Orientation Day Helps International Freshmen Settle in and Prepare for Studies at University of Debrecen
Held at the University of Debrecen’s Faculty of Engineering, Orientation Day focused on introducing the academic administration that is compulsory for first-year international students. According to an article published by unideb.hu, the English-language presentations covered topics including the faculty’s infrastructure, how to register for courses through the Neptun system, and how the university’s various websites are organised.
The number of international students at the University of Debrecen’s Faculty of Engineering has been growing year by year, with nearly 1,000 students enrolled at the faculty in the new academic year, including 323 first-year students.
The English-language Orientation Day was organised primarily for freshmen arriving from abroad to help international students navigate the details of the university’s compulsory administrative procedures.
Dénes Kocsis, Head of the Department of Environmental Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, said that the faculty’s students are primarily brought together by their shared interest in technology. “It does not matter whether we are talking about vehicles, machinery, robots, buildings, structures, the environment or management techniques. We believe that technology should be used to solve problems for the benefit of people and, more broadly, society,” said Associate Professor Dénes Kocsis. The Head of the Department of Environmental Engineering emphasised that those beginning their studies now have arrived at a particularly favourable time, as major infrastructure developments at the faculty have been completed in recent years.
Three members of the Faculty of Engineering’s International Studies Office provided information on, among other things, how administrative matters are handled by the Office of Academic Affairs, when students should contact departmental administrators, and in which cases they should turn to the Centre for International Education Coordination.
They also gave a detailed introduction to how the Neptun system works, highlighted the prerequisite structure between courses, and explained what information is available on the university website unideb.hu and the faculty’s English-language website eng.unideb.hu. Students were shown where to find official forms, course timetables for their degree programmes and course descriptions, as well as information about the university’s organisational structure.
The importance of mental health was also highlighted. Students were introduced to the work of the University of Debrecen’s Mental Health and Equal Opportunities Centre and were informed, among other things, about whom they could contact and when they could seek support if they experienced homesickness or other difficulties.
Practical information relating to everyday life was also included in the programme. Shanto Md Saif Samad, the international president of the International Students’ Union, which represents the University of Debrecen’s international students, shared his experiences of housing options in Debrecen and local restaurants, among other topics.
In addition to the useful information, the organisers also presented the participants with gift packs.
Source: dehir.hu | Photo credit: Debrecen városa (Facebook)

