Upcoming Events

Board Applications for the 15th HCSA Board 2024-2025 are now open! If you like an extra challenge or just want to develop and improve your skills whilst having a fun experience, then don’t hesitate to apply!

The following positions are available:
President
Secretary
Treasurer
Commissioner of Internal Affairs
Commissioner of External Affairs
Commissioner of Public Relations

Application deadline is on the 1st of May. You can apply by filling the link below and submitting your CV and letter of motivation (max 1 A4 page).

Get excited for HCSA Introduction week! As the new cohort of Honours students has been formed, it is time to start the celebrations with a weekend long set of introductory events.

Silent Disco: Saturday 20th of April starting 10 pm at RGB Silent Disco Bar

Picnic: Sunday 21st of April starting 1 pm in Noorderplantsoen

Pub quiz: Monday 22nd of April starting 8 pm at De Drie Gezusters

Join us for a creative night of sip and paint at SKLO on March 21st starting 6.30 pm. Guest speaker, Andreas Blühm, will give a talk about his experience as creative director of the Groninger Museum.
Drinks and painting materials will be provided, sign up now to secure one of the limited spots!

Join us for the HCSA Dies Natalis! This year our association is celebrating it’s 14th birthday and we would love to invite you on the 19th of March to Café Wolthoorn & Co starting 7 pm to commemorate this day.

The evening will be coloured in darker hues, as the theme of this year celebration will be dark academia. To sweeten our time together, there will also be a delicious cake! We are looking forward to enjoying some drinks and spending the evening with you.

Join us for an unforgettable pubquiz-game show edition! Form a team and compete for prizes in Family Feud, Guess the Price and many others!

When: 16th of March, starting 8 pm
Where: Literary Cafe De Graanrepubliek

Price is €4,5 for HCSA members and €5 for non-members and it includes a free drink and some fun prizes!

Join us for the first social gathering of 2024! It’s the perfect opportunity to recharge post-exams and catch up with your Honours College friends! Share your Christmas holiday stories over a drink and enjoy card and board games with us!
Where: Het Concerthuis
When: January 26th, starting at 8 pm

We can’t wait to see you there!

As the exam season has just started, HCSA is bringing the study sessions back! On Tuesday, 16th of January, from 3-7 pm, the Honours Lounge is open for all HCSA members to come and study among fellow students, without the worry of finding a study space in the busy library!

And if you feel like taking a short study break from time to time, you can also enjoy some cookies and a good cup of coffee on the side!

The wait is finally over! HCSA is overjoyed to officially announce the destination of our 2024 Trip: Lisbon, Portugal!

Great food, sunny weather and amazing beaches! Come with us in May from the 10th to the 14th for the trip of the year in order to enjoy quality, relaxing time with your fellow honours students (and see the sun)
The approximate price is 300 euros for HCSA members and 350 euros for non-members (not definitive).

Join us as Juan Cantos, RUG alumnus and current digital project manager at Unilever, shares his career success and valuable business insights. You will engage in a real-life case study and problem-solving initiatives.

The event will take place on the 13th of December starting 7 pm at Lokinzaal in Rölinggebouw.

Open to all faculties to join!

Join us for a cozy Sinterklaas night on the 5th of December from 17:00 in the Honours Tower of the Academy Building!

A variety of home baked goods, hot chocolate and tea will be provided and are included in the ticket price of only 3,50€ per person!
This is a joint event by the Social and Travel Committees, so the money will go towards funding the yearly trip of the HCSA. Don’t miss out on having fun and also supporting our committees!

While the festive family and friends dinner is just around the corner, there is no better time than now for the HCSA-organised dinner, with the theme “dumplings around the world”

This windy November the HCSA is organising a warm and cozy dinner where you can try different types of dumplings made in traditional styles from East Asia to Eastern Europe!

Call all your friends, gather your team, and join us for HCSA Trivia Night to lighten up the mood in this gloomy weather!
We will be meeting on November 23rd at De Toeter, and we will be starting at 8.00pm!

The entry fee to join us is only €4 for our members, or €4.50 for non-members, the price including a free drink!

You can come with your friends in a team of 4, or come alone – we will match you with your team!
There are prizes waiting for the winning teams, so warm up your brains, and get ready to compete and have fun with your HCSA peers!

*MASTERS COMMITTEE APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN*

The Honours College Social Association committee applications are now open for masters students!!

We have 4 committees that you can be a part of, which you can find in the pinned posts. The deadline for the applications are Friday the 21st of October,so hurry up!!

As part of a committee you would work in a team with other students to organize a variety of fun events and get the opportunity share your passions with the Honours community. You’ll make lifelong friends, learn new skills and give your CV that extra edge!

To apply send your CV and a brief motivation letter to ‘intern@hcsf.nl’.

