“We, philosophers”, my mentors boasted, eager to flaunt the profound wisdom and expertise they had already acquired as second-year philosophy students. It was a hot August day, and the introduction for first years at Nijmegen had begun just a few hours earlier. Along with 54 fellow students (there was no mixing with other study programmes), I was gearing up for a week of partying and an introductory camp. Or so I thought. By mid-afternoon, I’d had enough. Having already completed a higher professional education degree, I wasn’t eighteen anymore, and the older students’ pretentious behaviour irritated me to no end. My brand-new friend felt the same way, so we grabbed our bikes and headed to Café De Plak. We never went back. That was the end of my Nijmegen INKOM.
Falling apart
Mentor groups falling apart is nothing new. Here in Maastricht, they’re now trying to prevent it by letting first-year students indicate their preferences through an online decision tree. Are you into sports? Parties? Culture? Tick a box. By the end, you’re left with ten potential groups. After each mentor has made a pitch for their group, the first years get to make the final choice. The idea is that this will increase your chances of ending up with like-minded people, hopefully making for a close-knit group.
Widly popular
Although the coming academic year is still a few months away, we too are already deep in preparations. This week, we met with a new columnist and two students who’ll be writing film reviews for us. Ideas for new series are pouring in, and our big editorial meeting is scheduled for Monday. Naturally, one of the items on the agenda is Maastricht University’s fiftieth anniversary. We’ll be giving it plenty of attention, though how I don’t know yet.
One last word on INKOM. If I were a first-year student now, I’d probably go for a sports-focused group. That’s what I ended up in back in Nijmegen in my first year, thanks to the then wildly popular student workout Bewegen Op Muziek, known as BOMmen. As for picking a mentor, I doubt I’d be very fussy. I’d just make sure to steer clear of the show-offs.