'It is nice that buses and trains run on schedule here'

| Stan Waning

Hundreds of students will get to know the University of Twente during the Kick-In. Who are they, where are they from and do they look forward to it? With U-Today you'll get to know a first-year student every day during the introductory period. Today: Ado Naiggolan (18) from Indonesia, bachelor student Creative Technology.

Ado Naiggolan.

Why did you choose Twente?

'The study programme was leading in my choice. Creative Technology seems to be the perfect balance between the technical aspect on the one hand and the design part on the other. The UT is the only university that offers it in that way. I wanted to go to a technical university anyway and looked at other options, but I didn't have to think long, because the study programme here was the deciding factor.'

Found a place to live yet?

'I found a room, but it wasn't easy. In the end, I managed to get a room close to the centre of Enschede. Maybe I started looking too late. I made my first attempt in June and only succeeded at the end of July. I am happy that I found something, but my living space is not ideal. It is an unfurnished space, so I had to arrange a lot myself.'

What do you expect from your time as a student?

'I hope to have a lot of fun and meet nice people. It's the first time I've been away from home for a long time and in Jakarta everything is totally different than here. The study will be quite a challenge, but I'm looking forward to it.'

Are you going to join an association?

'I am not sure about that yet. That is something to find out in the coming days. I have brought some application forms here and there to read up on it first. An association that has something to do with design seems interesting.'

What is your first impression?

'That everything here is so clean and organised. I have to get used to that. I also notice that buses and trains run on schedule and are on time too. I like that, even though I saw that train staff are on strike today. That's also new to me, because that doesn't happen often in Indonesia. Before I chose Enschede, I looked at other universities and I noticed that the campus here is much nicer.'

What are you dreading?

'The exams. Especially the first exam period scares me a bit. Luckily it will still be a while before that happens.'

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