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Z
2020
2021 G ERMANY
STUDY & RESEARCH
THE STUDENT ISSUE
Live and Learn
IN THE ZONE ON THE MOVE BACK IN ACTION
New take: Cultural acumen Perfect timing: Settle in and Already ahead: Universities
combats coronavirus blues socialize as the locals do gear up for blended learning
WHAT BETTER
OUTLOOK FOR A
CAREER IN LOGISTICS
Classroom view overlooking Hamburg Harbor—Germany’s gateway to the world
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Germany is a safe country for all students. Experience
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www.the-klu.org
Z
GERMANY
EDITORIAL IN THIS
ISSUE
4 38
THE NEW NORMAL SHOWCASE
The year in Germany, from Seoul to Berlin, Karachi
protests to stand-up paddling to Freiburg: Two leading ladies
share their immigration stories
12
FUN FACTS 42
Higher education at a glance, RESEARCH THIS!
from quirkiest degrees From Alpine glacial modeling
From left to right: Deborah Steinborn (Editor-in-Chief), to student’s word of the year to a Leipzig rock concert that
Christian Heinrich (Assistant Editor), Julia Steinbrecher explores Covid-19
(Art and Photo Director), Manuel Hartung (Publisher), 14
Anna-Lena Scholz (Editorial Advisor). Not shown: Jana SPEND IT! 48
Spychalski (Editorial Assistant) Living and studying in EARN WHILE
Germany can be dirt cheap YOU LEARN
The worst of times can also be the best How to finance your studies
16
of times. When ZEIT Germany went to STREET TALK 50
press in late September, the country had Munich students on university BABY STEPS
life in the most unusual of years German higher education
fared comparatively well in the coronavirus introduces new academic degree
pandemic – so far, at least. This was thanks 22 programs for midwives
STUDYING (WITH)
to a strong healthcare system, a levelheaded THE GERMANS 55
government, and a bit of luck. Yes, univer- A British comedy writer’s pop DOCTOR’S ORDERS
sities had to shutter campuses overnight. quiz on all things related to Navigating Germany’s
studying in the German world universal healthcare system
But many transformed this hurdle into
an opportunity to position themselves for 26 58
LEARNING BY DOING FIRST DATES
a future of digital learning. Is Germany a The coronavirus pandemic A humorous take on the
Photos: Conny Mirbach (cover), Maria Rohweder (this page)
safe bet? Foreign students seem to think so: leads German universities into a dating scene in Berlin
future of digital learning
they are registering for the winter semester 60
at universities in almost record numbers. If 34 ON THE MOVE
you’re considering a similar move, discover SO CLOSE YET SO FAR What you need upon arrival,
Ada Pellert, head of Germany’s from registration to insurance
Germany with us – and enjoy the read! largest distance university,
The ZEIT Germany Team explains online studies 65
MASTHEAD
36 The staff. Plus: Distribution
ZEIT, a German weekly newspaper, covers education DEFINING partners and further details
and more. ZEIT Germany’s print edition is available via VOCABULARY
the network of the German Academic Exchange Service Key terms to help 66
(DAAD), Goethe-Institut, and the Federal Foreign Office, you cut through all that WORD PLAY
among others. A digital version is at www.zeit.de/germany university jargon For the bilingual student brain
3
4
Z
GERMANY
NORMAL
THE NEW Photos: Tomas Engel (this page), Victoria Jung (opposite page)
Responses to coronavirus restrictions have varied. Some hit Hamburg’s streets to protest (at left);
others hit the hiking trails (above, near Winterberg in North Rhine-Westphalia)
Countries around the world face a new way of living
due to the coronavirus pandemic, and Germany is no exception.
But its coping mechanisms may be.
How Germans made the most of a tough situation
BY DEBOR AH STEINBORN
5
GERMANY
Photos: Daniel Chatard (this page), Doro Zinn, Marlen Müller, Ilkay Karakurt (opposite page)
Germans love sitting in their cars, regardless of the destination. Drive-in movie theaters,
like this one in the city of Dortmund, have made a comeback
The beaches may feel sandier in France, the sea is cases had remained relatively low. Indeed, due to a mix of responsive government,
certainly warmer in Spain, and the Alps are higher Intensive-care units at the coun- a strong healthcare system, and plain old dumb luck,
in Italy. But if ever there was a time to spend time in try’s well-equipped hospitals had Germans have not yet experienced a full-throttle
Germany, this could be it. not overfilled. And the federal Ausgangssperre (lockdown). Even when the virus
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the government, known worldwide first hit in March, restrictions resembled more of a
EU’s most populous country has fared well – so far, so for its frugality, had easily pumped “lockdown light.”
