The HSG welcomes new students

2 September 2013. 1,377 new students will start the academic year with the Freshers’ Week of 9-13 September 2013. This year, the students will once again deal with the topic of development strategies. The event will be held in two languages (German and English) for the first time.

Possible solutions for Rurbania
160 tutors will supervise the new students’ work on a case study about the development of a fictitious country called Rurbania. The 2013 Freshers’ Week provides the newcomers with an opportunity to deal with sustainable development strategies. In the process of this work, the example of Rurbania will serve to familiarise students with economic, social and political interconnections and with the interactions between that country’s relevant actors.

Students will present the best project ideas at the concluding event in St.Gallen’s Olma Hall 2.1 before a jury, the students of the Assessment Year, numerous guests and HSG members on Friday, 13 September.

Student numbers at the beginning of the semester
Approximately 7,700 have enrolled for Autumn Semester 2013 (previous year: 7,324 students). In the Assessment Year, 1,377 (1,327) undergraduates will be expected, and 2,516 (2,503) at the Bachelor’s Level. 3,096 (2,723) students have enrolled at the Master’s Level, and approx. 700 (729) at the Doctoral Level.

As usual, the enrolment statistics for Autumn Semester 2013 will be published in mid-December. Experience shows that student numbers will have dropped by then. This is the case because some students are still at the trial-and-error stage, fail to start their studies or drop out after a few weeks.

From Autumn Semester 2013, students will be able to choose whether they want to complete the Assessment Year in Economic Sciences in German or English. About 300 students, a majority of them from Switzerland, have opted for the English-language track of the Assessment Year.

“Diversity of life - Diversity for life?”
On 13 and 14 September 2013, the HSG will welcome about 660 new students at the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Levels on the occasion of the English-language Kick-Off Days. Besides the academic programme, the newcomers will be familiarised with administrative procedures and campus life. Students and experts will discuss the topic “Diversity of life - Diversity for life?”.

Individual diversity aspects such as gender, origin, culture, way of life, career and age will be discussed in detail with the speakers in seven workshops after the lectures. The guests are Patrizia Pesenti (Ringier’s Head of Corporate Development for Switzerland and Germany), Dr. Niklas Baer (Head of the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Psychiatrie Baselland) and Daniel Woker (former ambassador and HSG lecturer). The panel discussion will be chaired by TV moderator Kurt Aeschbacher.