SUSTAINABILITY WEEK

From 10 to 14 October it’s Sustainability Week at the University of Groningen! Enrich your knowledge about sustainability, join the Green Office on a lunch walk about biodiversity, make your own hydrogen, watch a documentary together or come to the Sustainability Week lecture by Arjan Postma.

Click on the link in our bio to find the website, program and sign-ups! You can register per activity. Most activities have a limited amount of spots available, so make sure to sign up soon.

Fellow HCSA Members,
We hope the new academic year has been treating you well so far! To properly start off this year, we will be having our General Members Meeting (GMM) at Thursday the 29th of September at 19:00 in the academy building, room A2. During this evening the 2021-2022 year will be reflected on and the 2022-2023 Board will be officially constituted!

We hope to see you all!

In order to meet you all again after these many weeks, we’re happy to invite you to the HCSA welcome back drinks on Wednesday the 14th of September from 8pm on at the Café the Crown (Gedempte Zuiderdiep 2, 9711 HG Groningen).

The theme of this night is going to be “Dress as what you did this summer”, so whether you spent summer at home or at a far away from home, be creative with your costume!

We are already very excited about hearing from your summer and seeing your costumes!

Don’t forget to sign up through the link below!

COMMITTEE APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN

Are you looking for a new exciting challenge in your studies? Do you like meeting new people and plan fun activities for your fellow Honours students? Then you need to join one of the HCSA’s committees!

As part of a committee you work in a team with other students to organize a variety of fun events and get the opportunity share your passions with the Honours community. You’ll make lifelong friends, learn new skills and give your CV that extra edge!

Send your CV and a short motivation letter to n.ganesan@student.rug.nl

*DEADLINE: 18th of September*

You can apply for the following committees, which will be also introduced on instagram in the coming weeks:
Social Committee
Career & Lecture Committee
Gala Committee
Travel Committee
Almanac & Photo Committee
Sports Committee

Ever wished to party like in the 1920s? ??

Join us for the phenomenal GATSBY GALA on June 29 at 22:00 with unlimited drinks and snacks at Van Swinderen Huys!

You can get your tickets for only 15€ (early birds) if you’re an HCSA member! There are 25 early bird tickets available, so be quick!

For the 3rd years this Gala will mean a proper goodbye to the Honours college, while for others it is a unique chance to meet other fellow students!

Don’t have your sparkly Gatsby attire yet? We arranged a special10% discount with the HCSA sticker in four vintage shops for you!

Next to partying at the gala, you’ll be able to donate to two charities supporting Ukraine.

The event is also open for non-HCSA members so get your ticket as fast as possible!

The Gala committee is excited to see you all on the dance floor, old sports! ?

Find the link to the sign up form in our Instagram bio!

Are you from the new Johnson cohort and want to meet your fellow honours students? Or are you a honours student from the previous cohorts and want to get to know the new students?

Then come join the welcome picnic on the 17th of May at the Noorderplantsoen at 4pm!

You don’t need to bring any food or drinks, we will provide it for you!??? Just remember to fill out the registration form!

It’s official: we are going to the beautiful city of Ghent for our annual HCSA trip!??

From May 25th to May 27th, we’ll explore the city’s art, music, culture and food and we can’t wait for you to join us???

This trip is the perfect opportunity to make new Honours friends and take a mini-break before the final exams of the year.

The price for members is 56€ and 70€ for non-members. This does not include costs for travel within the Netherlands. Instructions for the payment are included in the sign-up form??

Are you as excited as we are? You can sign up for the trip starting now using the link below!

? Do you need some help with your thesis? Do you have trouble knowing where to start? Or do you want to improve your writing skills??

Then join us on the 12th of May for a free online workshop with Dr. Jeroen Vos, the founder of Asintik Academy and a long-time lecturer at the RUG. He has extensive experience in teaching and academic writing and will be there to answer any questions you may have.

SIGN UP NOW using the link below!

Do you want to learn how to be more spontaneous and resilient? If yes, then our improv theatre workshop is perfect for you!

Improv is a theatre genre in which characters, settings, dialogue and reality is made up on the spot. Actors then have to react to each others’ ideas and gradually build entire scenes???

This improv workshop will be given by Jenifer Yáñez Villahermosa, who has experience in improv theatre, music and performances??

Join us on Monday, May 9th from 17:00-19:00 for an amazing opportunity to experience improv theatre and the useful skills that go with it!

There are only 15 spaces so sign up now using the link below!?

Ready to see your Honours friends again? Interested in exploring the richness of Dutch beer? Then you should sign up for our Beer tasting event!??

On the 17th of March, we’re going to try a variety of Dutch beers at De Toeter (Turfsingel 6, Groningen) from 20h to 21:30h! ???

