24 Things You Need to Know if You Are a New Student at Erasmus University

By Sana Sardar

I still remember when I first came to EUR I was completely clueless about the campus and its facilities. It honestly took me a year to figure out all the study spaces, eating areas, etc., and I’m pretty sure there’s still a lot more to discover. Don’t worry, you won’t have the same problem since I’ll be listing everything I think you should know about the university!

  1. Did you know that the Mandeville and Tinbergen buildings have cafeterias with really delicious meals that are much cheaper than the Food Plaza?
  2. If you’re ever having trouble finding a study spot on campus you can download an app called “EUR study spots” which shows you every room that is free on campus in every building and till what time. If only I knew this earlier!
  3. If you’re ever having trouble parking your bike around campus, you can always park them in the underground parking lots which you can access from many parts of the campus.
  4. Apparently there’s also a secret library in Mandeville. Who knew?
  5. You can also rent books from the University Library. Even the ones for your courses!
  6. Oh, and did you know you can reserve rooms in Polak? Taking studying to a whole other level!
  7. If you ever want to show someone a great view of the university or the city, I recommend the 17th floor of the Tinbergen building! You won’t regret it.
  8. When you first come to Rotterdam, don’t spend money buying a sim card. You can get one for free at the ESN office!
  9. Oh and you can even get an OV chipkaart from the ESN office. And if you return it when you leave Rotterdam you get your money back too.
  10. Did you know that you can connect your personal OV chipkaart to the printer machines and coffee machines? Now that’s something I literally just found out!
  11. I’m sure you already know about SPAR to get those snacks between your tutorials and lectures.
  12. Did you know there’s a small passage that connects Mandeville and Van der Groot? That means you don’t have to exit the buildings in the cold to get to the other one.
  13. If you’re looking for associations to join you can go to the P building where all associations have their offices. I highly recommend Office PT-064.
  14. If you bring lunch to school and it gets cold, there’s a microwave in SPAR to heat it up.
  15. SPAR microwaves are usually super crowded, there’s only 1 other on campus! I’ll give you a hint, it’s where most of you all have lectures.
  16. You can also get free sporks in SPAR.
  17. If you’re looking for a quiet place to go to, you can go to the silent room in Pavilion.
  18. If you want to get deals on great events and Flixbus, buy an ESN card from the ESN office.
  19. You can buy a sports pass from the sports center to take part in all sports and use the gym. And the pass gives discount to a lot of places around Rotterdam like swimming pools and paddle boards in Kralingse Zoom.
  20. You can enter the sports centre without your sports card only 3 times. Who knew?
  21. If you’re a party person, ESN has parties every Tuesday at The VIP room and I can assure you they’re a lot of fun!
  22. To get yummy and cheap meals you can also go to the Sports Cafe. Their portions are pretty big too.
  23. If you want to have a fancy dinner on campus with friends, Pavilion is the place to go!
  24. Finally, you can top up your OV chipkaart on the ground floor of Polak.

I really hope these tips help you as a new student in Rotterdam. Wishing you all the best for your time here!