The Slightly Unusual Semester #4 – Studying abroad: Should I stay or should I go?

The rapid global spread of the virus in February and March and the accompanying border closures, entry bans, curfews and contact restrictions meant that students were forced to rethink their plans. This also affected students who were just about to start a semester abroad and those wishing to study in Germany in the summer semester.

»We’ve never experienced anything like this in the International Office. Our Student Services are typically very well-organized but all of a sudden we had to deal with making decisions for countless individual cases«, said Dr. Christian Kästner, head of the International Office.  »We provided advice and information for students who were already abroad based on the situation in the students’ host country as well as their study circumstances. This allowed them to decide for themselves what the best course of action was«. Many Erasmus students from Weimar had already arrived in their destinations abroad with initial welcome events already behind them. But before they could even really start studying, lockdown measures came into effect in many places. Many full-time international students in Master’s degree programmes here in Weimar had travelled back home for the semester break and were not able to return to Weimar.  They were – and still are – faced with the issue of not being able to extend their visas due to embassies being closed, or not being able to submit the language certificates necessary to study in Germany.

Digital Welcome Dinner for International Students in Weimar

»We have contacted all students with a series of e-mails as well as personal e-mails and have sought to provide recommendations and offer our help. We distributed a questionnaire to help determine the situations students were finding themselves and to try to prevent students from getting ›stuck‹ abroad without support or in financial need«, Kästner continued. In Weimar, the face-to-face Welcome Week events were rescheduled as digital events so that those who were already in Weimar would be well taken care of – even if they couldn't be on campus – without putting anyone at risk. Kick off, Intercultural online dinner, Be Buddy! or Library online – students had the opportunity to meet new people and make contact online. Furthermore, there was never a curfew in Weimar, so students were able to get out and get to know the city and its surroundings – even though campus life wasn’t (and still isn’t) taking place. Christian Kästner estimates that of the 80 students who came to Weimar, only a quarter to a third ended up staying. However, many have remained enrolled and, despite returning to their home countries, they plan to participate in the digital course offerings.

There was, however, no recall campaign for Weimar students who were abroad. »Everyone is in a unique situation – some students were not able to return to Weimar, or to their parents’ house. Each student was responsible for deciding how they would deal with the situation«.

Erasmus Semester in Spanish Lockdown: Neighbourhood Instead of Campus Life

»Stay cool and don’t make any hasty decisions« – this is how Kevin Fechner, a student in the Architectural Management Master's programme, describes how he's handling the lockdown situation in Barcelona.  Fechner travelled to Spain in early February to spend the semester abroad with his girlfriend. »At that point, there wasn't really much talk about the coronavirus in Europe, just in China and later Italy – we didn't really notice much at first«, he says, looking back. He had moved into an apartment and completed his first month studying as an Erasmus student at the Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya before things quickly changed.  Starting on 18. March, Spain began implementing strict curfews. From that point on, he could no longer leave his apartment in Barcelona without a valid reason. 

Being out in the streets to go shopping was permitted, »but there was a strong police presence and everyone who was out was questioned about where they were going. Groups of two or three people were not permitted to stand together«, continued Fechner. He and his girlfriend took advantage of the adversity and instead of getting to know other students, they got to know their neighbours. »The Spanish took me completely by surprise. Through the many balconies in our neighbourhood, we were able to connect with one another. Everyone is very open and we were able to all interact with one another. In Spain, it seems as though there is always something in need of repair – recently even we were affected by a power outage – and people depend on one another. Everyone is very helpful«. Fechner’s Spanish also saw improvement. A small vertical garden on the shared rooftop of their apartment helped to connect neighbours with one another and gave Fechner the opportunity to spend at least a few minutes a day in the fresh air.  

A Bonding Experience

Studying at the Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya – as is the case at most universities – has moved online. Fechner’s challenging projects are time consuming, so he has been quite happy not to be distracted by parties and going out. »I do miss brainstorming and working together though«. He also finds it a shame not to be able to see his local friends and to meet new people. »But I do feel that I am well-supported by my universities. We are provided with up-to-date information and have been offered help if we want to return to Germany«. To be on the safe side, Fechner registered with »Elefand« – a Federal Foreign Office platform that keeps a record of all Germans abroad and keeps them informed. Overall, he sees the situation as a positive one and is happy that he decided to stay in Barcelona. »It could have been much worse. All in all, we have it pretty good here. It’s interesting to see how another country is dealing with the corona situation. Plus, there are two of us, which makes things a lot easier« Fechner says of the last few weeks. »This experience has brought us even closer to those who we are in contact with«. In any case, the two months following the lockdown have provided a ray of hope. At the end of June, classes are over and he would like get to know the city properly and travel the rest of the country. 

