You can take an econometrician out of the VU, but you can never take the VU out of the econometrician

Before we introduce Extrie, our next event is the 16th of May 2024. We will have drinks and play Jeu de Boule at the Boulesbitesbar. We’ll start at 20:00, but it is possible to eat at the location beforehand. Register before the 10th of May at extrievu@gmail.com, or feel free to email us if you have any questions! See you there!

Although some people are never really able to go to the University library and start doing a PhD, others are doing calculations in The Hague, or start advising pension funds in the Bijlmer. However, there is one thing we do have in common: The blue griffin never leaves the heart. As the saying goes: "You can take an econometrician out of the VU, but you can never take the VU out of the econometrician." So while Rutger Bregman lacks the moral character of the Zuidas, he might not quite understand just why so many econometricians start their career there: So that from their offices at ABN, Tinbergen or Deloitte, they still see a glimpse of this beautiful weird bird. It is not uncommon for such people sitting in their beautiful office to have a sight of nostalgia seeing the WN building, as when the day comes it will finally be destroyed, a part of them will be destroyed as well. Recently, I heard that even some people do their working-from-home days in the libraries of their Alma Mater. And so for the “Back in the days, everything was better” people, there might not be room anymore in 8A-30, but still there is room at the Alumni association: Extrie

The goal of Extrie is simple and can be captured in one word, for which no English translation exists. We want it to be gezellig. Whether it's due to a fun pub quiz with econometric abbreviations, a reunion at Il Caffe, or awarding the best master thesis at a drink, the essence of the story is simple: Extrie provides the opportunity to reconnect with old study friends. Personally, I find it most enjoyable to see especially those whom you wouldn't readily meet up with otherwise, but with whom you did a committee or group project during your studies, or your winter sports roommate. Hearing what is happening in their lives, and what they are doing after studies is for me the best part of Extrie.

We organize these activities with five people: Jacqueline, Jonathan, Sun, Nienke, and myself (Ivo). During dinners where the conversations mainly revolve around people's dating lives, a bit about work, and especially about the latest gossip of former co-students, we discuss a number of activities. Together, we show how diverse an econometrician's job can be. While Nienke analyzes fraud detection, Jacqueline is busy making the port of Rotterdam entirely data-driven. And while Jonathan is making a career as the audit tiger of EY, Sun is fighting for a better pension for all, and I am enjoying working on elderly care. And what about our former member Rosa, who calculates how we can best spend money on social issues in the Netherlands, or Jonathan's previous work, where he went to IJburg as a teacher to explain how students could use bootstrap methods. In short, there are plenty of great work stories to be found at an Extrie event. But what about the personal stories: Who are finally living together and who broke up with whom? Is a Kraket-baby on its way? It is a surprise for many, but most people actually don’t get too boring, when they become what they used to fear, a ‘burger’. Of course, not everyone comes purely for the social aspect to an Extrie event. While most people are social bees, some seemingly secret networkers are actually easily spotted. However, don't dismiss them too quickly; they are often the connection between newcomers and veterans at the events. So whatever the reasons are you want to come to our events, it is all celebrated.

You can subscribe to Extrie here, or you can also email us at extrievu@gmail.com, and don’t forget to become a member of the whatsapp group where we post announcements of our activities. Let me therefore end with another reminder that our next event is the 16th of May 2024, where we will be doing Jeu de Boules at the BoulesBitesBar and it is possible to get dinner beforehand. See you there!

Greetings from Extrie
Jacqueline, Jonathan, Sun, Nienke and Ivo