good, at least. By the end of September (when ZEIT hundreds of billions of euros into For residents of Madrid, Milan, and New York
Germany went to press), the number of Covid-19 the economy to stave off disaster. City, the lockdown of spring 2020 meant restrict-
6
Some enjoyed lockdown on
a deserted bike path north
of Berlin. Others camped
out at the Baltic Sea
When restaurants briefly shut down in spring 2020, diners sought out acceptable
alternatives. One option: pizza night on a Hannover rooftop
ing their movements outside the home to just one sports and leisure activities, gar waiting outside them were, with few exceptions,
masked trip to a nearby supermarket per day. Res dening, and home improvement. extremely long – with everyone at 1.5 meters of
Photo: Conny Mirbach
idents of Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich, in con Local Baumärkte (hardware stores) distance, of course.
trast, could range fairly freely for exercise – jogging, were closed for just a few short Germany is notorious for the insatiable wander
biking, hiking, or simply walking – at any time of weeks and were among the first lust of its citizens. The birthplace of Johann Wolf
day. It was undoubtedly still a tough time for some stores to reopen when restrictions gang von Goethe, whose “Italian Journey” inspired
parts of the population, but for many Germans, the were loosened again. And business generations of travelers, was not going to let the “new
quarantine offered a chance to rediscover the joys of boomed. The lines of customers normal” put an end to this noble tradition. Germans,
7
For some, the Ausgangssperre
translated into time alone
at home. For others, it meant
discovering urban wildlife
Plenty of space for social distancing
along the Weser River in Bremen
who consider themselves Reiseweltmeister – the travel alone, Germans bought 10,246 On the roofs of all those RVs and cars, Germans
champions of the world – had no intention of giving campers and caravans – 58.8 per- are carrying more and more bikes, boats, and
up their long vacations or even their short weekend cent more than in the previous boards. Stand-up paddling has turned into a na-
jaunts. When flights came to a standstill, they simply year, according to the Caravaning tional pastime; SUP boards are now sold in some
took to the roads instead. Industry Association. In the first supermarkets and hardware stores. And then there
This meant exploring their own country and eight months of 2020, 80,797 are the bicycles. The only thing that could brake
others within driving distance. Often, they took newly purchased vehicles hit the the record spike in bike sales from March through
their accommodations along. In the month of August roads for the first time. September 2020 was a lack of supplies.
8
8
GERMANY
Photos: Daniel Chatard (this page), Mathis Körner, Doro Zinn (opposite page)
When the going got tough, Austria closed its border with Germany. But not for long.
German tourists were back on the roads as soon as it reopened
In the homeland of Bier and Riesling, the corona- and towns alike: frozen mochis, desserts? It started with TikTok influencers, of
virus didn’t only increase healthy activities. Alcohol Japanese rice cakes filled with course, who posted video clips of the latest flavors
consumption rose, too. According to a recent study ice cream. While other countries they’d discovered on store shelves. Indeed, the
by Germany’s Central Institute for Psychiatric faced shortages of meat and eggs, Chinese video platform and social network was
Health, 37 percent of adults said they consume Germany saw exploding demand more than ever a trend in the German-speaking
more alcohol now than before the coronavirus out- for Japanese ice cream. world in 2020, morphing into an integral part of
break. The same thing goes for sweets. Springtime How did the pandemic con- youths’ and young adults’ daily lives while schools
brought an unusual youth fad to German cities nect to this odd craving for Asian and university campuses were closed. According to
9
9
GERMANY
Reif graduated from high school “lockdown light” that Germany experienced
with honors and quickly found in the spring of 2020 – are nonetheless gaining
herself a lot of fans on Instagram, momentum.
amassing roughly six million fol- The grousing began in the Swabian city of
lowers on the platform. While Stuttgart in April, initiated by a local group of
her audience was at first limited contrarian Querdenker (literally “lateral thinkers”)
to her home country, she’s recent- who demanded an immediate end to all corona-
ly gained global attention. Reif virus-related restrictions. This faction loves con-
does fashion, fitness, and food; spiracy theories – for example, the claim that Bill
she models, works out, and cooks Gates is encouraging the virus’s spread in order
healthy meals. And she presents to profit financially from any resulting vaccines,
all these actions at nearly every or that Covid-19 is a figment of the imagination
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s opportunity on social media. altogether. By the end of August, the protests had
By so doing, she’s parlayed her gained steam. According to Berlin’s police depart-
no-nonsense approach TikTok videos into an estimated ment, roughly 38,000 people gathered in Berlin
to combating the coronavirus net worth of about three million on a single Saturday afternoon, often ignoring
euros. Call her Germany’s answer social distancing and other safety measures, for a
has left a lasting impression to Kylie Jenner. demonstration that made international headlines.