The price will be only 10€ per person, so please don’t forget to sign up in the registration form, which contains the instructions for the money transfer!

?LECTURE announcement?

Concerned about the current situation in Ukraine? Not sure how we got to this point? Join us to get a better understanding of the background of the crisis, and to ask any questions you may have!

This lecture is given by RUG professor dr. Nienke de Deugd. She is an expert on the European Union Neighbourhood Policy and Ukraine’s relationship with the EU, NATO and Russia. She also acts as the Treasurer on the board of the Centre for European Security Studies.

During the lecture, she will trace the history of the political tension that built up between Ukraine and Russia and explain how this led to the current crisis.

The lecture will take place online on the 16th of March between 16-17 on Google Meet.

??Ready for a fun night out with other Honours students??

Then join us for our monthly honours drinks on the 24th of February from 18:00 to 22:00 at De Toeter (Torfsingel 6, Groningen)!

To spice things up, the honours drinks will have a theme this time: Dress like your major! We will reward the best costumes with free beer, so try to be as creative as possible ?

We’re excited to see you soon and don’t forget to sign up to our registration from, the link is in our bio!?

Also, please don’t forget to bring your COVID QR code with you to the event!

Join our ‘Out of the Darkness Walk’ fundraiser to raise awareness about mental health!

Mental health is an important topic, especially for us students in these uncertain times. To remind you that we are all in this together, we will be organising a walk early in the morning on the 21st of February.

As we walk towards the sunrise, symbolically we will remind ourselves that after darkness there will always be light?

If you would like to provide financial support, we have created a QR code for you to donate to 113 Suicide Prevention NL.

The Sports Committee will also be donating for every participant that joins the walk.

We meet at 6:30 on Vismarkt and will bike to Stadspark, then go on an hour-long walk to greet the sunrise.

The event will finish by 8:30 back at Vismarkt, where there are plenty of cafes for you to grab a warm drink.

For more information, join our WhatsApp group . Feel free to join this event with non-HCSA friends☺️

See you there – the Sports Committee

Are you interested in fashion or sustainability? Would you like to learn more about these topics in an interactive way? Sign up for our amazing sustainable fashion workshop!

In collaboration with Chicfashic, the HCSA brings you a chance to get together and learn about fast fashion and its harmful effects on the environment. You will also hear about possible actions to help reduce fast fashion’s negative impact!

Join us on the 15th of February between 16:00-18:00 and become a part of the sustainability initiative!

Hello beautiful honours people!? 

We are excited to announce our Treasure hunt (with the option of joining the Winter Drinks from Social Committee afterwards) for you on December 15th starting at 14pm! ? 

The Treasure Hunt is a fun outdoors group activity. Your team will need to solve multiple riddles and will be sent to explore our wonderful city of Groningen☺️, so bikes are highly recommended! In addition to that, it is a competition and best times win prizes!??

You can start the timer for your team any time between 14-15 and Google approximates 35 minutes of cycling in total? You will receive more information after you register. 

In case you don’t have a group or want to get to know new people, we‘re happy to pair you up with other people — just indicate this in the registration form! 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, so let’s sit back and celebrate together! Join us for our winter drinks at Café Zondag on the 15th of December from 3 to 5 pm ☕️!

The sports committee will also host a treasure hunt around Groningen on the same day from 2 to 4 p.m., which will end in Noorderplantsoen, so you can join us afterwards for a rewarding drink!?

Just click on the button below to join the event!

We’re happy to announce our first monthly Honours drinks!?

Let’s get to know each other in real life and have some drinks together.
Join us on the 25th of November at 5 pm at the Café de Toeter (Turfsingel 6, 9712 KP Groningen). We’re very excited to see you all soon and hope you’ll have a great evening with us!

Just click on the button below to sign up for the event.

INCOMING OFFLINE PUBQUIZ

Are you tired after the past few weeks filled with exams and assignments? Need a refresher? Well, you’re in luck! On Wednesday, the 30th of June, the Travel committee welcomes you to our in-person travel themed pub-quiz!??

This 2-hour (19.00 – 21.00) event is going to be in the Grand Café Time Out at Poelestraat. We will test you on 5 topics: World Leaders, Flags, Music, Food Trivia, Infamous Inventions. This is your chance to showcase your global trivia knowledge! Not only is this event another great opportunity to release some stress with your team, you can also interact with other HCSA members you haven’t met before! ✨

The registration is ❕FREE❕of charge and you can even get 2 drinks and 2 rounds of snacks (1 hot and 1 cold)! Unfortunately due to COVID-19 restrictions, it is only available for 25 people (HCSA members only). You can compile a group of your own with a maximum of 5 people. Don’t worry if you don’t have enough people, we’ll try to merge you in with other small groups! So, what are you waiting for? Go sign up now through the link in the bio and the travel committee will see you all there!?

