Information for freshman

Welcome to the UvA. We hope you will have a great study time! To increase your chances of success, we have equipped this page with all the important information for first-year students on this page.

For a full overview of the most important info, you can read here the booklet specifically intended for first-year students. This will also have been in your first-year bag you got during the intro days.

About via

You are reading this page on the website of via, which is the study association for all studies in information sciences at the UvA. Including yours, that is! The association is run by students for students. And exists to make your life as easy as possible. Both in study area, with exam banks, book sales, and lectures. As on social, with lots of fun activities, a cosy association room where you can relax and get cheap drinks and snacks, and of course a drinks every Thursday at 17:00. We hope to see you soon!

Freshman weekend

Already a bit settled in the academic year? In need of a party and fancy befriending new fellow students? Then come along to the freshmen weekend! Every year, via organises the most historic weekend of your student year. The aim of this weekend is to get to know your fellow students.

During the freshmen weekend, you can have fun together with around 100 other new students. The programme is packed with diverse and super fun activities that guarantee fun and sociability. From partying with our very own DJs to a sports day with assault course, and of course not forgetting the crazy 88! This weekend's theme is ‘Partying like Beasts’ 🐾 so you are guaranteed a wild adventure!

We will all leave on Friday afternoon for a beautiful location in beautiful North Brabant where we will spend the weekend. On Sunday afternoon, we will be picked up by the bus to be dropped off at Science Park shortly afterwards.

See here for more info!

Committees

Like (almost) every study association, via has a number of committees. These committees are the driving force behind the association, these are the people who organise activities and keep them running smoothly. Because everyone in a committee puts in a few hours of work alongside their studies, they can make sure there is something fun to do every week! Below is a list of some of the committees with an explanation of what they do. You can always check svia.nl/commissies for a complete list of all committees and more info!

The First Year Committee

So many different committees can be a bit overwhelming. This is why the First-year committee exists! This is a committee especially and only for freshmen to learn how such a committee works under the guidance of experienced via members. How does a meeting work? What are minutes and action items? How do you make a budget? What exactly does a coordinator do?

In the first-year committee, you are in charge and learn all the important things in practice by organising an activity with your fellow first-year members. Last years, we organised many different activities, such as a Nerfgunfight in a lecture hall, a lift weekend, laser gaming, and a beer bike race. As you can see, the possibilities are endless! While arranging such an activity, you will automatically get to know a lot of people and learn about the association. When kickstart is over, you can move on to another committee you like!

Do you have a good idea for an activity? Do you just want to organise something fun? Or do you just want to meet new people? Then don't hesitate any longer and sign up at svia.nl/kickstart!