Warm-Up Week (hbo minor or premaster students)
A warm welcome to all prospective students of:
- Premaster Molecular Sciences (Chemistry of Life, Medicinal Chemistry, Molecular Chemistry, Physical Chemistry)
- Premaster Computing Science (Cyber Security, Data Science, Software Science)
- Minor Molecular Sciences for university of applied science students
- Minor Computing Science for university of applied science students
You are about to make an exciting step from your university of applied sciences to studying at Radboud University, which means that you are going to build on your current 'practical' knowledge to deepen your fundamental understanding of your field significantly. You will soon notice that studying at a research university is very similar but at the same time very different from what you are used to. One of these differences is the extensive use of mathematics in your courses: you will often be doing mathematics to explain how chemical/computer-science related processes work.
Since we know from experience that many of you might not have used mathematics for some time, and the transition to a somewhat math-heavy programme at our university can be quite challenging (especially in the first few weeks), we strongly encourage all of you to participate in our Warm-Up Week from 18 to 22 August 2025, where you will get the required mathematical practice and guidance to make a good start with your studies. This week will not only help you get your mathematical skills up to speed, but you will also have the opportunity to get used to what university education is going to be like together with some of your fellow students in a serious but relaxed atmosphere. You will train and practise with all topics in our Mathematics Practice Book from Monday 18 to Friday 22 August between (approximately) 8:30 and 17:15 on campus in Nijmegen.
Register here (deadline: 12 August 23:59 (CET) | maximum 130 participants)
A typical day of the warm-up week looks like this:
- We start in the early morning (usually at 8:30 so you get used to your future daily routine) with a plenary lecture on the 'topic of the day'. I guide you through the essentials of this topic, mainly by discussing a variety of examples with you and demonstrating some important mathematical techniques, occasionaly showing you a math-related meme which I find funny (and you might too 😄) but also carries an important message.
- After the lecture, you go to your tutorial room together with 20 to 40 of your fellow students. Here, you are working on selected exercises from the Mathematics Practice Book, both individually and in small groups, under the expert guidance of my team of teaching assistants, who are students themselves and are well equipped to explain the theory to you in various 'student-friendly' ways. They stimulate and challenge you to work on those exercises suitable for you and they are eager to answer all of your questions.
- After lunch, you do a math-related group activity in your tutorial group. This activity lets you think in a different way about today's topic and experience that mathematics, although at times daunting, is a way of thinking that all of you can learn to do with confidence. You will get to know your fellow students a bit better while still working on getting a better math understanding and warming up for the start of your studies.
- The rest of the day is reserved for working on the remaining exercises, discussing problems and solutions with your fellow students and TAs, and having a casual chat every now and then if you want to. Towards the end of the day, an online self-test becomes available where you can test your mastery of the 'topic of the day'. If you obtain a nice score, you are rightfully done for the day. Not satisfied with your score yet? Just practise a bit more, ask your TA for specific suggestions, and try the self-test again to improve your score.
Finally, the best I can do to convince you of the benefits of doing the warm-up week is showing you what previous participants say:
Register here (deadline: 12 August 23:59 (CET) | maximum 130 participants)
If you have any questions about the Warm-Up Week after reading the information above, you are always welcome to contact me on Koen.vanAsseldonk@ru.nl.