Pamela Reif was not the only A de facto coalition of coronavirus skeptics
German to experience a popular- was out in force that weekend: libertarians and
ity boost during the pandemic. alternative-fact populists, anti-vaxxers, frustrated
The most prominent person in citizens (many of them from eastern Germany
the older set was of course Chan- who feel that society has abandoned them), and
cellor Angela Merkel, who had plain-vanilla opponents of democracy, some of
been considered a lame duck at them decked out in Neo-Nazi trappings. QAnon,
the start of 2020. She had just the far-right conspiracy theory that originated
handed over leadership of her in the US, has its hand in this mishmash group.
party, the Christian Democrat- So does RT, the Russian government-sponsored
ic Union, and announced she media network formerly known as Russia Today.
wouldn’t run again in the next Members of the right-wing populist Alternative
federal election in 2021. for Germany party, too, support (and are trying
Then the coronavirus hit, and to profit politically from) the protests.
Merkel hit crisis mode, reacting This may prove to be Germany’s biggest
with calm, empathy, and reason. coronavirus challenge: defending open democracy
With a background in science against attacks from a small but growing number
(she has a Ph.D. in physics), she of estranged citizens who oppose the majority’s
took a methodical approach to levelheaded approach to combating Covid-19.
combating the virus, too. By So far, this disparate mix of groups protesting
the fall of 2020, she was once Germany’s coronavirus policies is very small com-
Photos: Jose Giribas/SZ Photo/laif, Dominik Butzmann/laif
again Germany’s most popular pared with the country’s overall population. Na-
politician, according to nation- tional polls repeatedly show that most Germans
wide opinion polls, far above approve their government’s handling of the crisis.
Protests against the government’s coronavirus the scrum of politicians vying to It’s possible, however, that the voices of discontent
response have drawn a motley crew succeed her. Some even quietly will grow louder in coming months.
hope that Mutti (mommy), as The good news: this movement hasn’t discour-
some adoringly call her, will stay aged foreigners from moving to Germany in order
Photo: Conny Mirbach
futurebiz.de, TikTok subscriptions have jumped to on in the role until the pandemic to study or do research. In fact, the country’s
5.5 million in Germany, with a particularly sharp is over. comparative state of normality seems to be call-
rise between March and June 2020. Others feel very differently, ing to them. According to Uni-assist, the central
TikTok’s growing popularity, in turn, has however. Call it the coronavirus point of contact between applicants with interna-
given some German influencers worldwide at- paradox. Germany wasn’t near- tional educational certificates and roughly 170
tention they might not have received otherwise. ly as hard-hit as Spain, Italy, German universities, more than 60,000 foreign
Take Pamela Reif, a 24-year-old resident of Karls- or France. Yet protests against students had applied for the winter semester by
ruhe, a midsized city in southwestern Germany. Covid-19 restrictions – that early September.
1011
Z
GERMANY
THE THE
SCHOOLS STUDENTS
2.9
BEST UNIVERSITIES
IN 2020
Ludwig-Maximilians- MILLON
Universität and Technical students enrolled
University of MUNICH at German universities
in 2019
HEIDELBERG
University
14%
Humboldt-Universität zu international students
BERLIN and
Freie Universität Berlin The town of Mittweida has the
highest proportion of students:
University of 46 %
FREIBURG
University of 6 SEMESTERS
are usually needed to complete
TÜBINGEN
a bachelor’s degree
RWTH AACHEN
BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION
QUIRKIEST DEGREE is the most popular major
PROGRAMS
CYCLING
Technical University of Applied AT HOME
Sciences Wildau
31% of all students live in
STROLLOLOGY WGs, or shared apartments
University of Kassel
Higher education in Germany 25% live with their parents
APPLIED has more to offer than just low or no tuition.
