ESN

In today’s association Friday, we spoke with Tea from ESN Tilburg. This association is one of a kind and really adds something special to Tilburg. Parties are going on all week in their own bar ‘Carpe Noctem’. This large bar is located in the middle of the city center. What more can you ask? Next to organizing many parties, ESN provides the chance to be develop yourself in several committees. Tea tells us some of her most memorable moments, the number one tradition within ESN and gives advice for people that want to experience what it is like at ESN.

Who are you and what is your role within ESN?

“Hi, my name is Tea, 20 years old and currently studying Global Management of Social Issues at Tilburg University. I am Market and PR Manager at ESN Tilburg for this year. Basically, I am responsible for everything you see on social platforms to answering students questions that they have regarding life in Tilburg.”

“The whole board contains of seven board members and it has been very fun so far, so we try to keep it that way”, Tea laughs.

Can you tell us a bit more about ESN in it’s basics?

“ESN Tilburg is a non-profit student association focused on international or internationally-minded students. Our goal is to enrich student life in Tilburg through parties and smaller events, forming committees and so on. Simply said ESN aims to help international students in Tilburg to have a fantastic time. We do this by helping students with practical matters and providing walk-in office hours. Additionally, we organize many on- and offline events and drinks. We have our own bar – Carpe Noctem – in the city centre, which functions as a point for international students to get to know new people.”

“In Carpe, we organize many activities. We have Tuesday and Thursday night parties, cooking activities, pub quizzes and even more different events. In the ESN network, we are the first section that has its own building and bar, which makes us very proud. Carpe Noctem is entirely managed by the board and the bar committee. The first two weeks of the semester, Carpe is open for every student. After that, you need to become a member to attend the parties.”

“When I introduce ESN to others I always like to say that we have two parts. Some students will like parties and activities the most amazing thing ever. On the other hand, we have more than fifteen committees. If students want to focus on a professional side and enrich their CV, they tend to join a committee. The bar committee is the most popular and important one.”

Do you have any traditions within ESN?

“Yeah, we do have one tradition within ESN. When the party comes to an end, we play “Piano Man”. Everyone knows that that is the last song. So after that, they know that we are not serving any beers anymore. All people then rush to the bar! That probably is the most recognizable and memorable thing if you come to Carpe Noctem. That is a tradition and I think that it is quite cool.”

Could you describe a typical member?

“It’s very hard to describe the typical ESN member as we have people from all over the world. This academic year, we got over 700 members, which is fun. Normally, this number is closer to nearly 1000 members. They come from all over the world. I cannot pinpoint one place. Literally, they come from all countries. It’s cool. The new members tend to go for party and stuff in the first semester. In the second semester – when they get to know the board, the bar and the whole concept of ESN – they join committees. It is interesting to see how the group dynamic develops over the whole semester!”

“The vast majority of our members are bachelors! Besides that, we have a lot of exchange students that are here for only one semester and then we, of course, also have master students. Usually, these master students are in the committees, because they want to enrich their extracurricular life more.”

How is the connection with Dutch students?

“Yes! As said in the beginning, we are open for internationals and internationally-minded students. A lot of Dutch students seem to go out of their comfort zone and meet international people, even though they are in their own country. So, we have a lot of ‘Dutchies’. That’s quite fun, because we integrate with each other. Dutch members also really enjoy their time here. I think that’s a cool little circle of internationally-minded people.”

How can you learn from each other?

“When I go to learning phrases, I usually associate it with committees, where we have a nice mixture between international and Dutch people. Dutchies, for example, really help us when it comes to Dutch documents. They help us with little tips and tricks. We really learn from each other!”

“Also in the first weeks of the semester, Dutch students are very helpful for new international students, since they show internationals around in Tilburg. They give a city tour, in which they give helpful tips, such as cheap stores to buy groceries. So, certain things that new international just don’t know yet.”

What is the connection that you as an association have with Tilburg?

“Over the years, Tilburg became a real student city! Not only for Dutch people but also definitely for internationals. That is also how I came here. I looked at which cities in The Netherlands appealed the most to me in terms of being a student city and Tilburg was the ‘winner’. Also, Tilburg University is one of the best-ranked universities in The Netherlands. Many international students think in this way about Tilburg. That is why there are relatively many international students living in Tilburg. We are there, besides the university, to help this large group out in a city which they do not know yet.”

Do you feel that the city of Tilburg facilitates the growth of the university?

“Yes! I was really scared that no one would understand me. Luckily, I have not had any bad experiences with speaking English here. Basically, everyone knows how to speak English. So, that is always nice. Besides that, there are a lot of cool places. Tilburg provides nice libraries, shops, and restaurants. During your study abroad time, you want to make stuff easier for yourself and the fact that everyone can talk with you is a big plus here.”

What are the plans for the future?

“Definitely we would like to have more members. It would be awesome to continue the growth. Also, we are always looking for good board members to succeed in our efforts. Of course, for the big four associations, we would like to make better connections. We are doing that now and we are happy that we have close connections with Vidar, Olof, and Plato. However, we would really want them to be even more open for internationals and also to bring more Dutch people to us. Basically, just to mix us a bit, because we can take away a lot from each other when it comes to knowledge and partying. So, I am looking forward to more integration between international and Dutch students.”

Want to know more about ESN, definitely take a look at their site.