After we unfortunately had to start our studies online, it was all the more important for us to give the first semester students a good start to their studies.

We all met on November 18 at 5:00 pm at SixtyTwenty. Every first semester student could draw a name from a box when they came in. The name that was drawn was therefore the buddy and had to be found in the bar. In this way, we managed to find new groups and were able to exchange ideas. We all enjoyed it very much and are happy to have made new friends. 🙂

And every year it’s that time again: a new year is born in the UVET department and is made up of a wide variety of people. Although you are now a Master’s student, you are still a first-year student – and that deserves to be celebrated! However, it is much more important to get to know the higher semester students and benefit from their experiences. We started after the lecture with a mulled wine at the Fischerhäusl, then enjoyed a pizza and ended up at the Moustache. Many new acquaintances were made and numbers exchanged, lots of discussion and laughter. Unfortunately, there were only a few full-time students present, but all the more part-time students took the time – even if some missed the pizza. It was a successful evening, after which the Master’s can now really get started!

There is nothing better for the start of a new degree course in a new city than a little “meet and greet” with other students in a bar. It is also very helpful, especially at the beginning of your studies, to have a contact person (buddy) who can help you with organizational matters at the university, give you tips for courses and lectures or simply tell you the best spot for outdoor activities.

That’s why we organized a chilled meeting on Monday, 11 October in the “LaCopa-LaCabana” bar. Beforehand, each first semester student was assigned a buddy from the third semester of mechatronics with a specialization in medical technology. Then it was off to the bar, where the buddies were already eagerly awaiting their “first-year students”.

With three drinks vouchers sponsored by the ÖH MCI, it was only a matter of time before the buddy partners found each other. Afterwards, the evening slowly faded away with conversations about studying, sport and much more.

On 30 October, we (25 students of the master’s program IBM JG 2020, FT) set off for Thaur, where our hike towards the Thaurer Alm started. After about 1,5 hours we reached the Alm. After visiting our mattress camp in the hut next to the Alm, we were warmly welcomed by Carmen Bichler and her team at the Alm. The menu started with homemade bread. This was followed by a barley or frittata soup. For the main course we could choose between roast pork and dumplings or a “dumpling Tris”. And finally, there were “Kirchtagskrapfen”, chestnuts, nuts, and fruit. All dishes were very tasty. At about 12 pm we went to the sleeping hut, where we talked, sang, danced, played cards, … until late into the night. The next morning, we had fresh bread rolls at the Alm before we started the hike down into the valley.

The atmosphere was very good. The excursion enabled us to get to know each other better and to talk to a wide variety of people.

As the Digital Business & Software Engineering course is mainly held online and there were no face-to-face events due to the coronavirus pandemic, this was our first reunion in over a year. It was great to finally see our fellow students in person again and talk about all the latest news.

On Friday, the MCI organized a tour of the Quantum Lab at the University of Innsbruck. There we were able to see how what we had learned is put into practice. That was a highlight for everyone.

On Saturday, the meeting point was the SixtyTwenty restaurant at MCI I, where the students gathered in turn after the end of the attendance day – and successful project presentations. There, the previously organized drinks vouchers were distributed fairly to everyone. There was a lot of laughter and chatting, and people talked about their studies or private matters. It was definitely a great evening and an enjoyable reunion. The students also confirmed this:

“The final evening at 6020 was, as always, a great end to what was perhaps the best attendance weekend of the entire DiBSE Bachelor’s program, thanks above all to the Quantum Computing Lab Tour at the Technik Campus (University of Innsbruck).”

“It was a fun evening.”

“It was very nice to see all my fellow students again after such a long time and to catch up. It was a relaxed and very pleasant atmosphere in 6020.”

Non-alcoholic drinks and snacks were purchased in advance from Spar. The meeting point for the buddy event was at 2:30 p.m. at MCI IV in room 4A-024. The students from the two year groups arrived one by one. In the end, there were just over 50 of us in total. We chatted, ate and drank for two hours. In between, games to get to know each other and form groups provided variety. We had a pleasant get-together until 4:30 pm.

On October 13, 2021, the Buddy Event 2021 took place at Sixty Twenty for the 2020 and 2021 social work classes. There were advance announcements about the event in the respective classes. The event started at 18:00.

In order to provide the best possible support for new students on the first semester of the Social Work degree program, a certain number of students from the 2020 cohort volunteer to act as “buddies” (contact persons) for concerns. This is intended to promote the group dynamics of the degree program and make it easier for first-semester students to start their studies.

In courses of the JG 2021, profiles of the volunteer “buddies” of the 3rd semester were distributed, which were taken to the event by the respective students to find their buddy there. There was a drinks voucher for each person.

Many people were present and there was a lively exchange between the two semesters. We received a lot of positive feedback from 1st and 3rd semester students. The event broke up at around 22:00.

The graduation ceremony for year 18 of the Business Management in Tourism and Leisure Economics degree program was a complete success.

After the exams on 6. and July 7, 2021, the students of the year met in front of MCI Tourism and marched together into Innsbruck’s city center. We had already rented the premises of Bar 6020 there in advance and the drink coupons we had ordered were ready and waiting. Due to the heavy rain, we were all inside the bar, which had a great effect on the atmosphere as everyone stayed together.

Almost all of the candidates enjoyed the long-awaited relaxed atmosphere among their colleagues, all of whom were able to show their green passports without any problems.

At around 7:30 p.m., the pizza we had ordered was delivered by Pizza Call. All the usual pizza classics were ordered and delivered, and there was also something for vegetarians and histamine-intolerant colleagues. Everyone could enjoy about half a pizza and order a second drink.

After the meal, the table soccer table glowed and the conversations deepened until finally the group split up, one half stayed and the other half moved on.

On behalf of the entire class, I would like to thank the ÖH MCI for their generous support of our project. As the COVID situation meant that our year had to get along separately and online for over a year, this event was more than just a graduation, as it was also an opportunity to refresh relationships for the future after graduation.

After three exciting years at the MCI, we finished the Bachelor of “Business & Management” at an incredible evening at Sixty Twenty. With some Pizza and Drinks alongside, we had nostalgic chats and relived memories from our time in Innsbruck.

The highlight of the evening was a final “Flunky-Ball-Battle” between our two groups. The goal was to determine finally the outperforming group. However, in the end, we just celebrated all together, gratefully to have experienced such an amazing time.

We would like to thank the ÖH MCI who supported us in conducting this final get-together!

This report was submitted in english only since the degree is in english only.