The Kick-In
The Kick-In, as the name suggests, is a big event that kicks you (you, as in, new university students) into university-shape. Most people who have done the Kick-In think of it as a week full of partying. While that’s true, that’s not even half of what the Kick-In is: it’s a week full of activities that allow you to get to know the city, connect and meet new people – from both your study and other study programmes -, and have a ton of fun before university… well, kicks-in.
In summary, it’s an introduction week for first-years at the end of August, organised and mentored mostly by second and third-year students of your degree to show you the ropes of the inner workings of the University of Twente. The full details of the Kick-In can be found on their website.
How to Prepare
1. Download the Kick-In App
I found the Kick-In App quite useful during the week of the Kick-In, as all the information you’ll ever need is on there: from the timetables (super important), numbers to contact, names of your fellow do-group members, and messages from the committee regarding changes to the programme. There are really no disadvantages to having the Kick-In App, so make sure that you download it from your app store once you’ve registered for the Kick-In.
2. Try to make friends during the Opening Fair
The Opening Fair is the first event of the Kick-In, and you’ll get to walk through the campus and go to various booths representing all the associations in the university. The Opening Fair starts in the morning and ends mid-afternoon, so it’s a great time to socialise and make new friends. You could be standing in one of the association booths and strike up a conversation with the person next to you, for example. Remember: most people you see at the Kick-In are new people, so they’re probably in the same boat as you are – you’d also be doing them a favour by making friends! Making friends is important at the very start of the week, because they’ll be the ones you’re going to parties and doing activities with.
3. Try to get a Do-Group that suits you
Your Do-Group will consist of the people that you will be seeing, ideally, almost every day, for the next week or so. Every Do-Group follows the Kick-In in its own way, with some focusing more on sports (for example) and others focusing on partying. Together with your Do-Group, you’ll decide on what activities to follow throughout the Kick-In period, so your Do-Group is quite important: it could make or break your Kick-In.
That’s why making friends before you get into the Do-Groups can be helpful. Of course, most people make friends during the Kick-In, with their fellow Do-Group members, and that’s great. However, I know some people that didn’t fully enjoy their Kick-In because their Do-Group joined some activities that they didn’t want to, so they regretted their Do-Group overall. If you choose a Do-Group with some people you already know, with ‘parents’ that seem cool and a list of activities that seem fun and doable, then you’ll want nothing more as a Do-Group ‘kiddo’. Of course, if you end up in a Do-Group you don’t like and would much rather join another one, you can go to an event organiser and have them change your group for you.
4. Go to activities that you know you’ll enjoy
Your Do-Group won’t be able to go to every activity that the Kick-In offers. Usually, you can convince your Do-Group parents to go to a specific activity that you want to check out, but if they can’t, then there’s usually no problem with saying, ‘Hey, some of my friends are going to this activity and I really want to see them, so I’m gonna go by myself.’ Your Do-Group is responsible for you throughout this whole week, so as long as you tell them what you’re up to and where and when, they’ll let you off on your own.
5. Stick to a budget
The Kick-In can get expensive – especially when you take into account what you’ve already paid for the Kick-In. For a lot of students, being away from home for the first time also means being responsible for your own money. This can lead to a lot of cases of drinking away your budget and having to survive on Indomie or instant ramen for the remainder of the month. So, work out a budget and stick to it. You don’t want to be known as the ‘ramen guy’.
6. Eat well
Speaking of ramen, make sure you eat well. Being responsible for your own money also means being responsible for your diet. Make sure you’re eating at least one balanced meal every day during the Kick-In, with plenty of protein and carbs complete with fruits and vegetables. Don’t rely on takeaways – this is also for your bank account. What I did before the big activities was make chicken and rice, along with any vegetables I had at home. Not strictly ideal, I admit, but it was as balanced as I could get with my (then) subpar cooking skills, so at least I was getting my proteins and carbs for the day.
7. Eat before every party
This is more of a general tip than a Kick-In tip, but since partying is such a big part of the Kick-In for some, I thought I had to say this. Eat before you party, especially if you plan on drinking. This way, you at least hold your liquor for the first couple of hours, or else you’ll find yourself dragged home by your poor friends in the middle of the night.
8. Rest up!
The Kick-In is tiring. Fun, but tiring – especially if you’re out partying every night. It’s crucial that you get at least 6 hours of sleep every day (the more the better, of course) so that you can at least experience what your next day has to offer. Usually, there’s a rest day on the Sunday after you start the Kick-In (so for this year, the 25th of August) where there’s not much to do except go to the cinema with your Do-Group. You can take this day to rest up and mope about until you’re feeling rejuvenated, which is what I did.
After the Kick-In, there’s usually a fever that goes around: the Kick-In Typhus. Nearly everyone I talked to after the Kick-In got sick. No one’s sure of the exact reason, but I’m pretty sure it’s just a culmination of having had an exciting week and your body telling you that it needs some rest that’s causing your cold. It should be gone by the time your classes start, so you can take the rest of the week after your Kick-In ends to rest and recover. After such an event, you kind of have to.
And so that was 8 tips for the Kick-In! I had a pretty good Kick-In, with a decent Do-Group and nice parents. Not everything went perfectly, as most things do, but I do miss the Kick-In period from time to time. There are people out there who say that the Kick-In is the best time of university, which seemed a little daunting at first – really, a couple of years at UT and the best time you’ve had is at the beginning? I’m glad to say that that’s not the case for me. The Kick-In was fun, but there were definitely better times ahead, so I can look at my last week of August last year as something fond and fun, but not as the peak of student life. Regardless, you should definitely attend the Kick-In, as it’s the best way of making friends at the start, and friends are some of the best parts of university. Have fun, kiddos!
