The quiz questions were “not easy,” a first-year student says afterward. “It was all about soccer,” she says as she cycles after her group.

Intro participant Aleksander thought there was too little about men’s soccer, though: “There was a lot about women’s soccer and not much about the men. We didn’t know much about that. There were also a few estimation questions. How am I supposed to know how many solar panels there are on the stadium?”

Still, there are some true soccer experts in the stadium: the quiz has no fewer than two winners. Each receives a red-and-white PSV shirt.

For student Chris, there is a bonus prize. He won the running race that was part of the quiz and leaves the stadium with a PSV soccer ball. “I was pretty nervous at the beginning because I had a ton of muscle soreness from yesterday’s sports workshops.”

In the central hall, laptops are set up for students to play games. Electronic beats fill the speakers at the mainstage.

About twenty students take turns fiddling with various knobs on a synthesizer. A Dynamo staff member helps them find the right controls. In the adjacent hall, six introgangers are gathered around a turntable. Their intropapa is teaching them the finer points of DJing.

Lowie van Rooij is a director at Dynamo. He sees a lot of enthusiasm among the students. “It’s a lot of fun. Some of them are still a little wiped out, but that’s totally fine. This is a place where they can just chill out a bit.”

Van Rooij also took part in the Intro last year, not only with Dynamo, but also with BIOTOOP, a community and talent program for electronic music. The effort is paying off. “We notice that students come back to us throughout the year.”

Social associations

Notably small is the number of new students at student associations E.S.C, Demos, and SSRE, and their behavior is remarkably subdued. Granted, the line for burgers at Demos is long, but during the tour of the building, no one asks a question or makes a cheeky remark.

But quiet doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. Data Science moms Ruth and Renske have such a great group that they have even taken in a few adopted kids. Maybe it’s because of the so-called das-adjes? That’s when you drink a beer through the red-and-white checkered tie worn by the group members.

When Cursor visits SSRE, not a single new student is inside. Niels from the introduction committee thinks this is because the City Tour is taking place on Thursday this year, whereas traditionally it was held on Wednesday.

“A day earlier, they might still be fitter and not skip the voluntary route through the city. At least, they would not be skipping us.”

When a Protagoras group does eventually come in, he calls on the many SSRE members lounging around the room to spring into action: “Come on, get on your feet.”

“Riding a bike is hard enough”

At indoor skate park Area51 at Strijp-S, you can smell the sweat as soon as you walk in. There’s plenty of intense physical activity going on. Alongside a workshop by dance association Footloose, students can make their way through a parkour course while freerunning.

The real daredevils try their hand at BMX stunts. One by one, they ride down a steep ramp. Every now and then, a student takes to the air. Anyone brave enough can use their two-wheeler to make a jump.

At the skate park, students also receive group lessons in skateboarding, focusing in particular on how to keep their balance. An international student is waiting for her group to finish. 

She’s not about to give it a try herself. “I find riding a bike hard enough already.”

From Catan to Code Names

For Intro students who have had enough of moving around or are done exploring the city, Joto’s Boardgame Café—which is part of the Explore at Ease route—is a good place to relax. The shelves are packed with board games, from Catan to Code Names.

It isn’t crowded, but there is plenty of chatter, laughter, and quiet concentration. A group of Dutch and international students is playing RISK. They are playing a different version than usual (world domination), without the special mission cards, since those are written in Dutch.

The café is co-hosting the afternoon with student association Knights of the Kitchen Table. Organizer Erik, who is playing cooperative poker with other Knights, is pleased with the turnout. “Students come in waves, but we’ve already seen at least a hundred of them. They’re very positive. For many of them, it’s also a chance to sit down for a while and recharge for tonight.”

The Knights are also preparing themselves for a long night. “Thursday is perfect for playing board games that take hours.” Terraforming Mars is on the schedule, at least. Players are also being actively recruited in the room for a game of Blood on the Clock Tower. “It’s a social deduction game that we want to play all night with two groups of fifteen people.”