Impressionen

Andrew Jordan

My stay in Mannheim was greatly improved by the scholarship I received from the Ekkehard-Stiftung. The main benefit I enjoyed was being able to afford an apartment in the Quadrat, which allowed me easier access to Uni Mannheim at all hours. This was very useful, especially because I had to adjust to the German system of education. The American system is characterized by more work spread out across the semester, with participation in class stressed as a key component. My first semester in the German collegiate system was characterized by in depth lectures and exercise sessions, but ones in which I was not asked to participate and in most cases had to come to conclusions myself. This was not necessarily more difficult, but there was a learning curve I had to adjust to.

In terms of the courses themselves, I thought they were very good courses. They were more theoretical in nature than many of my American classes, which seem to be more hands on and project based. The analytical rigor of the courses were high, and the math requirement was higher than an average American course. I thought this was a positive of the course as it made me strengthen my mathematics and caused me to be very thorough in my learning of concepts.

Overall, the scholarship I received allowed me to adjust to these differences in the German and American education systems so that my transition was mostly seamless. In addition, I was able to experience Mannheim city life, along with a new healthy enjoyment of German and Turkish cuisine. I think without my scholarship, I would have been more dependent on the transport system of the city and would not have been able to enjoy as much of Mannheim as I was able to with the scholarship.

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