About this page

New (Pre-)Master students can sometimes get lost within all new information that is provided by the university. We therefore assembled some of the commonly overlooked bits of useful information and bundled it on this page.

On this page, you will find information about useful study places, reserving rooms, tips for software, help with your studies, job application tips, and a contact list of useful people.

Useful Study Places

In order to study, people often need a quiet place to prepare well for the exam periods. Fortunately, Tilburg University offers enough places.

Library

The first place that naturally comes to mind is the university library. Here you can study in silence, you can use a computer or, for example, work together in a meeting room. There is also a coffee corner where you can relax during the break. However, it can be very busy during exam periods. Therefore, some other nice study places to learn for your exams will be discussed down here.

Deprez

Deprez is a popular place to study. It is a former steam boiler factory that is now used for various workplaces. As a student of Tilburg University you can also make use of it. There are many free workplaces, there is a place where you can have lunch and there are enough vending machines in the building. However, it is important to know that complete silence is not mandatory in this building. It is allowed to talk quietly. So, if you prefer to work in a quiet environment, other locations might work better for you.

Location: Lange Nieuwstraat 172
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. till 12:00 p.m.

LocHal

This building was first used as a Locomotive Hall, but it has been converted into a building with various study places, but also with rooms for meetings. LocHal has more than 300 workplaces. There are also quiet places, here you can study in silence. There is also a public library in this building. So, if you are looking for literature, you may find it here. If you want to make use of a workplace in this building (e.g. a quiet room) it is smart to reserve a room.

Location: Burgemeester Brokxlaan 1000
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. till 22:00 p.m. Saturday from 9:00 a.m. till 17:00 p.m. Sunday from 12:00 a.m. till 17:00 p.m.

Reitse Toren & Reitse Poort

The Reitse Toren and Reitse Poort have not long been part of the buildings of Tilburg University. The buildings are located just outside the campus, but it is worth taking a look there. There are many rooms where you can work in a group as well as on your own. Often it is not crowded in these buildings, so you can find a good place to study last minute. If you want to be sure of a place, reserve the space online.

Location:
Reitse Toren: Professor Cobbenhagenlaan 125
Reitse Poort: Professor Cobbenhagenlaan 105
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. till 12:00 p.m.

Academia Building

If you don’t like complete silence, this might be a good place to study. People often don’t think about the Academia Building as a study place. Nevertheless, there are many workplaces where you can work for a day. For example, on the second floor there are fine sofas where you can work and on the first floor you can even find beanbags! In the hall on the ground floor you can find a lot of tables to study alone or with a group. Around lunchtime it often gets a bit noisy here. Maybe a good reason to take a break and enjoy a nice sandwich or toast!

Location: Campus Tilburg University
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. till 22:30 p.m.

Reserving rooms

To book a study room you’ll have to go to webroombooking.uvt.nl. In case you visit this page when you’re not on the campus you will have to activate your VPN to make it work (read the software tips for more information!) . Then you will have to log in with your ANR and your university password. You will see a menu where you can give your preferences for the amount of people and the building. According to these preferences you will see the available rooms and then you can request a reservation. You will get a confirmation email of your request and a few days later another email whether your request is approved or disapproved. Sometimes you will be allocated to another room then you requested, make sure to check this before going to your room! Furthermore, you need to make the request at least three working days before the date of the reservation. Do you want to know more? Check out this page for more information: https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/students/studying/campus/make-room-reservations

If you don’t want to study on campus you can also swerve to LocHal or the Deprez building in the Spoorzone. Deprez can be reserved in the same way as described above. In the LocHal you can reserve one-person. These can only be reserved one day in advance by calling or visiting the information desk. Click here for more information (sadly, this website is only available in Dutch): https://www.lochal.nl/werken-vergaderen/werkplekken-de-bibliotheek

Tips for software

Buying software for your own laptop/computer

If you are a student, you can buy software through Surfspot. This is a website where students in the Netherlands can buy software cheaper than in most shops. You can find good deals on for example SPSS or subscriptions to the Adobe Creative Cloud. Furthermore, you can buy hardware – like laptops – with a discount! This is a big benefit if you need a new one for your studies.

Software on university computers

You don’t want to spend money on software, or your laptop can’t run certain programs at all? Then you can also find a lot on the computers of the university. All the programs you need for your studies can be found on them. Unfortunately, there are no computers available on campus for students that have the Adobe Creative Cloud on them.

Reserving a computer

You can reserve a computer in the Library, so you can be sure you can use it when you need it. For more information, please visit the website of the university.

