It’s back – winter semester, in person!

You’ve got your university acceptance, found a place to live, said goodbye to your home town, and now you’re waiting, full of anticipation, for your studies to begin. All the hurdles are behind you, and nothing stands in the way of a brilliant new phase of life. Finally seeing the university with your own eyes, meeting new people, and getting settled into academic life. Orientation Week is meant to ease you into your studies, bring you in contact with other students, and ensure that you know what to expect. But this winter, what has been standard practice for decades will take on the aura of something extra special.

The pandemic has left its mark. Just a year ago, everything was very different: Freshmen “joined” campus tours on YouTube, and instead of going to a bar in the evening and toasting to a good time together, the newcomers sat for hours in front of their laptops and only knew their lecturers via Zoom. This year, however, everything will be mostly back to normal, and departments and degree programmes have planned O-Weeks in great detail.

There are dates for consultations on course planning, and official introductory events. There will be campus tours, scavenger/puzzle hunts in the city, and even pub crawls. Nevertheless, the 3,500 or so first-year students (the university is expecting about 15 percent fewer new registrations) will still face some restrictions that affect everyday life at the university. From now on, the “3G” rule will apply, which should make it as safe as possible for students, staff and lecturers to return to the university. Only those who have been vaccinated, recovered or tested will be able to pass through the security checks at the university entrances. And to use individual rooms, there will be rules that make it easier to track possible infections: for example, a requirement to check in via the Guest Bremen app when entering and check out when leaving. All in all, a situation that we guess students will happily accept, if it means no more online semesters.