MAK

This week, we spoke with Berend from MAK. He is this year's chairman of this unique organisation. MAK is very involved in the university and the so-called onboarding of students. You can therefore say that they are serious. On the other hand, they are a super close group of friends who often have fun activities together. They say they are the perfect balance between a student association and a study association. Curious why? Read more about it in the article!

WHAT DO YOU DO AT MAK AND HOW DOES THE BOARD WORK?

"I am the chairman of MAK this year, so I try to steer MAK in the right direction. It always remains a difficult question what you do exactly. It actually comes down to drinking a lot of coffees", laughs Berend. "I often sit down with people from the university to talk about the role and activities of MAK. I try to get everyone on the same page, so that we can continue to flourish in the long term. I don't lead MAK alone, of course. There are four full-time directors in total, including a vice-president, a treasurer and an educational affairs officer.

WHAT IS MAK?

"In the broadest sense, we are actually mainly there to help all TiSEM students. We organise a whole bunch of different things for these students, but mainly for first-year and pre-master's students. After all, they are 'new' to the university. "

"It can actually be broken down into four facets:

• For example, we organise tutoring sessions. These are different forms of tutoring, a 'private-coaching' platform, but also the so-called crash courses and tutorships.
• Secondly, we play an active role in the orientation days at the university. On those days we mainly want to show students what Tilburg has to offer outside their studies. We try to highlight the 'informal' side of studying.
• Thirdly, we are very much involved in the PASS Program. We are the mentors of the university and ensure that students in their first year are guided in the social field. First of all, we recruit the mentors. Then we guide them through the PASS program. This includes two social events and a formal event, namely the Development Day. This day is completely dedicated to the personal development of the student and there is always an entertaining speaker. Everyone should feel at home at the university and we try to make a difference.
• Finally - and actually the biggest event of the year - we organise the program introduction during the introduction week. This comes down to getting acquainted with your study and your study group. In this way we want to give students a nice start of their study time. After all, the most important aspect of working together is getting to know each other."

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION YOU MAKE?

"Mainly that students get to know each other in an informal way! We are actually an extension of the faculty. The university can use us for many things. We, as MAK, find it very important that we can show students the informal part of studying. We are all students ourselves, so we know what it entails. Having said that, we have plenty of things in the formal area that we think are important as well."

"That's typical for MAK anyway. We are really a combination of formal and informal. Within the PASS program we organise informal events, such as a cantus, but also the Development Day. We also liaise with the university on various formal topics. We link up with the university on the other formal aspects as well."

WHAT DO STUDENTS GET OUT OF YOUR ACTIVITIES?

"We are particularly good at 'onboarding' students. I really hope that we show that. Not everyone is fully aware of what MAK does and that's fine. For instance, not everyone knows that we organise the introduction days, but that's not a bad thing. After all, the students have had the introduction days and they have become acquainted with the university. I hope that every student eventually feels at home, that they know where to go for everything and that they get good help socially and academically."

HOW IS MAK A LITTLE BIT LIKE THAT?

"Well, we are not just four board members. We also have about 25 to 30 MAK'ers. It is mainly that we are a very close group of friends. We have been that way for 40 years now. Everyone is active in several committees that are responsible for organising various uni-related activities. At the same time, we also have a lot of committees that organise informal activities for MAK itself. For example, we go away for the weekend with MAK, we have drinks every other week and we do several fun activities. The latter is actually a side of MAK that few people know about."

"Because we are such a close group of friends, we can also organise everything. You can work harder, go the extra mile for each other and we are all there when you need us. A lot is asked of you when you first join MAK. However, you end up in a very close group of friends who don't just drink stupidly, but you do a lot of serious things together. That's cool!"

HOW CLOSE IS THIS GROUP OF FRIENDS?

"Very close. We really do almost everything together. We study together, have lunch together and have coffee together. Of course, there are also plenty of spontaneous nights out. That also typifies the group a little: you can organise all kinds of things, but in the end the spontaneous initiatives are the best. They make you a close group of friends and stay that way!"

"You also notice it within our alumni network. They always look back on their time at MAK in such a positive light, and that's great to see. They are still a very close group and are always ready to help us. We can always go to them with questions."

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELVES IN A NUMBER OF YEARS?

"I really want to continue with what we are doing, because I think we have a unique value. We want to continue to organise a really cool introduction week, a super cool development day and fun orientation days. If we can keep doing that and have enough challenge for all MAK'ers, then we are happy!"

"We also really try to have the mindset to think up new things and organise new things. We have a lot of opportunities and a lot of freedom; a unique position in which we can do a lot. We try to make the best possible use of that."

WHAT IS A BOARD YEAR LIKE AT MAK?

"I was active in MAK in committees and I noticed that I found it such a nice group, where you have so many possibilities. I don't feel like a chairman at all and that is nice. We are mainly best friends. As a board we try to create a very accessible atmosphere. It is hectic at times, but that is fun. You spend a lot of time together with the university and you have - to my mind - quite an impact. That is very instructive."

WHO IS WELCOME AT MAK?

"Everyone from the TiSEM faculty is welcome! That is typical of MAK. Everyone at MAK is open and curious about who someone is. When you enter MAK, you become best friends with each other in no time. You always get opportunities here and that makes it a very nice organisation", says Berend proudly."

"In addition, everyone can become active at MAK. It is a very nice combination for the student who wants a bit less than a student association, but wants more than a study association. That balance is perfect, I think."

If you want to know more about MAK, take a look at their site!