LEISURE SCIENCE 2% own their own
Hochschule Bremen
For the record ...
apartments
BY MIRIAM K AROUT ILLUSTR ATION ALINA GÜNTER
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
University of Germany is a popular desti- stance, that you can get a mas- ON THE WAY
Freiburg nation for students from near ter’s degree in cycling, sexology,
and far. In 2019, 14 percent of or even strollology, the science of
INTERNATIONAL university enrollees came from strolling? That most bachelor’s
93% of all students in
WINE BUSINESS Greifswald bike to campus
abroad. While some come for programs take six semesters
Hochschule Geisenheim comparatively low tuition fees, to complete? That Chancellor
University others are just plain curious. Angela Merkel is afraid of dogs? 500,000
And there’s a lot to learn – inside Impress your fellow students BICYCLES
APPLIED SEXOLOGY the lecture hall and well beyond with some tidbits about life and are circulating in college town
Hochschule Merseburg campus. Did you know, for in- learning in the country. Münster: population 310,000
12THE THE
PEOPLE POLITICS
Period: 2018-2020; Sources: Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft; Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, und Nukleare Sicherheit; CHE Zentrum für Hochschulentwicklung; Destatis; Deutscher Bundestag; Deutschland.de;
POPULATION IN THE SYSTEM
83
Germany is a
REPRESENTATIVE
DEMOCRACY
MILLION
709
Deutscher Kaffeeverband; Deutsche Hauptstelle für Suchtfragen; Inc.com; personal websites; Heinrich Böll Stiftung; Stadt Münster; Studis Online; Times Higher Education; university websites; ZEIT student poll
Largest country
in the EU in both population members in the Bundestag,
and GDP Germany’s federal parliament
WORDS 3 MAJOR TYPES OF ON THE RADAR
ELECTIONS
Most popular German word
among university students KOMMUNALWAHLEN KAI GEHRING
in 2020 local elections Green Party Bundestag
member and party spokesman
TIDBITS FERNWEH LANDTAGSWAHLEN
for research and universities.
(a longing for distant places) Member of Union
state elections
Last year, the average German for Lesbians and Gays
CULT TV SHOWS BUNDESTAGSWAHL
… ate KONSTANTIN KUHLE
federal election
60 KILOS Free Democratic Party (FDP)
of meat MONACO NEXT FEDERAL member of the Bundestag.
FRANZE ELECTION Focus on media, digitalization,
… drank and domestic policy
92 LITERS BABYLON will be held on or before
of beer and BERLIN OCTOBER 24, CEMILE GIOUSOUF
166 LITERS DEUTSCHLAND 2021 First-ever Muslim Bundestag
member from the Christian
of coffee 83 Democratic Union (CDU)
THINGS YOU
… used DARK DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT
party (through 2017)
242 KILOS TATORT CHANCELLOR
of paper ANGELA MERKEL MAHMUT ÖZDEMIR
Social Democratic Party (SPD)
Europe’s longest-serving member of the Bundestag.
… smoked Child of Turkish migrant
elected woman leader
900 workers. Started his political
cigarettes career at 14
Holds a Ph.D. in physics
… produced more than
Nicknamed Mutti (Mommy) ALICE WEIDEL
20 KILOS although she has no children Leader of the controversial
of plastic waste right-wing Alternative for
Loves to cook. Favorite recipes: Germany (AfD) party in the
… recycled plum cake and roulade Bundestag. Openly gay,
70% she nonetheless opposes
of all waste Afraid of dogs same-sex marriage
13Z
GERMANY
SPEND IT!
Annual Monthly Monthly
* Non-EU students pay an additional 3,000 euros/year
Cost of Living and Studying (in euros) Tuition Rent (1 BR Apt) Transportation
University
of Greifswald
163 282 30
Eberhard Karls University
316 * 329 18
of Tübingen
ESADE Business & Law School
Barcelona & Madrid
14,550 400 60
Stanford University
Stanford, California
47,011 817 0
FOUNDED IN 1765, WE ARE THE OLDEST
MINING UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD.
tu-freiberg.de/study-programmesLiving and studying in Germany is cheaper than in other Western countries.
