Putting the "Study" in Study Abroad

So, as of

checks watch

fourteen days ago, I completed the second part of my year as a PPPler: the university phase. I had my fair share of adventures, mishaps, and stress during the last semester, and so I figure it's probably worth talking about. Buckle up--it's a long one, and I recommend not reading if you have literally anything else to do.

Why/How to Study at a German Uni

So, PPP is a cultural exchange and the point is to get to know the various German institutions with which a young German professional would regularly encounter yadda yadda yadda. It therefore makes sense that we would be required to study at a German university, since most German young professionals complete some form of higher education. That said, unlike the US, they have a few different options, so here are some handy infographics to help you understand the German system:

Clear as mud, right? 

To Americans, this system is hopelessly complicated. Even though I feel like I hardly understand it myself, I would say the most important things to know right now are as follows:

• Starting in what we would consider middle school, students are sent to different schools based on their capabilities and interests. There is freedom of movement between them, but...
• after age 16 or so, students choose whether they would like to go down a more technical path or pursue a more theoretical training. They can study at what we would consider most similar to a high school, or they can start to learn a trade and even complete an internship.
• For those who complete "high school," they have the option of taking the university entrance test and then going on to study at...
• one of two types of universities: a University, or a University of Applied Sciences. That's fairly generalized, but the point is that there's an option between theoretical and applicable studies. 

Just like in the US, German students can (in general) complete a Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph. D. Once you get past the initial confusion, it's not so different from what Americans recognize. 

The HAW

As you know, I am currently in Hamburg with 3 other PPPler. For the past 33 years, participants in my program were sent to the University of Hamburg or the Technical University in Hamburg-Harburg. This year, I am the first to be sent to the Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg (HAW), or the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences.

The main entrance to the HAW Bergedorf.

They chose to send me to this particularly university because I study environmental science. I was therefore enrolled at the HAW for a semester in the Umwelttechnik (Environmental technology/engineering) major, which is offered not on the main campus in the center of Hamburg, but rather on the campus in a nearby town called Bergedorf about an hour away. Class registration has to be completed by mid summer by most students, so I tried to schedule my classes via email. That meant rifling through some very confusing PDFs to try to figure out the content and the timing of classes I wanted to take. I sent my list of desired classes to my advisor, and focused on preparing to leave for Germany.

I didn't hear really anything back until August, when I was informed of a mandatory orientation day for international students at the beginning of September. I informed the GIZ, and they decided that I shouldn't miss it. They paid for my travel to Hamburg for the weekend, and so off I went. I was lucky enough to have the time to also work through a few administrative things, figure out where exactly I'd be living, and meet the only other American studying at the HAW Bergedorf campus. Otherwise, the weekend was relatively uneventful. At the least I went home feeling a little more sure of my next steps after moving. 

Back in Cologne, I tried to mentally prepare myself for... something. Quite frankly, I had no idea what to expect at the HAW. As the last two weeks of language school went on, I decided instead to focus more on spending time with my friends and enjoying the life I had just learned to live rather than daydream about the future. However, unlike most other universities, the winter semester at the HAW began in the middle of September. The Bundestag is pretty strict about the timeline of PPP, so I wasn't allowed to leave Cologne and move to Hamburg until the beginning of October. This tended to stress me out, but... not my fault. Whatever!

Between the delay and the chaos of moving in to my dorm, I effectively missed the first three weeks of class. I was therefore understandably nervous heading into my first few classes--I didn't know what to expect, I didn't know anyone, and the Bergedorf campus of the HAW is unbelievably confusing. It has eight elevators, all of which take you to different classrooms unreachable by any other elevator. It is a nightmare to navigate, and every single day of the past 12 weeks, I had to look at a building map even though my classes were in the same rooms almost every time. I took a few pictures of the ground floor which might help you understand my confusion:

Is it a bunker? Is it a prison? Is it the labyrinth, designed to contain the horrific Minotaur? Or is it just some crazy, sadistic architect's vision conceived out of a desire to confuse students, professors, and staff alike? We may never know. 

Now that you know a little more about where I studied, let's talk about what the whole "studying" thing was actually like. 

My Classes

PPP rules dictate that we take at least 4 classes during the university phase. Two must be classes in German, one may be in English, and the other can be a German language class. I had already gone through the course catalogue and sent in my top picks, but I never heard anything back about them until the orientation seminar in September. As it turned out, my email had gotten lost among all the other emails in my advisor's inbox, and she had yet to verify if all of my choices would work together or register me for classes. We decided to schedule a meeting for that same weekend to clear everything up together. 

During the meeting, she found my email, and we started going through my choices. It's worth noting that, in the US, I can do this entirely alone. OSU has software that allows you to see what classes are available in the upcoming semester and then will generate available schedule options for you if none of the classes conflict with one another. At the HAW, though? There's no software. My advisor had to pull out three different books and two spreadsheets and connect the dots between them just to figure out if/when a class was offered. It was awful! It was horribly inefficient and took so much longer than it needed to, but eventually I chose 5 different classes that all worked with one another. Unfortunately, they were all actual classes in German--the HAW Bergedorf wasn't offering any classes in English or any German language classes, so I worked with what I had. For your average HAW student, this isn't so hard. Most of them take almost the exact same schedule as everyone else in their major and specialization, but that would mean I would have to take around double the number of classes required by the GIZ... no thanks. 

