77 Years of Impact: The Importance of Study Associations

Seventy-seven years. That's how long Aureus has been making a meaningful impact on students’ lives. Whether it's an active committee member who went on to join the board or a less active member who joined mainly for the discount on textbooks, Aureus has had an impact on their time at university.

Study associations throughout the country

In addition to Aureus, there are naturally many other associations that play an important role in the lives of students. Study associations throughout the country are committed on a daily basis to the development of their members. Some have existed for more than a century, while others date back only ten years. However, a difficult period is looming for a number of associations. A report by the NOS shows that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find new board members, as a result of which some associations are now without a functioning board. Many associations also see an annual decline in the number of applications for committees and in overall membership.

Insight into membership choices

Although Aureus is not currently experiencing any major problems and will not experience them in the near future, no one knows what the situation will look like in ten years. For this reason, we are working on a survey as part of our strategic approach, which we aim to distribute nationally together with the largest Business and Economics associations and several associations at VU Amsterdam. Through this survey, we want to gain insight into the considerations students make when deciding to join and especially why they choose not to. The results give us the opportunity to make effective adjustments within the association, in order to meet the needs of students as closely as possible.

You may have been a member yourself and have gained friendships and experiences that have had a major effect on your student days. If so, you’ll understand how much impact a study association can have. It’s inconceivable that this could disappear for some programmes. For this reason, we are fully committed this year to preserving these special associations for all future students.

Highlighting ABW, ACD, ARP

Last year was the 30th anniversary of the Amsterdam Career Days (ACD), which proved to be a great success. Since the last edition, the new committee has been working hard on the upcoming edition in March. Companies are being approached and the marketing strategy is being developed. The Amsterdam Research Project (ARP) also started again last summer. The board has put together a great group of consultants who are currently in the acquisition phase. They are going to Vietnam this year and are really looking forward to it. In addition, the Aureus Business Week (ABW) took place last month. From golfing with Deloitte and a case study from ING to a cooking workshop with KPMG, students were able to attend engaging events to connect with leading companies and recruiters. All in all, the week was a great success.