Student support

Lecturers provide you with course related support and are there to listen to you. They can give you advice and possibly refer you to the right person to help you.

The Student Success Coach is your first point of contact for all your questions related to your studies or facilities. Your student success coach guides you in the choices you make within your studies and knows where to go for other questions. You can also talk to them about personal issues affecting your study success.
Every student is assigned a Student Success Coach. If you don't know who it is, please contact the coordinator gabriela.oudevrielink@zuyd.nl

Student counsellors can inform, advise and support you with problems you may encounter during your studies and in your personal life. For example, if you’re having financial problems or if you need short-term psychological help. The counsellor can also guide you if, for example, you have doubts about your choice of study, if you want to quit or change studies or have conflicts at school or complaints.

The student counsellors have an independent position within the hotel school. Moreover, the student counsellors have a duty of confidentiality and can advise the examination board on decisions that concern you. Our student counsellors are Frederike Verhallen and Sofija Grbic. You can find them in SB 0.05 office, which is located in the Service building. You can make an appointment with them via: decanaat.hmsm@zuyd.nl

The student psychologist provides guidance and support for mental health issues. Your teacher, student success coach or student counsellor can help you with a referral. If you prefer to see a student psychologist at your own request, you can also make an appointment by emailing studentenpsychologen@zuyd.nl.

Zuyd has a confidential advisor you can contact if you are a victim of unwanted behaviour such as discrimination, bullying or intimidation. You can take various steps to do something about unwanted behaviour. The confidential advisor offers further assistance. Yvonne van Houdt is Zuyd's internal confidential advisor and the first point of contact for reports of unwanted behaviour. You can contact Yvonne van Houdt by emailing yvonne.vanhoudt@zuyd.nl.

Sometimes you just want to tell your story, talk about a problem or concern in an approachable way. Venting your heart or share what's on your mind can be enough sometimes. If you need a listening ear, you can talk to a (trained) listening student via Zuyd LISTENING. If necessary, this student can also help you to decide whether you want to meet with a counsellor or psychologist. These listening students may be students at the Hotel School, but they may also be students from other courses.

If you want to schedule an appointment with a listening student (via email, video call or physical meeting), send an email to luister@zuyd.nl. The listening student will then contact you. You can also contact them directly, meet them via MyZuyd.

As an international student you may sometimes face additional challenges. This may involve practical matters such as "how do I arrange a bank account" or "how do I register with the Maastricht municipality?", but also matters pertaining to getting used to Dutch culture. Within HMSM, Delia Grigoras is your contact person if you have questions or encounter problems. You can find her in the service building in Room SB 0.02 or contact her at delia.grigoras@zuyd.nl. 

• Special circumstances
  Are your studies affected by additional challenges like a functional impairment? Or are you trying to finish your studies while also pursuing a career in elite sport? Zuyd has several arrangements and facilities that you can count on.
  You can find information about students with a functional impairment and information about other special circumstances on MyZuyd. Contact the student counsellor for your programme if you have a functional impairment. Or check with your student  success coach whether it might be a good idea to inform the student counsellor. The student counsellor can also tell you who to turn to.
   
• Financial support students
  Are you experiencing a delay in your studies due to special circumstances and are therefore unable to finish your studies in 4 years? Are you involved in administrative or social activities at Zuyd? Do you have acute financial needs? Zuyd is able to offer you financial support.
  Contact the student counsellor and talk about your personal circumstances. The student counsellor can tell you if you’re eligible for financial support from Zuyd. If you’re not eligible, the counsellor can explain the possibilities offered by DUO and/or scholarship funds. More info on MyZuyd.
   
• Peer group of highly gifted students
  Being highly gifted or having characteristics of giftedness doesn’t mean that getting your degree will be easy for you. You will experience a lot of obstacles on your way and might feel alone. But there are other students just like you and they get together once a month to exchange experiences. They also discuss how to deal with challenging situations and how to make studying more enjoyable. Do you consider yourself as a highly gifted student? Register via studentservices@zuyd.nl. It is also possible to discuss this with our student counsellor first.
   
• Peer group for students with ASD
  Zuyd has a peer group for students with autism or autism-related characteristics. During the sessions, participants discuss any problems they may encounter and share the solutions they have found. In the calendar you will find the upcoming dates for the peer group. Do you want to join the peer group? Register via studentservices@zuyd.nl. It is also possible to discuss this with your student counsellor first.
   
• Diversity Zuyd
  Diversity Zuyd is our inclusive community for LGBTQA+ students. The community provides a safe and supportive environment where students of all gender identities, expressions and romantic orientations can be themselves. You can find more information here on their (dutch) website.
   
• Training Time Management 
  Anyone can use tips on study skills and study techniques to make the studying process easier. You can register via the Student Career Centre. You can also request information about training courses on: speed reading, study skills working in groups or independent learning and good communication. Send an email to studieloopbaancentrum@zuyd.nl for more information..