Welcome to the Committee-page of the Student Exchange Committee 2025-2026! 

Every year, the Student Exchange Committee (SECcie) of Study Association VIP organizes an Acedemic Cultural & Educational Midweek Exchange with Psychology- (or other behavioral and social sciences) students from another European university. In previous years, exchanges have taken place with students from cities such as Vienna, Budapest and Istanbul, creating unforgettable academic and cultural experiences.

The exchange consists of two week-long programs in which one week the partner University will visit Groningen and one week we will visit their city: March 7-15, 2026 and May 16-24, 2026 these trips will happen, so, save the date! 

This exchange is not only about cultural exploration but also about academic exchange and collaboration. During both weeks, students have the opportunity to attend lectures and classes at each other’s universities, experience different academic environments, and gain insight into how psychology is taught and studied in another country.

As a committee, we are excited to collaborate closely with the students and organizers from our partner university. We understand that their group or committee may not yet be formed, but we look forward to guiding and supporting them in setting up the exchange from their side. We are happy to host the first week here in Groningen to demonstrate how the program could be structured and to give the partner university more time to organize the return visit, but we are also happy to visit their city first.

In Groningen, our committee is responsible for creating a diverse and engaging program, combining academic activities with fun and cultural ones. Examples from past years include city tours, ice skating, sports in the Noorderplantsoen, and day trips to Amsterdam, alongside opportunities for international students to experience university life and connect with Dutch and international students from Groningen. Every Wednesday night our committee has a meeting to discuss these topics and have dinner together. 

Through this exchange, we aim to build academic relationships, promote cultural understanding, and encourage students to step outside their comfort zone, all while having a memorable, inspiring, and fun experience together. We’re proud to represent VIP, the study association for Psychology students at the University of Groningen, and to contribute to its mission of connecting students academically, professionally, and socially, both within the Netherlands and across Europe.

If you have any questions, comments or amazing ideas for our committee and/or this (or next) year’s exchange, feel free to reach us by E-mail: seccie@vipsite.nl or through our Instagram: @seccie_vip. 

Let’s meet the committee!

Hoi! My name is Yolente Prins. I am the chair of this year’s exchange committee. In the group photo, I’m the one seated in the middle. I’m Dutch, 19 years old, and born and raised in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. I’m in my second year of the English-taught psychology bachelor here at the University of Groningen. 

As the chair of the Student Exchange Committee, I’m responsible for coordinating our team, maintaining contact with the students of the partner university and ensuring that all aspects of the exchange run smoothly. I joined this committee as I love to travel and organize events. I got really excited about the idea of connecting students from different universities to see each other’s different academic, cultural, and personal life’s. My favorite psychology course is cognitive psychology, so I would be really interested if we would be able to follow a related lecture at the partner university, who knows..

In my free time, I enjoy playing field hockey, playing the piano and meeting up with friends. I’ve previously been part of the First Year Committee of VIP,  where I discovered how much I enjoy organzing events and working together in a committee. I also discovered there that the position of chair was something I really enjoyed and that is also why I’m happy to fufill this position again this year. I would love to organize a creative workshop or a cooking class where students of both countries make a typical Dutch dish like ‘stamppot’. One of the places here in Groningen I would love to show the exchange students is the Groniger Museum. I’m really looking forward to this year and organizing this exchange with these amazing people who will introduce themselves next: 

Hoi! My name is Anniek de Jong, and I’m the secretary. I'm at the top left of the picture. I’m 20 years old and also Dutch, from Zwolle. I’m in the second year of the Dutch track. As the secretary, my job is to organize and answer the emails, keep track of the archive and making the minutes, which are all the things we talk about in the meetings. This committee stood out to me since I love traveling, learning more about different cultures and meeting new people. This committee seemed like a perfect match for all three.
In my free time, I like to hang out with friends and make a nice meal for them. I also enjoy the gym (occasionally). 

Last year, I was on the workshop committee, where I learned how to work in a great team together and, of course, how to organize workshops, which can be helpful in organizing one for the students who come here.
One thing I would love to show the students here is the academic building, a beautiful building from 1909, where we have lectures! So perhaps we can join one. I would also like to get them excited about an “eierbal”, my favorite snack here. I’m really looking forward to it and have full confidence that it will be a great exchange!

Hola! My name is Inés, and I am the treasurer of this year’s exchange committee. In the picture, I am the one sitting on the left. I am currently in my second year of the English-taught psychology program at RUG. I am 19 years old and I am from Mallorca (Spain), where I was raised until I was 15, and chose to move to Scotland. I was in boarding school there for 3 years, and decided to come to study in Groningen after. 

As a treasurer, my role is to manage the committee’s budget, keep track of our expenses, and ensure everything runs smoothly financially. I decided to join this committee because I love travelling and meeting new people from different backgrounds and diverse cultures. I believe this is the perfect opportunity for me to keep connecting with students from all over the world and get insight into new countries and cultures, while expanding my organization and teamwork skills. I really enjoy organizing events where other people can get to connect with each other, too, and for these reasons, I decided to join two study associations this year. These are VIP, where I joined as a committee member, and the Honours College Social Association (HCSA), where I joined as the commissioner of internal affairs on their board.

