Skills Lab: ‘Positive peer pressure works for me’

These days, if you walk into a room full of students on their laptops, many of the screens will be displaying websites such as Instagram, YouTube or online shops. That's not the sight you will get if you enter the library's Booth Room at Utrecht Science Park in the first week of May. On the contrary: here, people are working hard. After all, this is the Skills Lab’s annual Thesis Week. A popular event, with 36 students participating in 2026.

During Thesis Week, the students follow a joint programme that helps them work steadily on their theses, including short workshops on skills that support this process. The staff supporting students with their theses start each day at 8:30 am sharp with breakfast. Then, from 9:00 am to 9:45 am, they have a group workshop on topics such as how to talk more effectively with your supervisor. At the end of the day, participants reflect on their writing processes and make a plan for the following day. During Thesis Week, students work at least 4.5 hours on their theses each day.

The programme's clear structure is exactly what prompts many participants to sign up. Take Master’s student Milan (29), for example. “In early 2026, I joined the Start and Stay – Writing Day organised by the Skills Lab. It was very similar to this week, except it only lasted one day. I really enjoyed it, so I wanted to join this one-week workshop as well. When I’m surrounded by a group of people who all share the same goal as me, I experience a positive peer pressure that makes me more productive.”

“You're not on your own”

A conversation with other students over lunch on Wednesday reveals that most of them find it hard to go through the thesis process entirely on their own. A 27-year-old Master’s student, who prefers to remain anonymous, is struggling with what is otherwise a lonely process. “Usually, when I have to study, I put it off until the afternoon and only go to the library around five. I often feel guilty about this, which means I also find little time to relax outside of studying. Thanks to this week's structure, I’ve finally been able to draw up a writing plan that works. What’s more, thanks to the supportive atmosphere I found here, I finally feel able to talk about my study problems, because we’re all in this together. You’re not on your own.”

Jihane (30) and Demi (27) nod in agreement. This week has been a lifesaver for both. The two friends don’t study at UU, but in Leiden and Delft, respectively. They slipped through the net when registering, as the Skills Lab is actually only for UU students*. They count themselves lucky. “Our universities don’t have anything like this.”

Jihane: “I feel really motivated this week. Here you have people who say it’s all right, and we support each other. The breakfast break works well for me too. I never make breakfast for myself when I’m working on my own.” Demi says that this week has been a bit of a kick in the pants for her. “I can stick to a schedule when I have to work at my part-time job, but I can't when I have to do things for myself. I struggle with the fact that I can’t manage that, but this week's structure ensures that I really get down to work.”

“That's when we fall flat on our faces”

The workshops are also proving very popular. Master’s student Jasper (27) can put the tips shared in a presentation about editing texts into practice straight away. “I had no idea that it’s best to put the main sentence at the start of a paragraph. I used to always work towards that.”

In the workshop on how best to approach working with your supervisor, very few horror stories are shared. Most students say they have very supportive supervisors. The problem with this collaboration lies more in the fact that students don’t dare to send their work for feedback. Bachelor’s student Naomi (28) feels drained by this process. “Sometimes I get caught up in my own thoughts and worry that I’m not clever enough to manage this. As a result, I don’t dare to send my work. Fortunately, I have a supervisor who can help me get through this mentally.”

Several participants are a bit older than the average student. Although the average age of the participants is 25, seven students are over 27. Many participants, regardless of age, have mentioned that they have some form of neurodiversity, such as ADHD, or that they are taking longer to complete their degree. These are the students who tend to benefit the most from Thesis Week, as it offers them structure and a place where they can talk to other students about their stumbling blocks without feeling self-conscious. In their own programmes, they miss having such an informal meeting place without the pressure to perform.

Milan (29), a Master’s student who is taking longer to graduate than most, is not surprised by this. “It seems to me that the people who need a week like this are those whose programmes lack certain elements, such as a fixed structure. A lack of a sense of community can really prevent some people from functioning properly at the university. Many of us can still manage to write a paper or essay for a course at the last minute, but a thesis is simply too big for that. We haven’t been taught the proper tools for that; that’s when we fall flat on our faces.”

“Writing a thesis is a lonely process”

Peer coach and Master’s student Laura (28) agrees. "I’ve indeed noticed that many students who visit the Skills Lab aren’t learning the right tools to tackle a dissertation within their own programme. That’s why the Skills Lab was set up – not for the subject matter, but to teach skills. We’re not here to help someone out once in a while; we are here so that they can manage on their own. Many programmes don't have time or space for that, so the level of support offered varies from programme to programme. With us, everyone has access to coaching.”

Laura has been involved with the Skills Lab for a few years. She first learned about it as a bachelor’s student, when she decided to participate in the Thesis Week herself. She describes it as a great experience. Afterwards, she decided to apply for a position as a writing coach. She recently started a Master’s degree while working at the Skills Lab, which can sometimes cause a bit of overlap. She is participating in the Thesis Week both as a supervisor and a student. “When I saw there were still places available, I signed up too. Writing a thesis is a lonely process, and I enjoy being with people who are in the same boat.”

This week almost didn’t get off the ground because the management team of the Student & Academic Affairs Office (Dutch acronym: SO&O) wanted to cut the Skills Lab from the budget. They reasoned that the skills students can acquire in the Skills Lab should be taught by their own programmes. However, not every programme offers additional support to students who need it. A petition was launched against this decision, and the University Council resisted it, too. Ultimately, the austerity measure did not go ahead because the faculties and the University Library agreed to cover the Skills Lab's costs for the next three years. All the events and coaching may go on as usual.

For a while, the UU community was uncertain about what would happen to the Skills Lab after those three years, but its coordinator, Joy de Jong, who has worked at the Skills Lab since its inception and is due to retire soon, says that discussions with the University Library (UB) and the SO&O department are now moving in the right direction. “We are focusing on the structural integration and funding of the Skills Lab. I am fully confident that it will work out”.

*The Skills Lab has announced that the registration process for the Thesis Week will change, so that only students from Utrecht University will be able to participate.

10 years of Skills Lab
Just over ten years ago, on the initiative of the Lijst Vuur party in the University Council, then UU Rector Bert van der Zwaan gave the green light to establish a dedicated space at Utrecht University where students could learn study skills. At the time, the members of Lijst Vuur were inspired by the writing centre at University College Utrecht and the Academic Writing Centre at Radboud University in Nijmegen. They figured that UU would benefit from something similar, but it had to be more than just a place to learn to write better. The proposed centre was intended to be a place where students from all programmes could go, both in person and online, with any question or request regarding the improvement of their academic skills.

The Skills Lab at Utrecht University became a reality on 1 September 2016. Ten years on, the figures speak for themselves: the Skills Lab has proven to be essential. Thousands of students at Utrecht University have found their way to the Skills Lab for help and support with their studies. In the 2024–2025 academic year alone, 2,059 appointments were made for writing and study coaching (1,216 for writing, 843 for study). In addition, 514 students attended events organised by the Skills Lab.

A small team of four staff members keeps everything running in collaboration with twelve student coaches, all of whom are UU students and receive training before becoming coaches.

The Skills Lab does not present itself as a place for subject-specific study, as that is the degree programmes' responsibility. Students can turn to the Skills Lab for free writing and study coaching, as well as workshops and courses on writing, presenting, and studying, among other areas. Thesis Week is an example of such an event.