Digital Lessons at Home Instead of Studying in Milan

Lena Skade, on the other hand, decided to come back. As an Urbanistik student in her sixth semester, a semester abroad is compulsory and she had applied to the Politecnico di Milano. Her studies were set to begin at the end of February and Skade arrived in Milan by train via Zurich in mid-February. Like many other exchange students, she first lived in a youth hostel during the transitional period and was to move into her »real« room on 1. March. But things didn't go quite as planned. »The Welcome Days began on 19. February as planned, and we were introduced to the university. But two days later, the first events were cancelled because of corona. Some exchange students had already left by this point, and just under a week later on 25. February, I flew back to Germany«, said Skade. »At first I didn't really take it that seriously, but the general tension in the city increased as we all became aware of the situation. My parents also urged me to come back«, she continued. »Luckily I wasn’t stuck with any further costs. I could move out of my room without any issues«. 

Drastic situations like this can cause students to find themselves in financial trouble. In order to cushion the effects of these emergencies, the Freundeskreis der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar has initiated a fundraising campaign.  

Skade has been well supported by both universities and is happy with the level of communication. In the meantime, she is continuing her studies online from her parents' home in Hameln. Although she does not speak Italian well – the plan was to learn in Milan – her online lessons are going well. »Two of my courses are in English anyways, and I have access to support in my group work course in landscape architecture if there's a problem with Italian«. But not everyone is up for presenting alone in front of a screen with no audience. »At first I was disappointed that the only interpersonal aspect would be completely absent, especially when it came to group work. But this type of studying does have its advantages – you have more time to immerse yourself in your studies and read texts more thoroughly. You just have to get involved«. Once the online courses end, Skade plans to do an internship, maybe even in Weimar. And hopefully the pandemic eventually ends, at which point Skade would like to return to Italy – perhaps for her Master's. 

Internationality Highly Valued at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

While no one can say whether students will be able to go abroad during the winter semester without restrictions – a notion that, from today's perspective seems unlikely – most students are sticking to their plans of going abroad. Few of them, however, would opt for pure online teaching and a restricted social life. 

If exchange students decide not to come to Weimar, this would mean 100 fewer students accepted to the university in October. 30 partner universities have already cancelled their exchange programmes for the winter semester. »Because international students make up 30 percent of our student body and we are a very international university, this would definitely be a huge loss«, said department head Kästner.  »We have already had to cancel this year's Summer School. The staff there are now helping us to get students interested in studying at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, despite the current uncertainties«. At the moment, they are exploring possibilities in all directions. The annual summaery, which will take place digitally this year, is the starting point and is well suited to demonstrate how exciting and versatile studying in Weimar can be. »We also want to minimize any hurdles that might stand in the way of starting a programme and, for example, organize language classes so that students are able to start them online from their home countries. It is also conceivable that students start their studies online in the fall and then physically come to Weimar in the summer of 2021.«

Christian Kästner is sure of one thing: the international experience is more than just learning in a different place. These additional experiences might even be the most important part of studying abroad. He describes it as ambiguity tolerance. »What we are experiencing right now is comparable to what you might experience first-hand during a stay abroad, but in a positive sense. You are forced to deal with difficult situations that may not be black and white, while still understanding that you can make good and safe decisions«. In the future, the importance of interpersonal encounters and being physically present should be more strongly emphasized, but only once corona is over. 

At any rate, international students are always welcome at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, and this will also be the case in the 2020 winter semester. The later start for the lecture period (postponed to 2. November) offers hope that there will be many opportunities to travel again by then. Classroom teaching with digital elements is planned for the winter semester at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, subject to hygiene measures. The university has the advantage that classes are traditionally organized into smaller groups. The few courses with more participants, such as foundations lectures, will continue to be offered in the winter semester.

Prof. Dr. Jutta Emes, Vice President responsible for internationalisation, hopes to attract more international students, particularly from European partner universities: »The international aspect of research and teaching forms an important part of our identity at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. International students enrich our campus life.  Working in international groups is part of our everyday life. In the spirit of fostering internationalisation at home, this gives students who might not be internationally mobile the opportunity to acquire international knowledge and intercultural skills«.