Sweet reunion at Open House

On March 3, DTU welcomed this year's Open House event. This time with physical attendance. Inside the sports hall, students and lectures stand ready at the 51 stands lined up with effects to attract curious young people to DTU’s undergraduate programmes, courses and offers.

"It is with great pleasure, that we open the doors to visitors today. Last year, the Open House event was broadcast live from DTU's Library, and it worked well, but it is definitely more fun, when we can meet physically and experience the special atmosphere in person. DTU is brimming with activity and good vibes," says Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Student Affairs Lars D. Christoffersen

The hall resounds with voices and laughter, even before the visitors have been let in. As the clock strikes 12, the sum of sounds reaches new heights, as visitors begin to roam the educational stands, where technologies are displayed, explained and demonstrated.

"Once again, we have put together an exciting program, where our visitors can, among other things, hear talks with young graduates and student counsellors. All in order to help the young people pick the right education,” says Lars D. Christoffersen.  

Students interact with prospectives

Open House at DTU is a day where you can learn about everything DTU has to offer. From study programmes, student life, studying abroad and halls of residence to robots, rockets and racing cars.

At the entrance to the sports hall, visitors are presented with DTU EVentures' electric race car to the right and DTU Wind Race's wind turbine to the left. Both are examples of DTU's interdisciplinary project work, where students can gain hands-on experience in engineering and participate in international competitions.

Open House is also a day where DTU students play a prominent role as role models for young visitors. The stands are staffed by a mix of bachelor and master's students. The bachelor students give prospective students an insight into the immediate things that deal with student life, subjects and admission requirements, while master's students can better reflect on the labor market and the job opportunities that the education offers. 

Open house with registration

This year, visitors have had to register for the Open House event, which means that every two hours new visitors surge toward the check-in stands, where they are given a green goodie bag. Throughout the day until 8 pm, guided tours of the Lyngby campus are offered, and it is also possible to go by bus to Ballerup campus, which hosts many of DTU's BEng programmes.

In the Oticon Hall, the seats are filled by young people, while student counsellors and young DTU graduates take turns in presenting what it is like to study at DTU, and what the job of an engineer is really about.

When the doors closed at 8 pm, the count showed that approximately 2000 potential students from all over Denmark had dropped by DTU. We spoke to four of them. Read the voxpop below:

Name: Ea Ulf Jørgensen. Age: 19. Address: Copenhagen. Occupation: High school student (STX) 

My classmates and I have just finished an SRP exercise (field of study project) here at DTU, where we performed tests with a wing in a wind tunnel. Afterwards, the teacher encouraged us to stop by the Open House event.

Now, I have just stepped into the hall, so I have not yet formed an opinion of any study programmes. Honestly, it is a bit overwhelming to deal with all of these different programmes. Nevertheless, I'm mostly interested in math and physics, so I could clearly see myself studying to become an engineer.

My wishes for a future job is a) that it is professionally challenging and b) that I can use and develop my social skills. It need not be very technical and working closely with other people is a must.

Name: Jeppe Fischer Hansen. Age: 22. Address: Humlebæk. Occupation: Taking a gap year

I am here today to seek inspiration, even though I already have a good idea of what I want to study.

I am fairly certain about applying for an engineering programme, and I am mostly interested in the BSc programme Artificial Intelligence and Data. I have already read a lot about it on the website, and it sounds like an exciting education because it is broad and offers many different job opportunities after graduation.

I dabbled with the engineering profession through my dad's company, which deals with measurements, and it peaked my interest in programming.

Name: Lucas Wright. Age: 19 år. Address: Holte. Occupation: Taking a gap year 

"I have hung around for the past four hours and went on a tour with the study programme Sustainable Energy Design. My impression of DTU is as expected. I have especially been confirmed in that there is a stark contrast between high school and university, where you are more self-sufficient in managing your time here. 

I'm interested in researching different study programmes because I'm still not quite sure of what I want to study. My sabbatical has affirmed me in what I do not want to do. I do not want to continue working in the service industry as a waiter, but whether I should study at University of Copenhagen or at DTU, I am still not clear about. However, I got a really good impression of DTU today, so today I lean very strongly towards engineering."

Name: Amalie Johansen. Age: 22. Address: Frederiksberg. Occupation: Taking a gap year

I have actually come to learn about a few particular study programmes, but I find myself captivated by other study programmes that I had ruled out in advance. I have become more curious, especially about Sustainable Energy Design and the BEng programme Mobility, Transport and Logistics. I thought it was about one thing, but now I find that it is far more creative and user-oriented than expected.

I find that the students here are very welcoming and interested in sharing their experience of the different aspects of studying at DTU. I am captivated by the joy and enthusiasm they have for their field of study.

I am interested in studying medicine and doing research about diseases. Also, I am passionate about helping people.