How International Students at VU Amsterdam Arrive Knowing 22 Other Students

A Walkthrough of VU Amsterdam’s Onboarding Approach

To understand how this works in practice, we spoke with Sandra van Daalen, International Student Onboarding Coordinator at VU Amsterdam, who has spent over a decade working within the university’s International Office and now leads onboarding for new international students.

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Moving beyond information to connection

VU Amsterdam is one of the most internationally diverse universities in the Netherlands. But diversity on paper doesn’t automatically translate into connection in practice.

As Sandra, International Student Onboarding Coordinator at VU Amsterdam, explains, international students often arrive with excitement mixed with anxiety.

They leave their home countries carrying uncertainty, about housing, friendships, academic expectations, and everyday life in the Netherlands. Traditionally, universities respond by sending more information: emails, guides, webpages.

But information alone doesn’t create belonging.

“We wanted students to feel at home already from the moment they received their admission letter.”

That insight shaped VU’s approach: if students could connect with each other early, before arrival, they wouldn’t have to spend their first months catching up socially.

At VU Amsterdam, this early connection is not symbolic. On average, incoming students connect with more than 22 other students before arrival, meaning most don’t start their studies knowing just one or two people, but an entire peer network already in place.

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Why VU chose a community-led approach

Like many universities, VU explored informal tools such as WhatsApp groups. However, these were limited, one-dimensional, and difficult to manage at scale.

What VU was looking for was a space where students could:

• find each other immediately after admission
• connect beyond study programmes
• share concerns and advice peer-to-peer
• build familiarity before setting foot on campus

Just as importantly, the international office recognised a deeper limitation.

“We cannot look into the minds of students ourselves. New generations come every year.”

Rather than trying to predict student needs from a staff perspective, VU made a deliberate shift: letting students support students, and designing onboarding around that reality.

That mindset led them to adopt Goin’ as part of their onboarding journey.

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What changed for students

Through early access to a shared community, international students begin building connections months before arrival.

They:

• meet future classmates
• find potential housemates
• connect around interests, hobbies, and personalities
• develop a sense of familiarity with the Netherlands

These connections are not siloed. At VU Amsterdam, 78% of friendships form between students of different nationalities, reinforcing meaningful international integration long before students set foot on campus

As Sandra puts it, students don’t arrive empty-handed anymore.

“They already land on their feet. They don’t lose precious time feeling isolated.”

That early grounding has a measurable emotional impact. In student feedback, 97% say that connecting with peers before arrival improves their sense of belonging to VU Amsterdam. Belonging becomes a foundation, not something students have to scramble for after arrival.

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From reduced anxiety to academic focus

The benefit of early connection isn’t only social, it’s practical.

Through peer conversations, students exchange advice on housing, arrival logistics, daily life, and expectations. As a result, 91% of students say that engaging with peers helps them with practical preparation, reducing uncertainty in the months leading up to arrival.

“Because they’ve onboarded so well already, they can focus on their studies and on socialising.”

Instead of spending their first semester catching up emotionally, students arrive ready to engage.

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What changed for staff

The impact isn’t limited to students.

For the international office, community-led onboarding has fundamentally changed how support is delivered.

Instead of:

• repeatedly answering the same questions
• pushing information one-way
• manually intervening in every concern

Staff can rely on peer-to-peer dynamics to do much of the heavy lifting.

“It takes a lot of work out of the hands of international office staff.”

That perception is backed by student feedback. 94% of students say they found answers through peers that they would normally have asked university staff, positioning the community as a first layer of support rather than an added workload.

Staff still step in where needed, but no longer need to be everywhere at once.

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Using student conversations as real-time insight

One of the most valuable outcomes for VU has been visibility into what students are actually thinking, in real time.

By observing which groups are most active and which topics are trending across different phases of the student journey, the team gains immediate insight into student priorities.

“It’s an immediate insight into what’s really on the minds of our students.”

When housing dominates discussions, additional sessions can be organised.
When confusion surfaces, communication can be clarified or updated.

Listening becomes proactive, not reactive.

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A broader shift in onboarding philosophy

VU’s approach reflects a wider institutional change.

Community building is no longer a side project, but can be central to student success. That shift is reflected internally as well: Sandra’s role transitioned into a full-time onboarding position, focused entirely on the people side of the student journey.

Students now recognise her before they even arrive on campus, through online sessions and community engagement.

For VU, that visibility signals something important: commitment, welcome, and continuity.

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Advice to universities still hesitating

When asked what she would say to institutions unsure about implementing community-led onboarding, Sandra is clear:

“Just take the leap. This is the new way of doing things.”

Not because it’s trendy, but because it works in practice.

“It goes hand in hand with what staff can do and what students can do themselves. It’s a perfect combination.”

Especially in uncertain times, creating a sense of safety and welcome early is not optional, it’s foundational.