The numbers speak for themselves
BY CHRISTIAN HEINRICH AND DEBOR AH STEINBORN ILLUSTR ATION ALINA GÜNTER
Monthly Health Monthly Monthly Cup of Student Percentage
Insurance Groceries Telecom Coffee Population of Foreign
and Food Students
UNICUM; university websites; ZEIT calculations
Sources: Check24.de; city administrative offices;
85 185 33 1.40 10,019 7
85 205 33 2.40 27,200 14
0 200 40 1.95 10,209 42
419 402 48 2.54 16,424 26
#YOUKNOWWHY
www.youknowwhy.netZ
GERMANY
Students in Munich talk about university life in an unusual year of closed
campuses and new long-distance approaches to learning
STREET TALK
Barbara Böhm, 22 Stefania Plougarli, 19
second-semester second-semester
computer science major anthropology and law student
at LMU at LMU
I found the coronavirus-related I was always able to concentrate
online studies quite refreshing. I well, and I enjoyed the lectures
didn’t have to drive to lectures, to when they were moved online
work, or to the library to study. due to the pandemic. But by
I jobbed in the restaurant now, I’ve lost all my motivation
business for two years. I didn’t and energy. I live with my par-
like it at all anymore, but some- ents, and it’s hard to concen-
how I couldn’t break away. When trate there. I can always shut my
restaurants had to close because laptop during a lecture and lie
of the lockdown, I quit working down or check my mobile phone.
with food. Luckily, I was able Right now, actually, I should be
to work more often as a tennis writing a paper. When I heard
LMU: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; TUM: Technical University of Munich
coach, which I much prefer. that the next semester would
During the outbreak’s peak, I also take place online, I got
started to play basketball. Once, depressed, even though every-
two policemen approached and thing will go smoother now. But
told me to stop. When they were other things make me laugh. The
gone, I started playing again. A other day a fellow student left the
short time later, they came back Alexander Koenig, 24 video on during a lecture and
and fined me 150 euros! fourth-semester master’s student then walked by in his underwear.
My best friend visited recently in robotics, cognition,
and we built a desk. It turned out and intelligence at TUM
really nice. We also sewed a lot.
When Covid-19 hit Germany, I
was in Ghana because my mother My wild semester in Tel Aviv I poured myself into my studies
comes from there. Whenever I’m ended up back in my childhood and earned almost 40 credits
there, I go to a dressmaker who bedroom near Munich. instead of the usual 30. Now,
teaches me how to sew traditional I’d been in Israel for just a few my master’s thesis looms ahead.
clothes. I bought some fabric and weeks when I had to break it off I’d planned to do the thesis at
sewed clothing for all my friends. due to the coronavirus. Because Harvard University’s Biorobotics
My friend and I also bought a I had sublet my room in Munich, Laboratory. I’d have started in
sound mixer so we could DJ and I moved in with my parents in November 2020. But there are
start making music. We wanted Rosenheim and finished my no visas at the moment, so I’m
to be productive. If you ever get semester abroad via internet. starting remotely. I hope I can
so much time, use it! There wasn’t much else to do, so go there early next year.
BY K ATHRIN HOLLMER PHOTOS BASTIAN THIERY 17GERMANY
Alexandra Porenta, 26 Milena Wojhan, 26
sixth-semester fashion fifth-semester
journalism student at the art student at the Academy
Akademie Mode & Design of Fine Arts Munich
Our training is very practice- From one day to the next in
oriented. So during the spring March, it felt like we were on the
semester, when everyone was set of a dystopian science-fiction
in lockdown, we developed a movie at the academy. Every-
magazine called BREAK. It’s a thing was covered with neon-
collection of statements by people colored tape. “Achtung! Corona!”
working in cultural fields who signs were everywhere. When we
reported on how and what they were allowed back in to retrieve
were doing during the lockdown. our personal belongings, the at-
We planned the magazine en- mosphere was really depressing.
tirely via Zoom and GoTo meet- For me, the spring semester of
ings. It was really efficient. In live 2020 was a phase of not being
lessons, you often don’t get to the seen. I felt unobserved, free of
point so quickly. any evaluation or feedback. I
I spent two months back started to draw. YouTube was my
home in Vienna in the spring teacher. I often watched anato-
semester. I could study from my and drawing classes and
there and do my part-time work art documentary films. I drew
at Jameda, an internet portal.
Simon Stöwer, 21 bodies, not anatomically correct
Before Corona hit, I had been fourth-semester bachelor’s student ones, but very bruised, heavy
in Milan for a few months on an in aerospace engineering at the bodies. Before, I had mainly
internship. I liked it so much that University of Applied Sciences Munich worked digitally. But now, I am
I can’t wait to visit Italy again. really interested in installations
But at the moment you can only in physical spaces.
plan from one day to the next. The summer semester was mega- we often just hung out together During the lockdown, I de-
Now, I’m looking forward to my chaotic. We didn’t know which at home. We also took long walks veloped a longing for Tel Aviv.