ATTENTION PHYSICAL EVENT!
Hi everyone, the Gala committee has prepared a special night for you all! Friday the 25th of June at 20:00 there will be an end of the year drink at DOT. For 2 hours you can get unlimited drinks from the bar, together with some delicious snacks. This includes draft beer, red and white housewines, soft drinks, mineral water and orange juice. Costs are only €14,-! For the 3rd years this evening will mean a proper goodbye to the honours college, while for others it is a nice way to finally meet fellow students. We are really looking forward to seeing you all in your best James Bond gala costume!! Be sure to get your tickets soon via the hcsa site, as there is limited room due to corona measures 😉
XX The Gala committee

Hello fellow honours peeps!
We are back with another lecture on sustainability!♻️☀️

In collaboration with MESA, we would like to invite you to our online lecture “Green over Groningen”, a close-up look at how to make our city more sustainable!

The lecture has two parts:
First, Joey Koning, who graduated from Spatial Planning at the RUG and now works at Hanze, will tell you about
different kinds of climate adaptation projects.

The second part will introduce you to Hugo Mohr and Gijs Verkooinen, two talented students of Environmental and Infrastructure Planning (Hugo) and International Business (Gijs). They started “Het Blad van Groningen”, trying to find a way to cool down Vismarkt, for example,by installing a giant pergola of plants entwined with art. Sign up now below (registration is free and open for all! We hope to see you there!☀️

*LIMITED TIME TO SIGN UP! SIGN UP NOW*

Hi everyone! On June the 2^nd at 18:30 the social committee will organise the one and only HCSA MasterChef event. You will have limited time to create the most beautiful dish. In the end a winner will be announced. The ingredients to create your dish will be provided for FREE.

You only have until the 26^th of May to sign up for the event, so don’t hesitate and sign up now! If you sign up too late you will not be able to participate anymore. Every participant will have to sign up individually, but you cannot participate individually. After signing up you will be added to a Whatsapp group to find someone to cook with. Once you have a partner or two you can share your address. The food package will be delivered to your home on Wednesday if you live in the centrum of Groningen (Binnenstad), Noorderplatsoen- and Hortusbuurt and Binnenstad-Oost. If you live outside these areas, you can pick it up somewhere in the middle of the city. There are no costs associated to it.

SIGN UP BELOW TO PARTICIPATE (Closed to HCSA members only)

Feel free to send any questions to social@hcsf.nl or e.aydin.2@student.rug.nl

We hope to see you Wednesday the second 😀

Kind regards,

Ece, Emma, Jan, Junye and Yuna

Ready to get into action for sustainable fashion?

After an enriching lecture on sustainable fashion, during this one-hour online workshop, Dr Fabiola Polli will focus on the more practical side of sustainable fashion! She will tell you about the characteristics of different types of textiles and help you pick up some of the practical skills you need to fix your clothes yourself instead of throwing them away.

Dr Polli completed a PhD in synthetic biology at the RUG and has a background in biochemistry and molecular
biology. She is also the founder of Chicfashic, an online platform raising people’s awareness about the role of the global fashion industry and the importance of second-hand fashion in combating climate change.

Join Dr Polli to ask her your questions about sustainable fashion and discover your crafty side! This online workshop is a follow-up to the sustainable fashion lecture, but you don’t need to have followed that one to participate in this one-of-a-kind practical workshop.

There are only 15 spots available, so sign up now below to join (registration is free and open for all!)

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email us at careerlecture@hcsf.nl or board@hcsf.nl!

Starting on March 15, 2021, the honorable Sri Lankan Buddhistic monk Bahnte Pasadhika Tero will be giving an online meditation program for anyone who’d like to join. You can read more about Bahnte here: https://antonabroad.com/becoming-a-buddhist-monk-a-life-decision-that-i-did-not-regret/

The program is for free and held online once per week. Each session is 60 minutes, in which the students will meditate together, learn about Buddhistic philosophy and have the possibility to ask Bahnte Pasadhika questions. During the program, students will learn different meditation techniques, including Anapana meditation, Vipassana meditation and Metta meditation. The programme will last for 2 months.

When meditating, we try to observe things as they are, without reacting to them or trying to change them. We just observe. Often, emotions or unobserved thoughts distort how we see the world around us. The awareness gained through meditation can be taken into our everyday lives, making us more concentrated and focused on the present moment.

To participate, please sign up by sending an e-mail with your name and contact details to dhamsuwa@gmail.com. You don’t need to be a member of the Honours College to participate in this course, it is open to everyone. You also don’t need to be a spiritual or religious person to benefit from meditation. The meditation techniques taught in this course can be learned easily and are non-sectarian.