I ended up choosing classes about Biology (1&2), Environmental Management, Environmental Law, and two classes about the Biological and Chemical Parameters of Environmental Risk Assessment. Due to the cherry-picked nature of my schedule, my classes were for all different levels of students, from freshman to senior. I actually enjoyed that--it meant that I got to know quite a few different people and learn what it was actually like for a student at the HAW to actually progress through their studies. 

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So I started my classes confused, alone, and three weeks late. I won't lie, I was a walking, talking disaster the first couple of weeks. I went to the wrong class more than once, I could hardly summon up the courage to talk to my professors, I felt like I was being eyed by everyone... not good. It didn't help that the single professor who taught 3 of my classes was sick for a week and a half, meaning that many of my classes were, in fact, cancelled, only adding to my stress. I worry about everything, and some days I didn't even want to get out of bed because I knew that, for the third time that week, I would just be an anxious puddle for the next 6 hours.

Regardless of my useless worrying, I pushed through. I realized through this experience that a little bit of self-care can go a long way: I was in bed by 10:30pm almost every night, making my 6:00am alarm a little more tolerable. I also prioritized eating breakfast and relaxing for a few minutes every morning. This was something I was never able to do in the US, but it helped me center myself and feel less panicked in the morning. I highly recommend it.

I slowly became more comfortable in my routine and in my classes. I was able to talk to my professors and peers, and, by the end of it all, I felt a little less alone. The other students at the HAW proved to be super nice, and my professors proved to be great and very helpful resources in my search for an internship.

Homework, Tests, and Projects, oh my

There's a big difference in expectations between the way US American universities and German universities. In my experience, American universities do a lot to help you learn. Classes normally require a book or some form of regular readings; you're required to write papers; do regular homework assignments; to take quizzes, midterms, exams. My experience at the HAW was completely different: there was virtually no homework (twice we had to watch a video before class), there were no quizzes of any kind, and the bulk of the class's grade came from either a test or, more commonly, a long, well-thought-out presentation. 

Realizing that long presentations were very common was one of the few moments of culture shock that I had. Back at home, presentations for most classes are expected to be maximum 10-15 minutes long. Here, though? Presentations running anywhere from 20-45 minutes are commonplace. From early on in their university education, students are required to learn how to piece together what they've learned into a clear and comprehensive presentation. They frequently present in groups to their fellow classmates and professors, and are subject to honest and constructive criticism at the end of their presentation. That was also new to me--in my classes in the US, if the professor gave the opportunity for other students to provide feedback, there was only ever radio silence or a few compliments. Here, though? Peers will remark on everything from the font size to the clarity of the presentation overall in the interest of helping each other learn. It's actually great! At home, people tend to get annoyed if you correct them or have anything critical to say, whereas German students understand that they are most likely imperfect and are there to learn. 

A lot of this presentation work is in preparation for what is referred to as the students' Bachelorarbeit, or bachelor's thesis. In Germany, you can't just show up to class, get a C, and walk out wearing your cap and gown for your bachelor's degree. You're required to complete coursework, write a thesis paper, and give an oral defense of your work. Now, American students are also frequently required to take a capstone course and present their work as a part of that, but that's frequently as a group. The Bachelorarbeit is individual and, to me, seems much more intense.

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I was a little worried at first that I was going to be swamped with work at University, but that turned out to be not at all the case--that is, until my professor asked me if I wanted to give a presentation. PPP does not require that I take any exams and I wasn't getting a grade for any of my classes, so I technically was not required to give this presentation, either. However, my professor thought it would be a good opportunity for my German peers to learn what it's like to study the environment in the United States as well as get to know me a little bit. Before I knew what I was getting myself into, I nodded my head and told him I'd love to present.

"Would you prefer in English or German?" I asked, really hoping he was going to say that my presentation would be a good chance for his students to practice their English.

"Hm... I think it would be a good chance for you to practice your German, right?"

"...Right," I agreed. Shit. "And how long should I plan to present?"

"Oh, around 45 minutes should suffice," my professor responded cheerily.

"Perfect!" Not perfect.

I sat on this information for the next three weeks, completely unsure of what I was going to talk about for 45 minutes to an audience of German students. About two weeks before I was set to present, I got my butt in gear and just started brainstorming. I ended up deciding to tell everyone a little bit about myself and my family to start. That was the easy part. I then went into American environmental history, eventually leading into talking about the current administration. I ended by talking about Ohio and what it's like to study the environment at Ohio State.

In true Maggie style, I spent the entire week leading up to my presentation freaking out. I spent hours working on and reworking my presentation, practicing my German, panicking, and sweating excessively. It didn't help that it was the week of Thanksgiving, and I had food to cook and another presentation (this one in English) to prepare for. RIP.

The morning of, I wore layers. This turned out to be a good idea because I sweat through almost all of them. I ended up being surprisingly calm behind the podium, and my presentation lasted almost an hour. This was mostly because I invited everyone to chime in with whatever questions they had, and we chatted about a few things outside the presentation. At the end, they gave me feedback, and told me that they thought my presentation was really interesting and enjoyable. My professor gave me marzipan from his hometown as a thank-you gift, and all was well with the world.

Though stressful, the whole experience ended up being good for my confidence and helped me connect with the other students a little bit. I was also asked to give the presentation in another class, which ended up not going as well. That didn't matter to me, though--I had already given a 45-minute presentation entirely in German, and as far as I was concerned, I could do anything.

Except take the exams at the end of the semester. Optional, smoptional. I had stressed out enough!

Anyway, if you'd like to see my presentation, you can find it here.

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Phew! You did it. You read that whole post. I do appreciate it, even though you probably had better things to do. I hope you enjoyed reading about my university experience, and if you've got questions, leave a comment!