Ava Hartman, Business, Technology, and Engineering: The German Way Summer 2024
On this program, “Engineering the German Way”, we had the opportunity to interact with many German students. We did a project in teams with some of the German students that we shared a class with, and we were given the opportunity to spend time with German “buddies” who helped us with certain aspects of the program. Through these students, we learned about the types of classes that they take, how they typically study, what they do for fun, and where they usually spend their time on-campus.
It was a really valuable experience to get to work with German students on a project. We got to learn about the different programs that they use at their university, what their future plans were, and their typical academic schedule. Overall, their academics seem to operate similarly to ours, with some differences. The timeframe of their semesters is different, and so is their exam schedule. They typically don’t have many exams during a semester, and they spend a good amount of time during the second half of their semesters studying for their final exams. Additionally, they take time during school to do apprenticeships, which are similar to co-ops and internships, but the typical amount of time spent in these positions can be longer than what we are used to.
It was really interesting to not only learn about the German students’ lives, but to also share aspects of ours. I really enjoyed learning about their academic experiences, and I feel that it was just as valuable an experience to have the opportunity to explain ours. We were able to note some similarities and differences between our experiences, and it was interesting to hear their perspectives on their engineering courses compared to ours. It was also a good learning experience to complete a project as a team while working with a bit of a language barrier. It changed how we thought about and communicated our ideas, so that we were sure that we were all understanding one another.
Through our interactions with these students, we got to learn about their college experiences and the typical lifestyle of a student in our age group. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to have a variety of conversations with these students, and to share everything that we have learned and everything that we hope to do in the future. The students were all very welcoming and just as curious about our academics as we were about theirs, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have gotten to learn about a different education system.
Leave a Reply