The ESAG – short for Erstsemesterarbeitsgemeinschaft (first-semester working group) – is an event held over several days in the fall and for one day in the spring. It is aimed at all new students in the fields of Computer Science, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Medical Physics, Physics, and Sciences.
In the winter semester 2026/27, the ESAG will take place from October 5th to October 9th.
If you already have questions about your studies or simply want to connect with each other in advance, feel free to join our Discord server. There, you will also regularly receive information about your studies throughout the coming semesters and have the opportunity to exchange ideas with your fellow students about your courses or anything else.
Monday, 05.10.2026
On Monday, the general introductory event organized by the Student Councils Department will take place. You can find the information here. We’ve copied the key details for you below (Tip for your studies: when looking for information, always check the original source again to make sure nothing has changed. Copy-pasted info like this can quickly become outdated!):
| Times | Event |
| 11:30 | Entry to the lecture halls: Please only use the entrances that lead directly to the lecture hall wing! 3A / 3F / 3G / 2A / 2D / 5A / 5B / 5C / 5D / 5E / 5G / 6A / 6B / 6C / 6D / 6E / 6F / 6G Please keep the emergency exits (stairways) clear! |
| 12:00 | Start of the general First-Semester welcome (ESAG opening) |
| tbd | First-Semester Fair |
| 18:00-23:00 | Hangout Event – Alcohol-Free Evening Event Building 23.21, Floor U1. 70s & 90s Rooms |
| 19:00-24:00 | First-Semester Party at Club Ampere Ronsdorfer Str. 134, 40223 Düsseldorf |
Our program from Wednesday to Friday:
We organize the program from Wednesday to Friday for you. “We” refers to the student councils of Physics and Medical Physics, Computer Science, and Natural Sciences. We have joined forces under the name “PhyNIx” and also maintain this website. For the program from Tuesday to Friday, the information on this site is therefore likely to be more up-to-date and accurate than what the Student Councils Department shares here.
Wednesday, 07.10.2026
We will meet at 10:30 for a reception with snacks in the hallway in front of lecture halls 5J, 5K, 5L, and 5M (see map below), and then head to the unique and fantastic ESAG theater! The theatre will take place in lecture hall 5L (you can find information about how the theater was in 2022 here). Please note that the theatre will be in German.
Afterwards, you will receive further information about the rest of the program, followed by some refreshments, and then you will learn everything important for starting your studies in the subject-specific tutorials. These take place separately by field:
- Computer Science Bachelor: 14:30, HS 5D
- Physics / Medical Physics: 14:30, HS 5K
- Natural Sciences: 14:30, HS 5M
- Data Science & Artificial Intelligence: 14:30, HS 5G (Slides from 2025)
- Computer Science Master: 14:30, Room 2522.U1.34
Once that is done, starting at around 15:30, you will get to know the campus and all its hidden rooms and corners during our campus tour. The groups for this will be assigned towards the end of the tutorials. Around 18:00, we will end the day with a first barbecue at the two grilling areas near the Math Student Council room (see map below). Feel free to bring your own dishes for the sake of the environment.
Thursday, 08.10.2026
Today we are taking a break from campus and heading into the big city. After all, if you are studying in Düsseldorf, you should get to know the city a little. We will start a bit later today (after what was probably a long barbecue yesterday), meeting at 15:00 for the city tour at Graf Adolf Platz.
We will offer various themed group tours through Düsseldorf. After the city tour, there will be a smooth transition into the pub crawl. The meeting point for the pub crawl is the Rheintreppe at Burgplatz. It will probably start around 19:00 (or once most of the city tour groups have arrived). During the pub crawl, you will experience the “longest bar in the world.” After all, some expertise in this area is expected if you are studying in Düsseldorf. There will be different groups focusing on beer, cocktails, etc.
(Time and meeting point may still change, so please check here again before the meeting.)
Friday, 09.10.2026
On Friday, we will meet again at 12:30 for the campus rally. The meeting point is lecture hall 5L. During the rally, we will provide various sandwiches (including vegan), so don’t worry if you didn’t have breakfast in the morning. However, drinks will not be provided, so we recommend bringing your own water bottle or other beverages (just no glass bottles).
During the rally, your team will face various challenges that require teamwork, skill, and a bit of knowledge! Relax, stay motivated, and don’t forget to bring a towel. We hope you get to know your teammates better and have fun together! The seriousness of studying can wait a little. The best team will receive a great prize, which we won’t spoil just yet.
Afterwards, starting at 18:00, we will have another barbecue—because we are good at it, and everyone seems to enjoy it. Feel free to bring your own dishes for the sake of the environment.