final semester. For our thesis, we subjects would be taught despite together. A friend sent me a link to Gaga
need to organize photo shoots. the lockdown, and if so, how they That was in the spring. By Dance, where everyone dances
We have to be creative in order to would be taught. We also had no the summer, everyone was able together online, each in their
implement it in a cool way while idea how we would take exams. to move around Munich much own room. You meet hundreds
still adhering to social-distancing Every day brought a new more freely again. So we could go of people from all over the world
rules. Somehow we’ll manage! realization. Most lectures were down to the Isar River or over to and get a very private insight into
moved online. So if you missed the English Garden without wor- their lives, all online. That’s how
a lecture, you could listen to it rying that a policeman patrolling I started my day every morning
later. But if you were unlucky, the streets would ask where we for two months. The dancing
the lecture wasn’t recorded at were headed. People are tense, helped me a lot and gave me a
all. Sometimes, attendance was though, no matter where you renewed sense of my own body.
mandatory. And if you didn’t go. If you get too close nowadays, And I didn’t feel alone anymore.
attend the lectures, you wouldn’t they look at you strangely. Now that restrictions have
be able to take the final exam. The winter semester will start eased, there are many exhibi-
What I missed most this soon. I’m hoping that things will tions taking place. And not just
year was the freedom to just go be more clearly defined and less inside galleries. A lot of artists are
out and meet people, or simply chaotic than early this year. And working with and in nature. The
to stand in a subway car full of I hope that the outdated overhead last exhibition of my class took
passengers at rush hour. I live in projectors some of my teachers place in a shopping center. The
a shared apartment with three have had to rely on this year are pandemic is making it possible
other students. In the evenings, replaced by then. to think differently.
18GERMANY
Berg Tuncer, 22 Marit Leilich, 27
fourth-semester sculpture seventh-year
student at the Academy medical student
of Fine Arts Munich at LMU
I’ve been living in Munich for two I was in the UK for my practical
years now. The first year, I often year when infections started to
traveled back to Istanbul to visit rise across Europe. The first eight
my family. Since the pandemic weeks in Newcastle were all good.
hit, though, Munich has felt like Then I was supposed to go to
home. I feel like I have really ar- Scotland for an additional two
rived. Suddenly, I was no longer months, but because of Covid-19
homesick for Istanbul. I was sent back to Germany.
Of course, my family started At the last minute, I was
to worry about me. They would granted a place at the university
have preferred me to come home, hospital and could finish the year
but I thought it was more sensible there. I was in trauma surgery,
not to travel. and it was pretty chaotic. Only
Ironically, I had wanted to the most essential operations were
move to Paris in September 2020. being done. Often, I just changed
But now, it feels like I would be bandages in the morning and was
leaving my homeland all over sent home at 10 or 11 a.m.
again. I already left my greatest Exams were also different.
love, Istanbul, when I came to Julia Pfeiffer, 26 Instead of physically examining a
Munich. patient, we got his or her files and
third-semester master’s
Next week, I finally will be were asked questions. The fourth
student in robotics, cognition,
going back to Turkey to visit exam subject, which is assigned by
and intelligence at TUM
my family for the first time in lottery, was omitted completely.
eight months. If there were no I had actually planned to use
Covid-19, I am sure I would be I am in a long-distance rela- At TUM, I am doing a semi- the summer months to travel and
lying on the beach there now, tionship, and before Corona, I nar with the association Think- visit my family, because I won’t re-
under a parasol. In Munich, I flew back and forth to London Tech e.V., which I co-founded. ally have much time when I start
miss the proximity to the sea and to visit my boyfriend relatively The seminar is called “Ethik to work. But I was very careful
good, fresh fish. often. für Nerds.” Digitalization is a and waited to visit my parents.
When the academy and all Because of entry restric- great opportunity, but we have Now I am applying for jobs. The
the studios were closed, I had no tions due to the pandemic, this to deal with the impact it has situation for young doctors is still
place to work on my installations. became impossible overnight. on our privacy and the data we really good, I hear.
So instead, I took photos and The longest we had ever gone disclose.
videos, wrote concepts, and read without seeing each other was What did I like about on-
a lot. Two of my roommates are two months. line lectures in the summer se-
also artists, so we often wound up Two weeks ago, he visited mester? The professors seemed
just talking about art all day long. me in Munich. We talked a lot less authoritarian. We had
I hope that soon more exhi- about the future more than views via video of their living
bitions will be possible again. I usual. When he was visiting, rooms and bedrooms.
