Standing out from the group, a student’s parent approached the tour guide, asking for his attention and said “I just wanted to congratulate you on this initiative – we didn’t have any of this in my student days”. The comment came up during a tour at Alameda campus for the new students’ families during Welcome Week. Between 2 and 6 September, the new students and their families attended welcome sessions and other activities during which it was possible to get to know their opinions about Técnico.
Susana Pereira says that “it’s a great source of pride” to have her daughter studying Aerospace Engineering at Técnico, as “this is one of the most prestigious engineering schools in the country”. The moment they learnt of the student’s placement was very emotional – “she cried with joy; we all cried”. According to Susana “Técnico is the top school for preparing students professionally”.
The family information sessions took place on each day of Welcome Week and included useful information about the academic life at Técnico, such as study places, work and leisure, as well as other school services available for students.
“What impresses me very positively (and this visit has reinforced it) is the versatility of Técnico”, explains Ana Luísa Ferreira, the mother of a student who started the Undergraduate Programme in Environmental Engineering at Técnico this year. “From the vegetable garden to the sports students’ organisation and the opportunity to take courses at other schools… it’s all very important”, she says, arguing that “this idea that Técnico students are ‘just engineers’ is being deconstructed, which is very positive”.
For Graco Trindade, the father of a new Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering student, seeing his son join Técnico “is a comfortable feeling” and he has a “very good impression” of the school. “Lisbon is an exceptional European capital, a natural, coastal, Atlantic-fronted port”, with all the benefits this brings to his son’s field of study. He also considers Técnico as “a school open to the world”.
Mário Fernandes, a Técnico alumnus, participated in the campus tour, so none of this was new to him. “Today, when I was in GA1 [during a family welcome session], I sat in the chair where I attended the first class at Técnico”, he shares. Thirty years later, he now sees his son studying for a degree in Biomedical Engineering. “His main responsibility is to enjoy the journey – the important thing is not to complete the course in three, four or five years, but to be happy enjoying everything that a school like Técnico has to offer”, defends the alumnus, also highlighting the importance of the extracurricular activities.
More information: First Steps at Técnico | Student Guide
Welcome Week daily news:
- First day – Técnico welcomes new students on the first day of Welcome Week
- Second day – New students arrive at Taguspark campus searching for Técnico’s “prestige”
- Third day – New students “root for Técnico” at Welcome Week
- Fourth day – Students’ organisations and socialising during Welcome Week – because ‘Técnico isn’t just about going to classes’
- Fifth day – Newcomers and hosts: new beginnings on the last day of Técnico Welcome Week
