With Cookies & Chat, the International Office of Fachhochschule Dortmund launched a new welcome format for exchange students on October 29 to facilitate their arrival and networking on campus. The aim of the event for new students in the winter semester 2025/26 was to promote exchange between exchange students, staff and lecturers.
With winter music and non-alcoholic punch, a relaxed atmosphere quickly developed in which students from different countries got talking to each other. The event provided an ideal setting for intercultural encounters - in line with Fachhochschule Dortmund's internationalization strategy "Campus International".
As is so often the case at first meetings, the icebreaker was a humorous discussion about the weather. While the colleagues from the International Office were already talking about the cold and described anything below zero degrees Celsius as "very cold", the students from Kazakhstan could only laugh about it. It really does get "very cold" at home - but then the thermometer also shows minus 40 degrees Celsius. Indian fellow students, on the other hand, reported temperatures of around 50 degrees plus in their home country. They were therefore already reaching for their winter jackets at 10 degrees.
What remains after this afternoon? In addition to new contacts, individual moments shaped the interaction. "It's like art therapy! Thank you so much," was how one Ukrainian exchange student summed up the relaxed and creative atmosphere.
The International Office at Fachhochschule Dortmund is the central point of contact for all international activities at the university and supports both foreign students in Dortmund and Dortmund students on their stays abroad. The new "Cookies & Chat" format is one of many initiatives aimed at strengthening international relations and promoting cultural exchange.