The International Office experienced a new record attendance at the orientation days for international first-year students in the winter semester 2024/2025. More students than ever before took part in the face-to-face events.
The International Office counted 150 participants at the kick-off event of the orientation days in the winter semester 2024/2025 in the Dietrich-von-Freiberg-Bau, Prüferstraße 4 (large picture). After being welcomed by TUBAF's International Affairs Officer, Prof. Mohammed Amro, topics such as “Formalities after arriving in Freiberg”, “Studying and living in Germany – Practical tips” and “Contact persons and facilities for international students” were covered.
“The number of participants has also increased significantly compared to the time before Corona,” says organizer Manuela Junghans from the International Office, where the organizational threads for the orientation events come together. “We are delighted with the high level of interest, because the better the first-year students are informed about studying and life at the start of the semester, the smoother the semester will run – for them and for the university staff.”
Orientation events are also offered online in order to reach as many international first-year students as possible. Not everyone manages to arrive at the start of the semester, for example because they have to wait for their visa. At the online event on IT services at TUBAF and how to use them properly, up to 170 German and international first-year students were connected at the same time.
As a highlight, the first-year students are offered a city rally in cooperation with the Foreign Students' Working Group. In small teams, they have to visit several stations in Freiberg and collect facts about the history and tradition of the mining town (small picture). In the winter semester 2024/2025, 114 students took part in the popular city rally – a record and a bit of a logistical challenge for the organizers.