Building Community: Freshers’ Week Brings SZE Students Together

The first-year students have arrived at Széchenyi István University to get in the mood for the start of the semester within the framework of the traditional „zero week”: large-scale events are organised at the Győr and Mosonmagyaróvár campuses of the institution to help students settle in. In addition to casual fun and community building, the events aim to pass on the most important information, with the help of the Student Union and the lecturers, as well as the upper years.

Once again, the campuses of Széchenyi István University in Győr and Mosonmagyaróvár are full of students, who are looking forward to a few days of fun and excitement as they start the next stage of their lives.

During the events, the freshers will be informed about the most important issues that concern them, including the basics of the University education system, scholarships and grants, and sports opportunities. In addition, during the „subject briefings” organised by the Student Union, everyone can hear first-hand the most important information and advice on courses related to their own degree programme from experienced senior students, as well as from lecturers and mentors of the programme in question.

Group photos of the participants of the Freshers’ Week and the Welcome Camp in Mosonmagyaróvár. More than 1,000 people, including international and senior students, take part in the events. (Photos: András Adorján)

The main aim of Freshers’ Week and the Mosonmagyaróvár Newbies’ Camp is to integrate newcomers into the University’s community, like Freshers’ Day, by introducing the institutional traditions and providing an insight into student life. All of this is done in teams, with the help of team leaders, competing against each other – and in the evenings, of course, with parties to relieve the days’ fatigue.

Pictures from the first day of the Freshers’ Week (Photos: András Adorján)

„This year we have organised the event one day earlier, so it will run from Tuesday to Friday, followed by enrolment on Saturday and the opening ceremony on Monday. We did this in order to give everyone more time to relax over the weekend so they can start the semester with renewed energy,” said Tímea Kovács, Camp Director, who also told us that this year the freshers will have a whole new set of games to play. In fact, a game involving the University’s catering facilities will give participants the chance to collect points and valuable prizes, including tickets to a concert in the Bridge Club, will be drawn at the opening of the semester next Wednesday.

„We have worked hard behind the scenes in partnership with the University to ensure that the freshers have an unforgettable experience. Our goal is to make them feel safe and comfortable in a positive environment at the event. We have also made every effort to select the most qualified people to ensure the high quality of the event. We have also made sure that everyone is provided with the latest information on academic and social matters,” she stressed.

Tímea Kovács said that Freshers’ Week is as big an experience for the organisers as it is for the first-year students (Photo: András Adorján)

International students will be a special focus of the Student Union again this year. As we learned from Dávid Vályi Nagy, President of the Student Union, they will again form a separate team and will participate in all the programmes together with their Hungarian counterparts, in addition to the professional lectures. „We will help the students with everything from enrolment to opening a bank account, and they will also get to know Hungarian culture during the camp as part of a programme,” he said.

„We work with a number of partners during Freshers’ Week, many of whom, in addition to contributing financially or in kind, also help to make the event more colourful by hosting trips or activities. I would like to highlight the support of the University’s management, without which Fresher’s Week would not have been possible”, added Dávid Vályi Nagy.

On the first day of Freshers’ Week, Matyi and the Fiddler, UFO, Varning and Yamina provided the entertainment at the Bridge Student and Teacher Club. (Photos: András Adorján)

At the opening of the Freshers’ Week, Dr Eszter Lukács, Vice-President for International Affairs and Strategic Relations, welcomed the freshers on behalf of the University. She said that in the general admission procedure, 4,409 students were admitted to the University, which is the sixth best higher education institution in Hungary according to the QS European Rankings. „A university becomes good by admitting good students. We are proud of our first-year students and will do our best to provide you with the highest quality education,” she said. „Dare to ask questions of your supervisors and lecturers, dare to join student organisations, competitive teams and professional colleges, and dare to apply for the scholarships available from two days to one year abroad,” she encouraged the freshers, and extended a special welcome to the newest members of the international student community from almost 80 countries.

Speaking on behalf of Győr, Péter Boncsarovszky, Mayoral Commissioner for Youth, stressed that the city is a fantastic place to live, work and study. „The local government has an excellent relationship with the Student Union and we try to take on board any suggestions that can make life easier and more colourful for young people. With this in mind, we have started negotiations with Volánbusz to introduce a semester pass,” he said.

Dr. Eszter Lukács on behalf of the University and Péter Boncsarovszky on behalf of Győr welcomed the freshers (Photos: András Adorján)

The Student Union of Széchenyi István University organizes a smaller camp for students of the Albert Kázmér Mosonmagyaróvár Faculty, called Newbies’ Camp, in accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the farmers of Mosonmagyaróvár. The three-day event is a great opportunity for first-year students to explore the Mosonmagyaróvár campus and meet the faculty and department heads. The Welcome Camp will conclude on Friday with the Győr Freshers’ Week, when the freshers from Mosonmagyaróvár will arrive as a team to visit the freshers in Győr.

The traditional Newbies’ Camp also started in Mosonmagyaróvár (Photos: András Adorján)