Browsing, exploring, and specialization: by organizing open days, TU/e wants to help students (from vwo grades 4-6) during various phases of choosing their study program. On Friday 18 and Saturday 19 January, visitors are invited to attend several program presentations, and choose to participate in a more in-depth program at one of the departments.

The Communication Expertise Center (CEC) is in charge of the organization, and still doing what they can to make sure the hordes of visitors are properly welcomed this weekend. This will prove am especially challenging task for Saturday, not in the least because TU/e wants to give all their guests a personal welcome. The university used to loop videos from de Blauwe Zaal to other areas: “As far as welcomes go, that approach was a bit distant”, says study officer Marjan van Ganzenwinkel of CEC.

During the open days, Study-program Managers and deans are thrown in the mix for the first time to welcome visitors on behalf of the Executive Board. Students of TU/e’s Study Information Team talk about a multidisciplinary project, student life, and any experiences abroad.

For the first time this year there will be an opening in English in one of the theaters, meant for the dozens of English-speaking university hopefuls. According to Van Ganzenwinkel, they include students from across the border as well as local expat children.

So far, 950 students have applied for Friday, and Saturday can expect over 1,500. Van Ganzenwinkel stresses these numbers are still climbing. With the numbers for Saturday steadily rising, TU/e is headed for a record, she says. Last year, there were a little over 1,600 students on Saturday’s open day, this year that number will go up to at least two thousand, the study officer assures us.

Whether or not the upcoming open days will attract more students from outside the region, as was TU/e’s aim, Van Ganzenwinkel is not sure: “We still have to analyze those data”.  The same goes for the possible effect TU/e’s award-winning Dream Campaign may have on visitor numbers.