This year went better than last time: at least two of us went to the Student Network Meeting (SNT) – last year it was only one person. Out of 12 possible members that’s still improvable, but already progress.
The trip itself was a real challenge. From Tübingen to Košice it’s about 880 kilometers. With the long journey, it was not easy to combine with studying and other commitments.
International Encounters
What excites us again and again: the great openness among everyone. Around 100 people from four countries came – most of them volunteer to provide good internet in their dorms and because they enjoy technology. The Slovak student community has always been strongly represented. With their shorter travel this time, they even arrived more rested.
Besides familiar faces, you meet new people every year. It’s fascinating to see how many things we have in common – but also what differences exist in structures and conditions.
Large student networks like AGDSN or Selfnet joined with more than ten people each. It’s impressive that we in Tübingen manage to run a stable network with so few people. My respect also goes to a French colleague from Brest, who spent almost 24 hours traveling to get here!
Exchange and Discussions
At the SNT people talk openly about everything: technology, experiences with vendors, support issues, and which devices are really worth buying again. It’s always helpful to hear the practical experiences of others.
We also learned a lot – from small details like special security seals to handling club clothing in terms of non-profit rules. And we could confirm our decision to use MikroTik as access switches. With Wi-Fi technology, however, there seems to be no common opinion – so we continue testing different vendors ourselves.
Accommodation and Setting
We stayed in the dormitories of our hosts from the PC-Club in Jedlíkova 9. Most slept in affordable twin rooms, which were part of four-person units with shower and toilet.
And a big thank you: AGDSN and Selfnet were even able to act as sponsors this year thanks to clever management – that’s really great and helps the whole event a lot!
Outlook
For us it’s clear: at the latest next year we want to have uniform embroidered team clothing. It simply looks good, and everyone immediately knows which team we belong to.
The next SNT will take place very close to us – either in Stuttgart or Karlsruhe. Karlsruhe will celebrate its 30th anniversary, Stuttgart wants to present its new facilities. Maybe in two or three years we will even be ready to host an event again ourselves. We already managed it once in 2009 – so it’s about time!
Conclusion
The SNT 2025 in Košice was a great chance for us to stay in touch, learn new things, and look beyond our own horizon. Despite the long journey, it was absolutely worth it. We are already looking forward to seeing many familiar and new faces at next year’s meeting near us!
For more information about the Student Network Meeting, visit:
studentnetworks.eu/meetings/snt2025
This post is also available in German de_DE