the contrary. That’s why in 2025 he wants to let his life be determined less by algorithms. “Unconsciously, we are all living vicariously through other people, watching people do extrao...

Holiday season? Students are more concerned with making it to winter break

19 december 2024 - 13:04

Holiday season? Students are more concerned with making it to winter break

There are no Christmas elves and reindeers dancing through columnist Kirsty McHenry’s head this December, but statistics sums. Her upcoming exams are causing all the revelry to fade into the background. ‘It seems I’m not the only one, the UvA campus is filled with Scrooges, Grinches and Gremli...

Festival tickets are becoming more and more expensive, is Lowlands still possible for students?

12 december 2024 - 08:00

Lowlands

Multi-day festivals are usually very popular among students and young people in the Netherlands, but in recent years ticket prices rose dramatically. In the past few weeks, ticket sales started for well-known festivals like Down The Rabbit Hole and Best Kept Secret, and tickets for next summer are o...

Hicham El Ouahabi | Of course students use a meditation booth to shag

29 oktober 2024 - 13:23

Hicham El Ouahabi | Of course students use a meditation booth to shag

It is not surprising that students of Maastricht used the meditation room for sexual escapades, writes columnist Hicham El Ouahabi. After all, where else would they do it? “Students languish in sheds where you catch every breath of your roommate or still live with their parents because affordable ...

Lukas van de Coevering | Why does Ancient Studies struggle to create a sense of community?

24 oktober 2024 - 10:22

Lukas van de Coevering | Why does Ancient Studies struggle to create a sense of community?

Why does PPLE but not Ancient Studies manage to forge a sense of community, columnist Lukas van de Coevering wonders. “For most people in my program, I would not notice if they stopped showing up to seminars and lectures. That is strange.”

For his thesis, UvA lecturer Sydney Schelvis visits as many clubs as possible during ADE

17 oktober 2024 - 10:28

For his thesis, UvA lecturer Sydney Schelvis visits as many clubs as possible during ADE

UvA lecturer Sydney Schelvis is writing a PhD thesis on club culture and electronic music. With ADE, he is therefore taking notes in as many clubs as possible. “On the frayed edges of the city, the club experience is very different from the centrally located clubs.”

Comedian Alex Ploeg was pretend student for years: “I didn’t dare face anyone anymore”

2 oktober 2024 - 13:11

Comedian Alex Ploeg was pretend student for years: “I didn’t dare face anyone anymore”

Comedian Alex Ploeg (38) pretended to those around him that his studies in philosophy at the UvA were going well, but in reality, after four years he had still not passed his propaedeutic certificate. He dared not talk to anyone about it. In his latest show, he addresses that lonely time. “Asking ...

Hicham El Ouahabi | As a first-generation student, you have to figure things out yourself

16 september 2024 - 09:54

Hicham El Ouahabi | As a first-generation student, you have to figure things out yourself

Columnist Hicham is the first in his family to study. “There is no lack of support and pride from home. On the other hand, you have to be able to deal with the fact that they can never fully empathise with your student life.”

Kirsty McHenry | The lessons of working for a minimum wage

5 september 2024 - 13:06

Kirsty McHenry | The lessons of working for a minimum wage

You can learn a lot of wise lessons from working for minimum wage, writes Kirsty McHenry. “Some of my friends worked in the local restaurant , where the owners failed to pay their wages once the business was no longer profitable.”

This was the Intreeweek of 2024 in ten photos

30 augustus 2024 - 15:11

This was the Intreeweek of 2024 in ten photos

The introduction week for bachelor students at the UvA is over again! The Intreeweek committee can look back on great weather, new encounters and lots of games.

What are the best places to go out in Amsterdam?

29 augustus 2024 - 09:58

What are the best places to go out in Amsterdam?

Anyone who has been studying in Amsterdam for a while now will know: the city really wakes up at night. Amsterdam has a lot to offer for people who want to explore nightlife. Here are seven club tips from Folia.

What does a fraternity or sorority cost?

28 augustus 2024 - 15:06

What does a fraternity or sorority cost?

This Intreeweek, prospective students are getting to know Amsterdam’s more than 60 student associations. But what do you actually pay for such an association? Folia compared the costs of three student associations.

From long queues to festivals: Intreeweek throughout the years in ten photos

26 augustus 2024 - 10:04

From long queues to festivals: Intreeweek throughout the years in ten photos

For more than fifty years, first-year students have been welcomed to Amsterdam during Intreeweek, that starts again today. Once the week was full of educational evenings and political messages, nowadays it is mainly about fun. A small history of Intreeweek in ten photos.

How have student associations changed their hazing practices?

20 augustus 2024 - 10:23

How have student associations changed their hazing practices?

After several sexism and violence incidents at fraternities, subsections of a student association, ASC lost their annual grant from the UvA, VU and HvA in 2021 and L.A.N.X. and SSRA in 2023. Since then, they have greatly modified their hazing practices. “The taboo on certain topics has really been...

It’s summer! What are students still doing at UvA?

12 juli 2024 - 09:28

It’s summer! What are students still doing at UvA?

Last week, the UvA campus looked empty. Summer holidays seems to have begun at the university as well. But not for everyone: a handful of students are still at Nieuwe Achtergracht, the University Quarter, and Science Park. What exactly keeps them here? “Because of the demonstrations, I couldn’t ...

Working as an escort alongside your studies: “Sometimes I'm exhausted in lectures”

6 maart 2024 - 09:55

Working as an escort alongside your studies: “Sometimes I'm exhausted in lectures”

In addition to her economics studies at the UvA, Zara* has quite an unusual side job: She is a high-class escort. She wants to make the taboo on “exciting” sex work disappear. “I don't want to let go of the excitement of this double life.”

Kirsty McHenry | Not under my roof: the arbitrariness of the UvA house rules

20 februari 2024 - 09:01

Kirsty McHenry | Not under my roof: the arbitrariness of the UvA house rules

The UvA’s ban of the pro-Palestine demonstration on the Roeterseiland campus is a good example of how ambiguous its house rules are, writes Kirsty McHenry. “What the UvA understands by an expression of public belief is unclear and nowhere defined. This vagueness suggests that the mere utterance ...

Is quitting your studies a taboo?

19 februari 2024 - 09:00

Is quitting your studies a taboo?

Why is quitting college after the first year so difficult, sometimes almost impossible? And why do many students prefer not to talk about it? “Everyone went on except you, so then you quickly fall by the wayside.”

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