Student and Study Associations

A big part of student life in The Netherlands is taking part in an association. Associations vary greatly in what they do, and they cover basically every interest group. We have academic associations like your very own CIROS, but there are also others such as Sports associations, and many more!

Here is a list of associations existing in The Hague that you can consider joining.

H.S.R.V. Pelargos

Associations which comes together for their love of rowing.

The Hague Hornets

Sports association for rugby lovers.

H.V.V. Football Factory

Self explanatory, football association.

Yarn Club

Knitting club based out of Leiden Uni campus in the Hague.

Leiden MUN

Based in Leiden, however, a very prominent and well known MUN foundation. They go to many conventions throughout the year, such as IEUMUN and Harvard MUN.

PLNT Students The Hague

PLNT is an entrepreneurial association with a focus on sustainability. They also have a student association which deals with teaching and encouraging entrepreneurship at the university level.

ALAS

Association for Latin American students at Leiden University.

ABBA

Caters to students from the countries around the Adriatic, Baltic, Black and Azov seas (hence ABBA)

ASA

Afro Student Association, caters to students from Africa.

Haagsche Studenten Vereeniging

Dutch association which focuses on socialising and networking (and partying).

Hobbies

When you enter university, a lot of people will tell you that they feel a little lost in this new experience, and that they do not know how to organise their day anymore, especially when it comes to doing activities you love. A big struggle individuals have is keeping up with their hobbies once they move away from home and start university, especially.

While this seems stressful, here are some things you should keep in mind:

Hobbies depend on a budget as well as the amount of free time you have (how well you organise your study time, and everything else you’re doing at the same time)
Do not think of hobbies in the traditional sense as a ‘must’, sometimes we are pressured to think we must have a hobby despite the fact that we have no time.
Hobbies can be anything you do regularly outside of academic work (or work, or extracurriculars if that is the case) which bring you joy, relaxation, etc.
The university space can provide some of these hobbies, such as fitness and sports (accessible in the Beehive and Leiden Sports Centre), but also outside of it.
Join communities on Instagram and facebook and see what people are doing in the city and if it’s an activity you’re interested in, or you were doing before you came to The Hague, join in!
- such activities can be park yoga, going out as a group, etc.
You can also depend on associations for your hobbies. You can take some inspiration from the associations listed above.