Study and research in Germany

Get to know your university!

To ensure that you quickly take control of your studies, you should get all the information you can before and when you start to study. Make sure you understand your university, what the most important university facilities do and your degree programme. The following check-list will help you verify how well prepared you already are.

• Have you already been to the Student Advice Service (Studienberatung), for example the Central Student Advice Service (Zentrale Studienberatung) or the Departmental Student Advice Service (Fachstudienberatung)? They have important information on the organisation and structure of your degree programme. They will also advise you when you build your timetable.  
• Do you already know the dates of the Introductory Meetings for First-Year Students? You'll get a kind of crash course to acquaint you with the most important university facilities, like the central library and departmental libraries, the computer centre or the language centre. You will also get important information on your studies (who to contact, tutorials, how to organise your studies).
• Have you already obtained the Study Regulations (Studienordnungen) and Examination Regulations (Prüfungsordnungen) for your academic subjects? They form an important foundation for planning your studies. The sooner you read them, the surer you will be as you progress through your studies. 
• Do you already have a Course Catalogue (Vorlesungsverzeichnis), sometimes also called Studien- und Personalverzeichnis), that lists all the courses offered at the university? Even more helpful to you would be an Annotated Course Catalogue (kommentiertes Vorlesungsverzeichnis) for the subject you are studying. This catalogue provides a more detailed description of the course contents, making it much easier for you to choose and plan your degree programme.
• Do you already know the Noticeboard (called Schwarzes Brett in German - although only rarely black) at your faculty? Have you already read the announcements and notices for new students?
• Have you already collected information on Start-Up Seminars (Anfängerseminare) and Bridging Courses (Brückenkurse), and have you already registered for these?
• Do you already have a User ID Card for the University Library (Benutzerausweis für die Hochschulbibliothek)?
• Have you already registered at your Department (Seminar, Institut, Fachbereich) in order to be able to use the departmental library?
• Have you visited the Computer Centre (Rechenzentrum) yet to apply for free-of-charge Internet access and a free email account?
• Is there already a Study Group (Arbeitsgruppe) which you would like to take part in and contribute to? Learning groups are a good way of working together to learn the subject matter, to train examination situations, and to provide mutual support in times of crisis.
• Have you already noted down the date for the next semestral Re-registration (Rückmeldung)?

  
  

Time management: How to get a better grip on your time.

In her basic study stage, our scout Tina constantly found herself battling with time problems. Sometimes she started preparing for her exams too late. Then she lacked the time to revise all the study materials. She often spent much too much time doing research in the library, meaning she didn't have enough time left to write things down. In order finally to escape the time trap, Tina bought herself a book on proper time management. Since then she has had much better control over her time. So here are a few tips that could help you organise your studies better:

• First, be clear about the fact that time management is above all about organising yourself better and being very self-disciplined about it. Only if you set yourself firm goals and keep to them will you really be able to get a grip on your time.
• Never just sit down and start studying: at the start of the semester, set yourself clear goals for your work with concrete times (for example: research an internship by 1 January, sign internship contract by 1 March; start internship on 1 August).
• At the start of the semester, get a precise overview of all the tasks to be performed with precise times and deadlines (for example, produce written assignment in subject X to qualify for admission to the intermediate examination; gain Spanish language certificate).
• Never rely solely on your memory when planning dates: always write down your goals and tasks, for example, in the form of to-do-lists and daily or weekly plans.
• Divide your goals and tasks into clear and manageable units. That helps you keep everything in mind.
• Check regularly whether you're meeting your schedule. If you're not, amend your schedule immediately. Otherwise, you'll lose control. Even better, keep strictly to your plan to ensure that you really do manage your tasks and goals.
• Set priorities when defining and carrying out tasks. How much time you plan for a task should depend on how important and urgent it is (for example, do you have to hand in your seminar paper in a week's time).  
• Don't plan to do too much: trying to do various tasks simultaneously is the surest path into deadline chaos. Ask your tutors and the student adviser how much time you need to allow for the various tasks.
• Don't plan everything too tightly: something unforeseen can happen at any time, for example, you may fall ill. So it's better to allow a little extra time.
• Don't take on too much: allow enough time and space for relaxation and recreation. Nobody can work all around the clock.
• Give your everyday university life a set structure: besides allocating fixed times for learning (daily from 9.00 to 12.00), this includes meals with other students (12.30) or regular participation in study groups (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 18.30 to 20.00).
• Critically assess where you are wasting time. Do you often allow yourself to be distracted from your work by phone calls? Do you spend hours on the Internet or go and do some shopping before you write the first chapter of your seminar paper?
• Think about your working techniques: a lack of time often comes from working inefficiently. For example, you can save a lot of time by using the right reading technique.