Free Microsoft Office 365

Each student at the university has a free Microsoft Office 365 account. This also allows you to use Microsoft Office on your laptop for free, as long as you are studying at Tilburg University. For more information, please visit the website of Microsoft.

VPN

If you are working on an assignment at home, you want to be able to consult papers as you can at university. To do this, you need a VPN tool or browser extension that allows you to access the university’s network.

VPN-tool
With a VPN tool, your internet traffic is redirected through the university’s network. This ensures that you can consult all the papers and journals you can access at the university at home. Check the Self- Service IT Portal of the university for information on how to set up this VPN.

Browserextension
You can also access many papers with a browser extension. More information about the extension can be found on the extension’s website. After you have installed the extension, all you have to do is make sure that you are logged in at Tilburg University and you will often be able to open all articles automatically!

Need some help with your studies?

Are you struggling with your premaster or master? Study Association Flow can help! Down below you can find a list of things that we can do for you:

  • As a member you can download all summaries for free! Helpful in case you don’t want to make a summary yourself or to support your own notes. Click here to go to the page with all the summaries. Isn’t the summary you’re looking for on there yet? Send an email to internalaffairs@svflow.nl, then we will try to see if we can buy the summary from someone.
  • If you need a more intensive form of educational support, you can sign up for Flow’s tutoring service! This service links tutors and tutor-seekers to each other. Click here for more information.
  • If you have difficulties with a subject, it may help to discuss it with a fellow student. Flow tries to reserve a study room for each exam period that can only be used by Flow members. Not only can you study here in peace and quiet, you will also find fellow students who might be able to explain the subject to you! Keep an eye on Flow’s social media channels for more information about when the study rooms are available and where to find them.
  • Flow also offers a lot of useful formal activities, such as workshops. Take a look on the Activities Page to view all upcoming activities!

Application tips

Good preparation is essential for any job interview! So immerse yourself thoroughly in the company you are going to apply for and make sure you have a good answer ready for the standard questions that come back at every job interview. This way, you will enter the interview confidently and professionally! On this page a number of tips will be given that will make your application a success.

Clothes make the wo/man

At a job interview, a first impression is of enormous importance. Of course, your appearance determines a lot and that has a lot to do with your clothing! Pay attention, dress codes are different at all companies. The corporate culture at one company is more informal than another. By doing good research into the company in advance, you will find out about it and make sure that you are already 1-0 in front because of the right choice of clothing!

Do’s and don’ts during the conversation

A first impression is of course important, but during the conversation itself you really have to prove yourself. This makes or cracks your chances on the job! That is why we will help you on your way with some do’s and don’ts during the interview:

Do’s

  • Behave professionally when you have to wait somewhere for your conversation partner! It is often the case that receptionists are already observing potential employees in the waiting room.
  • Talk positively about ex-employers. This way you radiate that you can be trusted!
  • Take notes during the conversation. This way you show that you are motivated and really interested.
  • Wait until your conversation partner offers you a seat before you sit down.
  • Clearly state your limits in terms of what you want to do in your job. This way you do not create unrealistic expectations.
  • Ask questions! By asking questions you show your interest and show that you are well prepared.

Don’ts

  • If you don’t have answers ready for standard questions like “what are your strengths?” and “can you tell me something about yourself?”. This implies that you haven’t prepared yourself well.
  • Coming too late or extremely early! Everyone understands of course that coming too late is a real no go, but coming too early is not always appreciated either. For a good estimation you can make sure that you are present fifteen minutes before the start!
  • Let your phone ring. It is very disturbing when your phone rings while you are in the conversation, so make sure your phone is on silent mode!
  • Ask for your salary during the first call. A first interview is often an introduction where you get more information about the job. The purpose of such a conversation is to see if there is a match between both parties. Don’t worry about the salary until any further conversations!

Standard questions

As mentioned before, at each job interview a number of questions are asked which are often asked again and again. Here is a list so that you can prepare yourself in the best possible way!

Basic questions

  • Do you want to tell me something about yourself?
  • What are your strengths?
  • What are your focal points?
  • Why do you want to leave your current job?
  • Where do you see yourself in five years?

Functional questions

  • What do you know about this job? What do you like, and what do you like less, about this job?
  • Why should we choose you?
  • Tell me about a difficult situation at work and how you solved it?
  • Have you ever experienced a job you couldn’t handle? And then what did you do?

Business-oriented questions

  • What do you know about our company?
  • Why do you want to work for us?
  • What would you contribute to our success?
  • What would you like to change about the company?
  • What do you think is needed to be successful in our company?

