University information day again well received

“We are very pleased that the University Information Day was once again so good,” says Dr. Stefan Kühne, Head of Division of Academic Affairs and International Relations. “Mainly because of the general weather conditions, we were very concerned that visitors simply wouldn’t be able to reach our university campuses in Zittau and Görlitz and would cancel their plans to attend.”

This year, approximately 500 prospective students, primarily from the region, were welcomed at both university campuses. They received detailed information about academic programs and study conditions.

At the Görlitz campus, Rector Friedrich Albrecht welcomed the guests.

“One of the most important decisions you make in life is choosing the right field of study,” he said. He encouraged the young people to talk with students from a wide variety of degree programs and to take a look around the university. “You’ll get first-hand information from our students,” he said.

He also encouraged the young visitors to take advantage of the introductory programs offered by the degree programs. At the Görlitz campus, there was keen interest in the degree programs offered by the faculties of Social Sciences, Managerial and Cultural Studies, and computer science. But there was also high demand for the Görlitz programs at the Zittau campus.

At the Zittau campus, the Head (of division) for Academic Affairs and International Relations, Dr.-Ing. Stefan Kühne, opened the university information day. The mayor of Zittau, Thomas Zenker, made a point of attending the opening, thereby highlighting the close ties between the city and the university. The university and the city of Zittau have long worked closely together on a variety of projects.

In his opening remarks, Kühne noted that the university, with its diverse and forward-looking range of degree programs, aims to offer career prospects particularly to young people in the region. In this context, he encouraged the guests to take full advantage of the extensive offerings in the event program and to learn about the conditions for studying.

“Our goal is to empower you to make confident decisions and to help you answer the question: Which degree program is the best good fit for me?” Kühne emphasized.

The university’s relatively new degree programs generated considerable interest. These include the seven-semester bachelor’s program in “Applied Natural Sciences” and the three-semester master’s program in “Pharmaceutical Biotechnology.” The application deadline for the latter is February 28, 2019. Classes begin on March 11, 2019.

There was also a lot of activity at the KIA (Cooperative Study with Integrated Training) booth in Zittau. Numerous high school students were particularly interested in this form of study. The KIA staff and KIA students from the university’s training workshop were happy to answer questions about this now very popular form of education.

The so-called “MINT Mobility Trail” organized by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Natural and Environmental Sciences, and Economics and Industrial Engineering—located in a central spot in the foyer of the Peter-Dierich-Haus—was good and helped visitors gain a concise overview of numerous fields of study and try their hand at activities at all the booths.

Many visitors expressed their admiration for the university’s modern facilities, as well as for the welcoming atmosphere they encountered. The short lectures, hands-on activities, and lab tours were very well received. Prospective students also made the most of the chance to talk directly with current students and discuss daily life at the university. But the university wasn’t the only focus of interest. There was also a buzz of activity in the cafeterias, where guests took the opportunity to sample the offerings.

Overall, it can be said that the newly developed concept for presenting the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences at the College Information Day proved successful and provides a good foundation for further development.