The basic course at HTX: the first months
From primary school pupil to secondary school pupil — and on to subject choice
The first months at HTX are different from the rest of the education. All academic qualifications begin with a basic course lasting about three months where you have not yet chosen a field of study. The purpose is twofold: you should get to know the academic subjects and working methods and you should have a real basis for the field of study choice that concludes the course.
§What happens in the basic course?
On HTX, from the beginning you encounter the combination that characterizes the education: class instruction in the general subjects, introduction to scientific work in the laboratory, and the first project sequences where you work problem-oriented in groups. You get a taste of the subjects and working methods that await in the different study directions — precisely so you can feel which one, physics, biotechnology, or programming, pulls the most.
- 01Introduction to the training's subjects and professional main areas
- 02The first laboratory exercises and basic safety instruction
- 03Project work in groups focusing on the working method
- 04Guidance and information about study programs before choosing
- 05Social activities that shake classes and year groups together
§Jump from primary school
The transition from 9th or 10th grade to upper secondary school is a real leap. The pace is faster, homework load is greater, and responsibility for your own learning grows: nobody picks you up if you delay assignments, as a teacher in primary school might. In return, you are met as someone who has chosen to be there — and most experience that the specialization and community around interest in technology and natural science make the jump more motivating than frightening.
§Good habits from day one
- 01Use a calendar or app for submissions from the first week — overview beats memory
- 02PLACEHOLDER_110
- 03Say something in the lessons early — the longer you wait, the harder it gets
- 04Find a study partner or study group before the rush starts
- 05Ask the teachers when something is unclear; it is their job and they prefer questions to silence
§Study course selection ends the course
The basic course results in your choice of study direction, and it is worth taking seriously without making it bigger than it is. Use the course's guidance, talk to teachers and older students, and feel which subjects gave you energy. The choice determines your major subjects in the coming years — but it does not determine the rest of your life, and the compulsory subjects in any case ensure a broad, technical-scientific school-leaving examination.
“The basic course is gymnasium's trial cabinet: you get to feel the subjects on your body before you decide which ones you want to carry for the next three years.”