Freshman

Freshmen (also freshers, freshman ( Lower Hesse ) Freshers / Erstis, Ersis (Hannover), Squeaker ( Southern Germany ) ), students who are enrolled semester in their degree program in the first (professional).

Since freshmen usually come now directly after graduation or leaving school at the school in a strange city to the university or college, they are still inexperienced in many things. Therefore special introduction programs for freshmen offered at many universities. In these introductory programs ( mancherorten also " O phase " or " orientation phase ", "O - Week" or " orientation week " or " orientation units ") also may be game nights, parties, city rallies, special lectures or tutoring programs. These events are intended to facilitate the first-year entry into the study and give them the opportunity to settle quickly into their new surroundings. They are mostly organized by the respective student bodies and faculties, which often make the counseling of students and prospective students and provide them with information.

In the winter semester 2010/2011 the German universities recorded a record number of first-year students. 440,000 were newly enrolled in universities.