You are a graduate! Now what?
Do you think that after graduation you are done with studying? Maybe…
But if your parents are not millionaires, you might want to have a job. I found a great blog that will definitely help you before and interview or before an assessment day.
Here it is : http://www.blog.grad-expectations.com/
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Tips & Tricks: How to find cheap furniture
At some point everyone has to face the challenge called find the perfect accommodation in Groningen but even if you manage to do that there is the additional trial to buy some furniture because most of the rooms in Groningen are not furnished and it is up to you how comfortable and pretty your home is going to be. Even when you are international student, living in some of Housing office’s student houses keep in mind that they are providing only the basic furniture like a bed and a table and in most cases students prefer to add some personal touch to this almost empty picture, so let me give you some tips and tricks how to deal with the matter.
The first solution and most expensive one is going to the good old IKEA, which is situated at Sontweg 9, a little bit far from all major sights of the city but can be reached with busses 9, 22, 73 and 76. The IKEA in Groningen is one of the biggest in the Netherlands and offers a great variety of products, in other words the possibility not to find what you are looking for is very little, the price is a different question.
The opening hours are:
Monday –Frida: 10am–9pm
Saturday: 9am–8pm
On Sunday it is closed.
Even if you don’t have what to buy there, still it is interesting to just visit since it can definitely you’re your boredom at least for one full day.
Moving on our next and cheaper option is buying second hand furniture. I will recommend Mamamini, which is a shop for secondhand stuff; you can find everything from junk and clothes to reasonable furniture. Keep in mind checking if some kind of bugs hasn’t decide to claim your new sofa for theirs. In Groningen there are three Mamamini stores for you to choose. Be sure that all of them have completely different furniture compare to the previous, so if you don’t find something that you like in the first who knows maybe you will be lucky in the second. Here is a map to check the locations or you can just Google it for yourself.
Last but not least, is to buy your furniture from other students; normally this is the cheapest solution.
First you can have a look at the different student houses, typically there are sell-advertisements on the ground floor but I don’t really believe that anyone will really start going from house to house just search for someone’s old chair, so let’s go to the more convenient option.
You can join the Facebook group “For sale in Groningen”, where people offer you their old stuff on quite reasonable prices. The variety is not limited to furniture only but you can buy a bike or something else. The group is all in English and all the items offered are shown on photos for you to know what exactly you are buying. In addition, you can negotiate the price if the seller is willing to do so.
With this my little lecture is over, I wish you good luck in decorating your perfect room!
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Incredible India
One of the best things of being an international student is the opportunity to make friends all over the world which comes with several bonuses, such as free accommodation in a foreign country, getting to know a new culture and taste delicious exotic dishes.
If you are even luckier then you can get invited to some of the special events, organized by the different communities in Groningen. After the unforgettable Indonesian dinner several months ago (see: http://www.feb-international.com/experience-indonesia), The “Groningen Indian Students Association” didn’t let to be left behind and kicked in with Bollywood Dance Night.
Everything started with amazing home cooked Indian dishes, thank goodness adjusted in spiciness for us weak Europeans but still strong enough to appreciate the power of curry and then after some socialization and making new Indian friends, you get the chance to worked out some good sweat , dancing to the rhythm of Bhangra and Pop. The dynamic movements and the lessons of native dancers definitely can let experience the world of Bollywood for one night only.
This kind of event is organized by “Groningen Indian Students Association” at least once a year, so if you get the chance to feel as if you are part of old Indian movie , don’t miss it at any cost, it’s totally worth it!
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Night of Arts & Science
If you are seeing strange creatures approaching you, doctors hugging you while singing and bands playing at every corner, no do not think that Groningen celebrates Halloween in June; just the Night of Arts and Science has begun.
Every year in June for one night the center of Groningen turns into a strange place, where you can find a giant model of human heart or just enjoy the performance on the stage next to it. On the Night of Arts and Science, talents from the different faculties of RUG get the chance to show that they are not all about studying but much more. Of course, there are some professional performance as well like musicians and artists.
You can move to various locations and on each and every something different is going on. This year you could have played with a robot in front of the UB, bumped into all kinds of creepy creatures in the city center or be amazed by the acrobats near the Central Station. There is so much to see that you cannot catch your breath running from place to place and still fail to see everything.
Normally, you should pay a certain sum to visit some places like museums and exhibitions but if you are a student in the red, you still can have a lot of fun because most of the activities in the city center are for free.
Every year the program differs but remains very exciting. One thing is sure though, for the past two years even putting my best efforts I still couldn’t say I manage to see everything, my hope remains to shine for my third year
One of the many performance during the Night of Arts and Science in Groningen:
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Getting a job after graduation
At the beginning of the year one of my professors told us: “Being a master student is a full time job!”. Everything was true. Plus, I would like to add that you will work a lot of “unpaid overtime” hours and weekends in order to successfully graduate.
Searching for a job as an international student is again a full time job. So, in order to make your life easier I would like to give you some tips and tricks from my job hunting experience.
1. Monster.com – is probably the biggest job board available. It has many options and filters that will help you find your dream job faster.
2. LinkedIn – the well-known social media platform for jobs has some limitations when it comes to search filters, but you can find many companies posting their announcements here.
3. iagora.com – is great a great tool to find internships, graduate programs, but also jobs. Before paying the premium features, please search the announcement on google. Sometime you will be able to find the original job description and to apply directly on the company website. For example: Step1: premium job announcement: “Site Editors are the final stage in the deal creation system, giving each (COMPANY NAME) its own web page.” Step 2: google search for “Site Editors are the final stage in the deal creation system, giving each”. Step 3: google search results number one – the company name is Groupon UK. Step 4: go to groupon website and apply directly by avoiding to pay the premium fee.
4. graduateland.com – this website is focused on graduate programs, but also jobs. A lot of jobs available in Denmark.
5. graduate-jobs.com and milkround.com- other websites for graduate programs.
6. European Institutions – keep an eye on the major European institutions: European Council, European Parliament, European Central Bank, etc. They are often recruiting.
Good luck!
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Feel good – Do good! FEB students in action for sustainable energy
Feel good – Do good!