Welcome to TUM!

10/19/2021
Reading time 3 min.

University President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann finds it "the best event of the year": On Monday he was able to welcome thousands of new students to the Technical University of Munich (TUM) during the first-semester reception on the Garching campus. For the first time, as many as approximately 14,000 students have matriculated for the 2021 winter semester at TUM. 4,000 of the new students won in the lottery for party invitations and gathered together outdoors in front of the TUM Department of Mathematics.

In his welcoming address, TUM President Hofmann expressed how happy he was that students could finally return to TUM in person. Together with the TUM Board of Management and the deans of the various Schools and Departments, he called for reason and a sense of responsibility on the part of all those assembled in not underestimating the continuing danger of Corona; he also reminded everyone of the importance of being vaccinated.

"Be genuine!"

President Hofmann showed the students the many opportunities and possibilities offered by TUM as a University of Excellence, ranging from first-rate teaching and worldwide leading scientific activities to special projects such as TUM Boring and TUM Hyperloop and the feeling of belonging to the TUM community, itself characterized by diversity and mutual respect. Hofmann offered them a valuable piece of advice: "Be genuine, be original, be yourself! Use TUM as your laboratory. We need your inspiration: The future is yours!"

Record-breaking semester

This has been a semester of records for TUM: For the first time student enrollment exceeded 48,000, and the 38 percent share of international students is also the highest ever. In spite of the cool autumn temperatures, the diverse TUM community enjoyed a lively celebration at the reception for first-semester students. Following the custom at the opening of the Oktoberfest, President Hofmann himself drove the tap into a wooden keg of Weihenstephan beer, greeting the cheering crowd with the traditional call "O'zapft is!"

TUM President Thomas F. Hofmann hands the enthusiastic students freshly tapped free beer.

Zoe Wang from China plans to become an electrical engineer. The main reason for coming to Munich for her and her family was TUM's internationally excellent reputation – in addition to her passion for good soccer.

Zuhaib Ahmad earned his engineering sciences Bachelor's degree in Lahore, Pakistan, his home town. Now he's studying towards his Master's in mathematics in Munich. "It's a dream come true," he says.

Shreenidhi Darbhe Ganesha (right), from Bavaria's Middle Franconia region, matriculated in the business IT Bachelor's program and has already made friends with mechanical engineering student Jan Henke, from Hamburg.

Susanne Schafft of Munich is studying architecture. She proudly points out that TUM was her first choice. And she is excited about the "cool event" at the Garching Campus.

Melek Walha (right), who plans to study information sciences, and Chawki Dhieb, an electrical engineering student, find Munich to be simply the most beautiful city in Germany. Both are from Tunisia and were drawn here by the outstanding reputation enjoyed by TUM.

140 different countries around the world are represented in the TUM student body. The first-semester students celebrated their arrival at TUM together until late into the evening with live music, beer and Bavarian soft pretzels.

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