Welcome Week: “a student, a professor and the president walk into KLU…”
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There you are: early morning, looking at yourself in the mirror, getting ready for the first day of a new chapter of your life. After all the research, application process, decision-making, and finally, you are making your way to KLU. We bet you have spent a good amount of time figuring out your outfit for the first day. “Those shoes look really nice. Wait, aren’t they the ones that gave me trouble last time after some hours in that night event? Maybe I need something more comfortable”. We get it, you want to make a good first impression. We all know that that is important. KLU also wants to make a good first impression on you. And what’s most important, KLU wants that you feel comfortable and included in the community from the very first days. With that in mind, our team and professors dedicate time weeks in advance to put together our Welcome Week. In this article, we give you the keys to what you can expect from it. Of course, the real fun will start when you cross the building’s doors on September 1st.
It all starts with a KLU bag…
One of the first things you’ll receive from our staff and student ambassadors is one of our typical red bags. Inside, some goodies (who doesn’t like gifts?), vouchers, and some personalized items, like your name tag. Unlike other universities, KLU is all about this personalization and service orientation, so you will know from the beginning you are not just a number to us.
During the first few days, you will participate in many informative sessions and social activities that will allow you to get to know your university and the people who will be in your life for the next years. Some basics like an introduction to your specific study program and an introduction to the code of conduct will set the foundation of what you are going to experience during your time at KLU.
Beating the FOMO
At KLU we know that one of the most important takeaways of your student time will be the people that accompany you in the journey and the relationships you create. For that reason, we have designed a Welcome Week full of fun social activities that will help you break the ice and create unique, amazing memories right from the start. If you are kind of a hermit, you can also lock yourself into our “silent room” on Campus, but we hope you are the type that gets a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) and enjoy all the social events.
Within the first day on Campus, you can expect to join in on some icebreaker chitchat to get to know your classmates (have you ever yelled Bingo! after finding the girl in the class who did skydiving in a pink suit?) and also your professors. We encourage you to talk to all of them and see for yourself that everyone at KLU, whether in a suit or sneakers, is approachable and open to you. Are you in the “shy” spectrum? Team up! Find that ball of energy classmate and stick to him to push your comfort zone a bit. In the evening the KLU team will accompany you to an informal get-together where you can further strengthen your brand-new connections.
On top of this, KLU has a full agenda of cultural-social activities for you. You will find all the options you can choose from in our Welcome Week App (you need a specific code to access it, which you’ll receive in August): a city tour of Hamburg, a tour of a brewery, the 3D museum, playing mini golf, enjoying delicious chocolate at Chocoversum, discovering the gems of the maritime museum… These activities are open for all our new students, meaning it is a great opportunity to meet students from other study programs, too.
Setting you up (but not with a date)
As you start your run at KLU, you will still need to finalize some bureaucracy and necessary documents to finish your enrollment. Ok, we agree, this is definitely not the fun part of the day, but we promise that our cheery staff will make your paperwork ride smooth and painless. Plus, in the enrollment session, you’ll receive your enrollment kit that does have cool things like your student ID card (that opens the doors of campus!), and your semester ticket (hello, riding for free on the subway!).
We know you are techy and that you can’t live without your Instagram and TikTok running (we hope KLU is featured now in many of your shared videos!). So, other tasks we’ll help you undertake are to set up your VPN, give you access to our network, and explain to you all the digital resources you have for your time at KLU. Our IT team will be there to help you troubleshoot and guide you. By the way, your email is your best ally, and as a KLU student, you’ll receive a newsletter every fortnight with relevant information for you, exclusive opportunities, events, giveaways, etc. A Pro tip? Read it! ;)
You belong
Making new friends during social activities is good, but not enough. What makes KLU special, according to our students and alumni, is the sense of community that is created on Campus; the feeling that you belong. We enhance this from the beginning thanks to some team-building activities and other workshops. In your first week, you’ll be able to participate in some cool team activity like an escape room on a boat in the harbor. Also, since KLU is a very diverse international community, we are determined to break all your stereotypes and we promote respect among our student body. You will therefore participate in a mandatory intercultural training to help you understand how to handle the multiculturality throughout our hallways and raise awareness about your own culture. Don’t worry, some stereotypes will stay alive, like “Germans like beer”.
By KLU students, for KLU students
The Welcome Week also hosts other sessions that will make you feel more connected to the KLU community and allow you to discover ways to be a more involved member and get the best out of your student years. In our KLU Volunteer groups session, you can learn about different student clubs (from our student consultancy Advisupply to the Women in Business Club and many others) that you can join to enhance your CV, your skills, and your social life. You also will get some guidance about other volunteering opportunities in Hamburg and Germany, aside from KLU, to contribute to whichever cause you find fits you best. You will be able as well to make a first connection with our alumni network thanks to an “Alumni panel” where you’ll meet some former students from all over the world. If you are the sporty type, you may want to pay extra attention to the session about sports teams and the use of our gym. By the way, KLU has a pretty dope Dragon Boat that will very gladly welcome your rowing arms.
An all-round service to round out the week
There is a lot of information to assimilate in very few days, and let’s be honest, your brain is mainly trying to remember the names of all these new classmates that just introduced themselves, especially the cute girl with curly hair that looks extremely smart, just the perfect partner to include in your first group assignment… KLU is committed to high-quality service-oriented standards, and with this in mind, its Welcome Week includes many other sessions and information areas where you will be able to solve all your questions and last-minute procedures and start getting to know all the services you can utilize during your time as a student. Discover the huge resources of our digital library; learn about our internal net “Moodle” and where to find all the information relevant to you at all times; get a first glimpse of our Career services and career development program, ready to make you the most attractive candidate for future job opportunities; understand how our counseling services can help you overcome any bump in the ride and take care of your mental health; and finalize other to-do’s like opening a bank account or securing your health insurance in the most fun and interactive way (like spinning a fortune wheel) at our info points.
Feel the VIP treatment
All these things and much more are awaiting you at our Campus in September. KLU’s Welcome Week is special because it’s made for very special people, like yourself. At KLU, every student is VIP! In the very first days, you get to know everyone (even the President is there chatting with you!) and have a direct connection to your university and peers. The only thing we ask you in exchange: a big smile and an open vibe. Ready to start this unforgettable journey?
Have you already completed all the enrollment steps? Check out what you have to do in this quick article.
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Contact:
Student Services
Email: studentservices@klu.org