Demand mentality and flexibility

  • What do you want to achieve in your life?
  • What function do you want to have in five years’ time?
  • Are you willing to move?
  • Are you willing to work overtime?
  • Tell me about a difficult period in your life and how you dealt with it?

These tips should help you get it right. Good luck finding your dream job!

Contact list

Below is a list of the contact details for people you might contact within the university if you need help with your studies.

CIS Masters

Education coordinator: Nikki van Stipdonk
https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/staff/n-f-j-vanstipdonk?x=0&lan=en

DSS Master

Education coordinator: Nikki van Stipdonk
https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/staff/n-f-j-vanstipdonk?x=0&lan=en

CSAI Master

Education coordinator: Susanne Warmerdam
https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/staff/s-warmerdam

General

Internship coordinator: Lousie van Hoek
tshd.internship@tilburguniversity.edu

Student dean
https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/students/tutoring/deans-students

Secretary Examination Board
https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/students/studying/lectures/exams/examination-board/humanities

Career Advisor: Anne van der Velden
https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/staff/a-vdrvelden

Becoming active during your Master

Your master is of course a very busy period in your life. You take a lot of courses that you want to pass in one year, you get a lot of deadlines, you have to write a thesis and you have to orientate yourself on the job market!  If you read it this way, you might think that besides your master’s you really don’t have any time left for other things. But that is certainly not true!

Many master students choose to become active in a committee in addition to their master’s. In this way, they get to know their fellow students quickly and easily and thus build up a network with the people who will soon end up in the same field of work. In addition, they gain practical experience in attending meetings, organizing events and contacting businesses. In a committee of Flow you are in close contact with the business community! We have several partner companies with whom we organise events, so it is easy to build a network there. Several Flow employees have also found a job with one of our partners. Will you be next?

You can become active here, submerge yourself in the student participation of the University or apply for a job at the university!

Tracks in your Master

Do you want to start with the master Communication and Information Sciences? There are different options for this master. You can choose to specialize yourself in one of the tracks (Business Communication and Digital Media, Communication and Cognition or New Media Design) that are offered, or you can follow different courses of the different tracks. Below you can see a short description of the tracks.

Business Communication & Digital Media

With the MSc track Business Communication & Digital Media you will become an expert on communication issues in the area of business communications and digital media.

  • Learn about the principles of modern marketing communications and how to analyze and manage social media interactions.
  • Study the ways to improve the image of an organization, understand the impact of rapidly changing internet and digital media technologies on business communications, and find out how to make user-friendly websites or deal with conversations in the social media.
  • Choose from a wide variety of electives in the field of Communication and Information Sciences. Become all-round or specialize yourself in the field of marketing communication, internal communication or corporate communication.

Typical courses are:

  1. Online Public Relations
  2. Corporate Social Responsibility Communication
  3. Social Media Marketing (only offered in Dutch)
  4. Webcare

Source: https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/education/masters-programmes/business-communication-and-digital-media

Communication and Cognition

In this track you learn how to use language in digital applications, ranging from email to messenger systems and social media channels. Additionally you will learn how people interpret emotions, make choices and convince others.  By studying the communication processes you also learn communicate effectively yourself!

This is a track of MSc Communication and Information Sciences. You can choose to follow the main program or one of the tracks.

Typical courses are:

  • Cognition & Process
  • Non-verbal Communication
  • Information Visualisation & Cognition
  • Data and (mis)information

Source: https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/education/masters-programmes/communication-and-cognition

New Media Design

New Media Design focuses on the design, use and effects of new media.

  • Develop a critical scientific view of design processes.
  • Study methods to investigate which factors increase the impact of new media.
  • Learn how to translate user needs into effective designs that tie in with how people perceive, decide and behave.
  • Acquire creative skills and visualization skills, and learn how to make prototypes that you can test among users.
  • Apply theories and methods to issues like:
    – How can new media be used and designed to encourage healthy behavior?
    – Which data visualization techniques can one use to give consumers feedback on the effects of their behavior on the environment if you want to raise their awareness?
    – How can games and ‘gamification’ in education support and enhance the learning process, and increase learning outcomes?
    – How can new media contribute to diminishing loneliness among the elderly?

This is a track of MSc Communication and Information Sciences. You can choose to follow the main program or one of the tracks.

Typical courses are:

  • Interactive Story-telling
  • Creativity and Innovation
  • User Experience Design
  • Human Media Interaction Theory
  • Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality

Source: https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/education/masters-programmes/new-media-design