In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, running, going to the gym, and spending time with friends. My favourite spot in Groningen is the Martinikerkhof, where I love to bring a good book to read while I sit on a bench, enjoying my Albert Hein take-away coffee. I love this place as the atmosphere is very relaxing, and because I believe it encapsulates Groningen’s essence very well. Something I found out about this year, since I joined the board of HCSA, are consti's (constitutional borrels). These are semi-formal parties where the new board in a student association is introduced, and the rest of the boards in other associations are invited to join. I really enjoyed assisting them so far because it was an opportunity for me to explore Dutch culture in a very unique way, which I could not have gotten to know otherwise. I consider this to be one of the highlighting opportunities being part of the board has provided me with so far. 

Ahoj! My name is Agata Bezděková, and I’m doing the acquisition for this year’s student exchange committee. In the photo, I’m the one standing in the middle. I’m 19 years old and originally from a small town near Prague, Czech Republic, where I’ve lived almost all my life before moving to Groningen. I’m currently in my second year of the English-taught psychology bachelor’s at the University of Groningen. 

As acquisition, my role is to contact various brands and companies and arrange sponsorship deals. I joined this committee because I wanted to become an active member of VIP, and because of my love for traveling, discovering new places, and learning about different cultures, so this seemed like the perfect fit! My favorite course so far has been Biopsychology because I find the connection between our perception, the brain, and body incredibly fascinating. I’d love to attend a lecture about a similar topic at our partner university. However, I appreciate learning about all areas of psychology (well… except for statistics), so I think any lecture that reflects the academic culture of our partner university would be interesting.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends, reading, going to the gym, and going on walks. This is my first year being active in VIP, and I’m very excited to see what it means to be part of a committee and learn all about the aspects that come with being acquisition. I am also part of the board of the Czech Student Association, where I am responsible for external affairs, so I already have experience with contacting companies, making arrangements, and working in a team, which will definitely help me with my role as acquisition. One activity I would like to organize for the visiting exchange students is a scavenger hunt through the city, where students would explore local landmarks, try typical Dutch food, and get to know new people and the city in a fun way!

Olá! My name is Maria Miguel, and I am the external affairs representative of this exchange committee. I am sitting bottom right. I am 19 years old, and I am from Portugal, born and raised in Porto. I am in the second year of the English-taught psychology bachelor's here at the University of Groningen. As external affairs, my job is to contact universities in order to look for a suitable location to do the exchange and to be in contact with other companies to do activities when the exchange happens. I decided to join this committee because my passion is learning about different cultures and traveling, and getting the opportunity to know how academically different it is in other countries has always interested me. The course that interested me the most last year was Biopsychology, so it could be interesting if we could be able to join one of its lecturers in the future.

In my free time, I like to play tennis, go on a walk through Nooderplatsoen, cook, and be with my friends. I am a part of the board of the Portuguese association as well, and last year I was a part of the First Year Committee, where I explored more about how much I like to plan events; my mother is an event planner, so I would always help her with that. In the last committee, I was in external affairs, so this year I decided to continue in this position, that I find very interesting and where I can acquire a lot of experience. One of my favorite places in Groningen is the park Nooderplatsoen, the canals where we could go on a boat tour, and the markets that happen in the center every week. When I am doing either of these, I can feel more of the Dutch culture, and of course, we cannot forget eating a stroopwafel. I am really excited for this year. I am sure that it will be an amazing, fulfilling exchange!

Ahoj! My name is Terezie Heiderová, and I’m doing the promotion this year. In the picture, I’m standing on the top right. I’m 21 years old and come from a small village near Ostrava, Czech Republic, where I lived my whole life before moving to Groningen. I’m currently a second-year student of the Bachelor of Psychology (English track) at the University of Groningen.  

As the promotion of the Student Exchange Committee, my main responsibilities include designing the trip booklet, committee logo, clothing, and other promotional materials. I decided to join this committee because I love being creative and meeting new people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. I also really liked the idea of introducing our students to those from our partner university, and helping them connect, explore different educational systems, and hopefully build friendships without borders. My favourite course at university would probably be either biopsychology, developmental psychology, or clinical psychology. I’m also really excited about the clinical neuropsychology course, so it’s hard to choose just one! Apart from my studies and this committee, I’m also a Year Representative for the second-year bachelor of Psychology students, and the chair of the Czech Student Association Board. Last year, I was the head of promotion for the Behavioural and Social Sciences Congress and a Year Representative for first-year students. Both of these roles were really fun and made me realise that I wanted to join the Student Exchange Committee, as my role here also involves a lot of creativity, planning, and having fun!

In my free time, I love going to pilates or yoga, going for walks, or having reading dates with my friends at Noorderplantsoen. Noorderplantsoen is one of my favourite places in the city. Besides that, I enjoy exploring the many diverse cafés around town or going to terraces for a drink with friends. During the exchange, I’d love to show these sides of the city to the incoming students and maybe include a bike or boat tour, because what could be more typically Dutch than exploring and enjoying the city from a bike or boat view?

The student exchange committee organizes an exchange with students from another university in Europe every year. In past years, these exchanges have been organized with for example students from Budapest and Istanbul. The foreign students first come to Groningen for a week, and later in the year students from Groningen go to their city for a week as well. The committee is responsible for the program of this week. Examples of activities that have been organized are an afternoon of skating, a city tour through Groningen, a day in Amsterdam and sports in the Noorderplantsoen.

E-mail: seccie@vipsite.nl