Pre-departure meeting

join the pre-departure meeting to farewell UT and Prepare for your departure.

The Pre-Departure Meeting aims to farewell exchange students and provide practical information to prepare outgoing students for an abroad experience. In addition to the main presentations, we provide the opportunity for outgoing and incoming exchange students to connect with each other via small group sessions per country. If you have any questions about the event, please email events-ces@utwente.nl.

Event programme

Date: Wednesday 11 June 2025
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Location: Waaier 1 (outgoing students), Waaier 2 (incoming students)

Please note: all exchange students are expected to attend the presentation at 19:00, even if there is no group meeting for your country.

View the programme for outgoing students

TIME	ACTIVITY	PRESENTER	LOCATION
19:00	Opening presentation for outgoing students	To be confirmed	Waaier 1
19:05	UT ambassadors	Joe Laufer, Senior Advisor, Alumni Relations	Waaier 1
19:10	Pre-departure practicalities		Waaier 1
19:30	Student presentation: culture shock	Ellen Kok, former outgoing student	Waaier 1
19:35	Health & safety abroad	Anna Nardini, UT Emergency Officer International	Waaier 1
19:45	Erasmus Student Network	ESN Twente	Waaier 1
19:50	Closing of presentation		Waaier 1
20:00	Country group sessions	See information below	Waaier Ring Upstairs & Downstairs Canteen
21:00	Country groups conclude
From 21:00	ESN Drinks	ESN Twente	To be confirmed

View the programme for incoming students

TIME	ACTIVITY	PRESENTER	LOCATION
19:00	Arrive and be seated		Waaier 2
19:10	Opening presentation for incoming students	To be confirmed	Waaier 2
19:15	Pre-departure practicalities		Waaier 2
19:25	Student presentation: reverse culture shock	Kai Kojima, former exchange student	Waaier 2
19:30	Erasmus Student Network	ESN Twente	Waaier 2
19:35	Quiz: Who is the best UT ambassador?	ESN Twente	Waaier 2
19:50	UT ambassadors	Joe Laufer, Senior Advisor, Alumni Relations	Waaier 2
19:55	Closing of presentation		Waaier 2
20:00	Country group sessions	See information below	Waaier Ring Upstairs & Downstairs Canteen
21:00	Country groups conclude
From 21:00	ESN Drinks		To be confirmed

Country group sessions

Date: Wednesday 11 June 2025
Time: 20:00 - 21:00
Location: Waaier ring upstairs & downstairs canteen

Country group sessions provide an opportunity for outgoing and incoming exchange students to meet and share information about the country. Degree-seeking international students and returned outgoing students may join the group as well.

View the country groups

Please note: the list of country groups will be updated closer to the event date.

Country	Group leader
Australia	Liz Louden
Canada	Margriet Dekkers
China - Hong Kong	Yitong Xue
Czech Republic
Finland	Dr. Saana Jukola
France	Dr. Lisa Broussois & Dr. Michel Bourban
Germany
Hungary	Gyöngyi Karácsony
Indonesia	Prof. Dr. ir. David Marpaung
Italy	Anna Nardini
Japan	Kai Kojima
Mexico	Camila Medina Polanco
Norway
Portugal	Sarah Kotter
South Korea	Lotte Sander
Spain	Tahnee Smits
Sweden	Ellen Kok
Taiwan
UK
USA
No group? Join us at the Waaier bar downstairs to share your experience, ask questions, chat etc

Roaming facilitator: to be confirmed

There is no structured information provided by UT during these sessions. Rather, the informal meetings are a chance for outgoing students to ask questions about their destination country and/or partner university. Topics of conversation could include housing, cultural differences, food, cost of living, language, transport, tourist highlights etc.

Please note: country groups are only organised for the countries with registered outgoing students. The location of each group will be indicated on screens at the event. The smaller groups don't have a leader.

ESN drinks

ESN Twente invites you to join them for drinks after the event. Details to be confirmed.

Presentations

Below you can view the presentations from the last Pre-Departure Meeting.

Coffee with a local UT alumnus

Are you interested in meeting up with a local UT alumni for a coffee in your destination city? These fellow UT'ers offer a unique local perspective and can be a valuable resource during your exchange. Complete the registration form and the UT Alumni Office will be in touch.