Young visitors poured in when DTU opened its doors to Open House 2020. More than 500 students wearing green sweaters with the Danish slogan—’Gør noget ved din verden! Bliv ingeniør på DTU’ (Make a difference in your world! Become an engineer at DTU)—were ready to help the prospective students.
On 5 March, DTU welcomed visitors to this year’s Open House event. A festive and busy day with loads of curious young people looking for information about engineering programmes and what it means to be an engineer.
“Engineers are at a premium in our society, and we’re seeing an increase in applicants as well as increasing demand for our graduates from the business sector. The admission figures for last summer were also particularly positive, as they showed an increase in the number of women who were offered a place on one of our study programmes,” says Lars D. Christoffersen, Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Student Affairs.
At DTU’s Open House event, you can learn more about all that DTU has to offer. From study programmes, student life, studying abroad, and halls of residence to robots, rockets, and racing cars.
“It’s great to see so many excited young people here at DTU. And I obviously hope to see a lot of them again for the study start this summer. When I’ve previously visited the new students on the freshers’ trips, they tell me enthusiastically that our Open House event is a really good way of meeting DTU—and standing in a big crowd like this, I understand what they mean,” says Lars D. Christoffersen.
Guided tours, science show, and academic presentations
In the sports hall, lecturers and DTU students were ready to present information and answer questions about DTU’s 40 BEng and BSc Eng programmes. And while some visitors started out exploring the various study programme stands, others dropped by the student accommodation stand and the Study Guidance Office for answers to questions of a more practical nature.
At the entrance, they met DTU Scienceshow, which—for the occasion—had brought copious amounts of liquid nitrogen, which they used to make experiments and impress visitors with smoke and chemistry.
The ‘Runway’ is one of DTU's central hallways and is reportedly large enough to accommodate a small aircraft. Here numerous tours of DTU’s many study programmes took off during the day. And the campus tour buses were filled with visitors twice during the day for a tour of DTU’s campus in Ballerup, where many of the BEng students study.
Blue Dot and student life
Student life is more than just courses, assignment submissions, and exams. Therefore, Polyteknisk Forening (PF student association) was out in force to provide the prospective students with information about extracurricular activities, including parties, revue, and sports clubs.
Prospective students could also learn more about DTU's interdisciplinary project work offering hands-on experience in engineering and participation in international competitions.
For example, visitors could meet students from the three car-oriented projects: DTU Roadrunners, DTU EVenture, and DTU Wind Racers, which build cars that run on the least possible fuel, on electricity, and on wind energy, respectively.
You could also meet DTU Biobuilders, DTU Ecotrophelia, and DTU DeTectUs, which work with synthetic biology, food products, and molecular biosensors for medical use, respectively. And last—but not least—visitors could meet DanSTAR, where students are building a rocket that is to fly 9 km up into the air.
In addition to the wealth of opportunities presented in the sports hall, there were also presentations by engineering graduates, as well as an introduction to studying at DTU.
When the doors closed at 8 p.m., the count showed that approximately 1650 potential students from all over Denmark had dropped by DTU.
We talked to four of them. Watch and read vox pop below.
Iben Jørgensen: Age: 21—Address: Copenhagen—Occupation: Gap year
“I’ve come to hear about several study programmes. I’m especially interested in Mathematics and Technology, but I’m also considering Quantitative Biology and Disease Modelling.
I’ve read about the study programmes online, and I also know some students who are already studying at DTU. So I’ve read and heard a lot about the study programmes in advance.
I know from high school that math is my strong subject, and I really like it as well. I also have a great interest in biology.
It’s important to me that I'm motivated for studying. The study environment also means a lot, but—in the final analysis—the actual study programme is more important because it’s about my future and what I will do afterwards.”
Asbjørn Rönnow Egerup: Age: 24—Address: Hillerød—Occupation: Data technician student
“I’ve come to the Open House event because I’m interested in hearing about IT Electronics, which is a BEng programme. I think it sounds like a really exciting study programme because of its wide range and business orientation. There’s is obviously a large syllabus, but you also get to try things out in practice. I like that combination.
I’m in a situation where I need to decide whether I want to continue my vocational education and training programme as a data technician or become a university student instead.
A good study environment is important to me. It also means a lot that I’m in a place that allows me to develop in the best possible way, and that you aren’t forced into something that may not fit your way of working.”
Marilouise Josephine Arbøl Tofte: Age: 19 years—Address: Vallensbæk—Occupation: Gap year
“I’m interested in hearing about several different study programmes because I’m still not quite sure what I want to do. I’ve taken an STX at high school, but I’m actually more interested in technology.
I’ve checked out Electrical Engineering, Design of Sustainable Energy Systems, and Design and Innovation.
I’m best informed about Electrical Engineering. And it sparked my interest when I heard about the development of hearing aids and how they work with sound, because I play music, and I’m very interested in how sound works.
It’s very important for my choice of study programme that I can see where it leads to, rather than just starting without knowing anything about my future career path.”
Mohammad Ameer Mohsin Murtaza: Age: 20—Address: Amager—Occupation: High school student (Higher General Examination Programme (STX))
“I’m interested in the Software Technology BEng programme, and I’ve also considered IT Electronics. It ultimately comes down to whether I would prefer working with hardware or software.
I would like to enter the labour market as soon as possible and have the opportunity to develop my own products.
It’s important for me that I have a great interest in what I’m doing. And I like doing things on my own, and you can do this with both the study programmes that I'm considering. For example, I’ve heard that you can build your own program and that sounds really exciting.”