Translation: Deborah Steinborn
really missed the material work we bought a camper together. Once, a professor left the
during the peak of the lockdown. We said, “Let’s just do it!” We lecture for ten minutes and
And I hope that the future have to get some proper insur when he came back, he said
will also bring about positive ance for it, but then we plan to the postman had been there.
change in my home country, drive to Italy or France. We watched through the cam-
Turkey. It would be great to see a With everything moving era as his child pulled him
new generation of creative people online, I’m very concerned away. All 40 students giggled
and politicians come to the fore. with digitalization and privacy. at that.
21Z
GERMANY
STUDYING (WITH)
THE GERMANS
22 BY ADAM FLETCHER ILLUSTRATIONS ALINA GÜNTERWelcome to Germany, Ausländer!
You’ve joined us at rather an odd time. That
said, we’re happy you’re here and sure you’ll
love studying in the country that gave the
world Goethe, Schiller, and Marx, as well as
Bach, Birkenstock, and Bratwurst. Are
you ready for German University Life? Take
this quiz from the British humorist and
author of “How to Be German” to find out
The Questions
1 film) – but your clothes …?
You’re heading in Your clothes must be Ordinary.
Average. Minimalistic. Muted.
for Anmeldung The only statement they should
(registration). You’re make is one of unwavering
understatement. Blend in with
excited. You will your body, stand out with your
ace this study-abroad beautiful mind.
thing. S-T-O-P.
Look down. Are you 2
dressed … On your way to class
A you must cross a
… to kill? road. You stop at its
B edge. You look left.
… to maim?
You look right. The
C road is empty, yet the HINT
… to confuse? an empty road until a green While there are some regional
Ampelmännchen is lightbulb gives permission. variations, the German repu-
D
… to maximize your red. What do you do? C
tation for rules-loving is largely
invisibility? Cross gingerly and if anyone fact-based. Jaywalking, even if
A shouts Halt! pretend to be a the road is empty, means risk-
HINT Wait without shame: Ordnung confused tourist. ing the scorn, tuts, and shouts
In Germany, your work ethic muss sein (rules are rules). of nearby natives, who will
should be legendary; your read- D consider you an irresponsible,
ing tastes exotic; your music B Cross confidently and if any possibly suicidal, social rene-
playlists eclectic; your movie Wait, but nervously look left passerby reprimands you, gade. If you break rules here,
favorites obscure (make your and right. Hope that a car lay down in the middle of the even seemingly innocuous ones
go-to director a one-eyed Hun- comes, or that a child is also road and make star shapes like riding your bike on the
garian communist who died waiting to cross so that you to emphasize just how empty sidewalk, prepare for admon-
without completing a single feel less silly refusing to cross it really is. ishment.
23GERMANY
ing around, no one will feed you D
with them. During your studies, You sidle up and try big-talk:
you’ll largely be left to your own How about this neo-liberalism
devices – and we’re not talking we’re suffering from?
about your phone. This might HINT
sound bad at first to a foreigner. Germans aren’t really small talkers.
But it actually offers a lot of op- They build friendships slowly, on
portunity. It’s hard to free your a firm base of proximity, honesty,
mind when your body’s trapped and repetition. Once built, they’re
in a repetitive routine you didn’t rock solid. So give it time, don’t be
choose. But this new freedom too forward. Enjoy staring. It isn’t
will take some getting used to. frowned upon here, so no need to
So ask questions. Be proactive. keep your eyes to the floor.
Make a nuisance of yourself.
Explore all your options. 5
4 Over lunch, in a live-
Who’s that up ahead? ly discussion about
It’s him again, the independent Hungarian
guy you’ve had two cinema, a Kommilitone
seminars with today, (fellow student) mis-
the one who made takenly attributes the
that point about post- 1969 movie “Those
modernism being Who Wear Glasses”
post-Marxist. You to Ildikó Enyedi. You
didn’t understand it, knows it’s the work of
but he sounded very István Bujtor. What do
intelligent. He’s on his you do?
A
own. He has excellent Nothing. It’s a simple mistake.
hair. He could be B
your friend. How do Nothing. But make a mental
3 note not to trust this student
B you approach him? from now on, for he plays fast
It’s time for class. Very little. You’re just flexible
A and loose with the truth.
like that.
But no one has told You don’t. You ignore him. C
you which class, C
If you’re meant to be friends Immediately interrupt! Say, “I
None. You’ve never met it will happen, somehow, via don’t want to be a pedant, but I
or where? Is this a osmosis.
structure you didn’t try to think you’ll find it was directed
problem? How much knock down. B by István Bujtor, his second after
structure do you You stare at him a lot and see if the criminally unappreciated
D ‘A Holiday with Piroschka,’
he gets the hint and makes the
need? Some. A bit of structure is first move. released on the 19th March 1969,
always good. at 3 p.m. Oder?”
