Kick-off Days for students beginning in the Autumn Semester

The HSG Kick-off Days represent the demanding interdisciplinary curriculum of the HSG and thus also the unique corporate identity of our University.

The Kick-off Days consist of two programmes:

• the Academic Programme (mandatory for all the new and re-immatriculated students who were exmatriculated for more than two semesters) and
• the Introductory Programme (mandatory for all the new students).

THE ACADEMIC PROGRAMME
The Academic Programme for our new and re-matriculated students is concerned each year with a contemporary theme of social and cultural importance. Together with internationally recognised experts and HSG professors you will develop ideas and visions about the theme and at the same time establish interesting contacts.

THE INTRODUCTORY PROGRAMME
With the Introductory Programme we offer you the possibility of choosing between an extended and a compact option.
Both options contain the following four introductions: Introduction to Campus Infrastructure, Introduction to Your Degree Course, Introduction to IT Tools, and Introduction to the Library. In addition, the Extended Introductory Programme also includes a sport programme, an evening programme and an intensive German course for students beginning to learn German.

Introduction to Campus Infrastructure
A tour of the campus, in which new students will get to know significant contact points at the HSG, is an important component of the Introductory Programme. Where is the Dean's Advisory Office located, where are seminar papers and term papers delivered, where can advice be found regarding how to finance your studies or regarding careers, where does one get course readers, where can works by Giacometti, Richter or Miró be admired, where can one go in for sports or simply have a rest and take a power nap? These and other places will be essential for students’ degree courses and personal lives. Several days and weeks are needed in order to get to know the entire HSG campus, but thanks to the Introduction to Campus Infrastructure in the context of the Kick-off Days, our new students will have an overview of the most important contact points on campus before the academic term begins.

Introduction to Your Degree Course
In the context of the Introductory Programme we offer our new students a unique possibility to get first-hand information about all important aspects of degree course structure. This complex introduction, conceived specifically to meet the needs of students, will be carried out uniquely in the context of the Kick-off Days. Besides general information, for example concerning the exam system, curricula, and exchange possibilities, questions specific to different levels and programmes will also be discussed. Afterwards students will be able to raise further questions and be informed by a relevant specialist.

Introduction to IT Tools
Our IT-based systems and platforms, as well as important software for degree courses and possibilities of copying and printing, will be explained to new students in the Introduction to IT Tools. With support from experienced IT tutors, students will also set up their new University accounts. The experts will give information about the most common mistakes and problems in the field of IT together with tips on how these can be avoided and resolved, showing to whom one can turn in case of questions.

Introduction to the Library
The services provided by the University Library include borrowing and use under certain conditions, the supply and use of e-resources such as e-books, e-journals and databases, metasearch including reservations and orders from other libraries and from the HSG depot, library work spaces, public PCs, scanners, printers and copiers; all these and much more will be the theme of the Introduction to the Library. Our new students will get tips about research, also pointing out the various courses and sources of information that are available, in the course of a tour of the library.