Start of the Winter Semester at KIT

Approximately 4000 students are about to start their studies at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in the 2014/2015 winter semester. The KIT will welcome the freshmen and their families in Karlsruhe at the traditional freshmen welcome event on Friday, October 17, 2014, 18 hrs, at the Schwarzwaldhalle of the Karlsruhe Congress Center.

“Research-oriented teaching and the vicinity to big research characterize studies at KIT. Thus, our students are given unique opportunities: Early in their studies can they focus on aspects of practical research and use large-scale research facilities,” KIT President Professor Holger Hanselka says. During the welcome event, he will speak about special features of studies at KIT. One of them is the above-average faculty-student ratio in comparison to other leading technical universities in Germany. It results from integrating scientists of the large-scale research sector in teaching activities.

 
The freshmen already familiarized with the most important contact points of KIT in the past days during the orientation phase organized by older students to facilitate the start of studies at KIT.

With nearly 4000 freshmen, the number has normalized on the level of the 2010/2011 winter semester again. In the past years, this number increased by up to 10% due to the reduction of duration of secondary school education by one year in Bavaria (2011), Baden-Württemberg (2012), and North Rhine-Westphalia (2013). However, enrolment and move-up procedures are still in progress. The reference date for the statistics is November 30. The total number of students will presumably be 23,500.

“Our students essentially shape the KIT, everywhere on the campus and beyond,” Professor Alexander Wanner, KIT Vice President for Higher Education and Academic Affairs, says. “In the student associations and various university groups, they do not only look beyond the limits of their own realm. With their offers and their activities, they enrich academic exchange and life at KIT.” This year, 55 students will be honored for their high commitment by Alexander Wanner.

KIT Backpack, Brochure “Was Studierende wissen sollten”

As in the past years, the freshmen will be given the KIT backpack. Apart from information material about major KIT institutions, the General Students’ Committee, and the Studierendenwerk, it will also contain information and give-aways of the backpack sponsors. Important information for starting studies, about central institutions, and services and support offers of KIT is summarized in the brochure “Was Studierende wissen sollten”:
www.kit.edu/mediathek/print_forschung/Broschuere_Erstsemester_de.pdf

New Issue of the Online Students Magazine “clicKIT“

The online students magazine “clicKIT” will also be issued at the beginning of the lecturing period. Under www.kit.edu/clickit, it supplies latest news and background information, with audio interviews, films (www.kit.edu/youtube), and discussions (www.kit.edu/facebook). Every issue covers a topic selected by the Facebook community. During the welcome event at the Schwarzwaldhalle, the magazine will be presented by the editorial staff at one of the booths. At other booths, various KIT institutions, university groups, and partners will inform about their offers and be pleased to answer questions. In addition, the KIT collection will be presented: Clothing, office articles, and gifts in KIT design may also be obtained at www.kit-shop.de or at the bookstore on Kronenplatz.

Program of the Freshmen Welcome Event
Start: 18 hrs, admission from 17.15 hrs

Musical Opening by the KIT University Dance Orchestra
Conductor: Frank Mathes

Welcome by the Presidential Committee
“Excellent Research – Excellent Education: Studying at KIT”
Professor Holger Hanselka, KIT President

Welcome Address by the City of Karlsruhe
Mayor Michael Obert

Prizes for Outstanding Student Commitment
Professor Alexander Wanner, KIT Vice President for Higher Eduation and Academic Affairs

Freshmen Quiz

Cabaret with Sascha Korf

After the program:
Visit of the information booths and get-together with professors of KIT in the entrance hall of the Schwarzwaldhalle

Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.