30.05.2008
Steven Ricchiazzi from the USA: “I feel that the past two years in Germany have brought a lot to my education.”
Steven Ricchiazzi in front of the University of Applied Forest Sciences Rottenburg. (Copyright: University of Applied Forest Sciences Rottenburg)
When I first came to Germany to participate in the California State University International Program (CSUIP), I had no idea what to expect and knew very little about German culture or the German university system. But now after studying in Baden-Württemberg as an exchange student for almost two years I feel that I have benefited greatly and have had the unique opportunity to get to know a different culture in depth.
The whole experience started with my host family in Horb, the Pfeffers. They took me in as if I was their own son. As they went about their daily lives, they invited me to join them on all of their weekend outings and family get-togethers. It was especially helpful that they only spoke German with me, even though communicating was difficult at times. We often had long conversations that lasted from dinner time until 12:00 or 1:00 in the morning, after which I would go to bed with a sore mouth from trying to pronounce all the new sounds.
After the 6-week language class in Horb was over, I moved to Tübingen with the other Americans in our group to start classes in the fall. The CSU program normally lasts one year, during which the students take language classes in the first semester in preparation for taking classes at the host university in the second semester. However, students also have the possibility to stay for a second year, in which they move to a university of their choice to study in their field. For me, one year would not have been enough. I felt that I had learned a lot about German culture and was just starting to understand how everything worked. It would be a shame to go back after just one year. So I made plans to stay for a second year.
I had just switched my major from mechanical engineering to forestry and natural resources and was looking for a hands-on, practice-oriented school to start studying. The University of Applied Forest Sciences in Rottenburg was the perfect choice for me. The small campus offered personalized learning with many weekly excursions and activities. I felt this would be a good match for the exchange program with my home university, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, because our emphasis is also hands-on learning and our motto is even “Learn by Doing”. With the help of the CSUIP coordinators in Tübingen, Anita Binder and Marion Schmidt, I worked out a 2-semester study plan that I would get credit for at Cal Poly. The first thing I had to adjust to was the different method of teaching in the German universities.
Universities in the United States keep students disciplined through homework assignments, projects and midterm exams that are completed and graded throughout the semester. The workload is spread out over the whole semester. In Germany, however, students are expected to discipline themselves to keep up with the course material. There are no homework assignments or midterm exams to study for from week to week, so students really have to have the self-initiative to study. For Germans this may come easy, but for me as an American it was a bit challenging to dedicate myself to studying early on in the semester, knowing that the first exam wasn’t until the end of the semester.
I feel that the past two years in Germany have brought a lot to my education and have rounded me out as an individual. As one of only a few foreign students at a German university, I am experiencing something unique that most people don’t have the opportunity to do.
More:
www.hs-rottenburg.net/forstwirtschaft.html
