Hello, my name is Nele Hassenewerd and I am a student at Gymnasium Schloß Neuhaus (GSN). And although I’m about to graduate from high school, I’ve been absent from class quite often in recent weeks and months. But why if I wasn’t ill? – I spent three months studying business administration at the FHDW campus in Paderborn. Astonished? You’re not the only ones, I was often asked the question “Nele, you don’t even have your A-levels, you’re a pupil, so what do you want to do at university, is that even possible?” And in short, yes it is possible and it was a pretty cool experience!
As a pupil student, I regularly took part in the lectures “Introduction to Business Administration” with Prof. Dr. Hohensohn together with the FHDW students and also wrote the exam. By passing the exam, I can now have 5 ECTS points credited to my business studies at a university in NRW or, of course, at the FHDW. As a student, I usually had one or two lectures a week, each lasting three hours.
Through the student study program, I was not only able to gain my first insights into the life of a student, but I was also able to define my career path. I was able to acquire knowledge that I could often relate to the classroom or to life in general, not to mention the fact that each lecture was incredibly interesting in its own right.
I have to admit, I had imagined lectures at a university to be a little different, less interactive and more monotonous. But my expectations were far exceeded. Prof. Hohensohn often encouraged the students to discuss the topic we were working on. This was particularly interesting because it gave us the opportunity to look at the subject matter from different perspectives and it was much easier to memorize, especially with practical examples.
At first glance, studying for a school-leaving certificate alongside your A-levels sounds almost impossible for many people, but I have to say from my own experience that it is definitely feasible and more of an enrichment than additional work. Of course, the amount of work doesn’t decrease, but dealing with a topic that really interests you is very motivating and in the end the extra work wasn’t really work, but time in which I gained experience that I wouldn’t want to do without.
But how did I come to be a student in the first place?
Shortly before the 2021 summer vacation, we were given a presentation by the FHDW on career orientation day. There we were also briefly introduced to the student study program, to be honest the part of the lecture that I remember most. I wrote an application straight after the vacations and pestered my teachers every day to get their approval and finally send off my application. The GSN and the FHDW have agreed on a cooperation that enables pupils to study. Shortly afterwards, I was invited to a personal interview and a few weeks later I was suddenly sitting in the lecture as an A-level student – a pretty cool feeling, by the way.
In summary, there are many reasons to study at the FHDW. You start your studies and know how things work, have an advantage over other students, gain experience and ECTS points and get a taste of student life for a university quarter, so what are you waiting for?