A C
Lots! Structure’s great. It HINT You sidle up and try small- D
stops you from drowning in At a German university, while talk: How about this weather Plan to slip that Kommilitone
a puddle of possibility. you might find some spoons ly- we’re having? of yours a passive-aggressive
24note after class, in which you 7 Thank you, Ausländer, your Probetag
chastise him for his intellectual You hear through the
sloppiness. (test day) is over. To see if you’ve passed
grapevine that class and will be invited back, count the
HINT
You might have heard the ex mates are going to points for each answer and compare with
pression, never let the truth get the Studentenkneipe the table below. Did you make the grade?
in the way of a good story. In
Germany, it’s more like never let (bar) tonight for First Will you earn a full term on campus?
a good story get in the way of Semester Party. What
truth. It’s your duty to correct
people when they say something
do you do?
incorrect, no matter how utterly A
inconsequential it may be. Ger You pregame at home with Points & Results
mans call it Klugscheißen (smart Jack: Jack Daniels. Once the
shitting, literally translated), and world is sufficiently wobbly,
if you dare do it, you will win you sashay to the bar and order
their respect. the cheapest drink that comes The Points we’re keeping you on for the
in a bucket. You don’t return entire semester. Glückwunsch
1) A: 1pt, B: 3pts, C: 2pts, D: 4pts
home until you’re wearing (Congratulations).
6 2) A: 4pts, B: 3pts, C: 2pts, D: 1pt
someone else’s underwear. 3) A: 1pt, B: 4pts, C: 2pts, D: 3pts
In the final seminar 4) A: 3pts, B: 4pts, C: 1pt, D: 2pts
16–19 points = 4.0 – Not good
B enough, but you
of the day, you join a You go, but only for an hour. 5) A: 1pt, B: 2pts, C: 4pts, D: 3pts
get another chance.
6) A: 2pts, B: 1pt, C: 4pts, D: 3pts
table with three other You dazzle people with your
7) A: 2pts, B: 3pts, C: 4pts, D: 1pt
Sorry, but you’re not ready for
intoxicating wit but are sure life at a German university. You
people. How do you to get home nice and early so got in late; you left early; you
greet each other? you’re fresh for class tomorrow.
The Results didn’t sign up for anything;
A C and you drove to campus. In a
The handshake. You’ll turn up at the agreed 24+ points = 1.0 – You aced it! car. A CAR. All we can do is
time, shoot for a nice conversa Outstanding work. We think offer you a place in a Studien-
B kolleg (a foundation course)
tion or two, perhaps double as you will fit in well here. You
The hug. struck the right balance between and hope that your rough, anti
many drinks, then leave with
C three new friends and a few being intellectually intriguing intellectual edges get sanded
The abrupt nod. old ones, riding your bicycles and socially aloof. You worked down enough that you can
home as a big giddy group. hard; you worked efficiently, but reapply again smoothly next
D
crucially, you dressed anony year. Netter Versuch (Nice try).
The elbow bump. D
mously. You started the party,
HINT
The bar? Ugh. No thanks. kept it rocking at its midpoint, Less than 15 points = 6.0
One day in the future, social dis Hungarian independent left before it fizzled out, and You failed!
tancing will end. On that day, cinema isn’t going to watch you’re still in a fit state for to Thanks for nothing, Ausländer.
in Germany, few people will itself. morrow’s classes. Gut gemacht While you tried, sort of, you’re
notice the difference. Germans HINT (Well done). not a good fit for intellectual
have been socially distanced Although Germans drink regu Germany. You expect to have
since Covid1. If a short, sharp larly and can talk for hours about 20–23 points = 3.0 – Respectable. your hand both held and shook.
nod is inappropriate, there’s little minute differences in regional You’ve survived your first day You dressed in a shiny gold shirt
they like more than a crisp, long, beer, they’re social drinkers on campus admirably, newbie. that distracted fellow students
platonic handshake. To get this rather than binge drinkers. You’re coming along. Of course and a crow who fell off a win
right, lock eye contact, slide back Nights out start late, end in the there are still some areas to im dowsill and broke its wing.
one full meter, and then thrust early hours, and revolve around prove upon, such as your knowl This isn’t for you. We could go
out your hand. Ideally, one of challenging conversations, edge of independent Hungarian on, but we’ve organized a little
you should be on tippytoes. Re humiliating Kicker (table foot cinema, and your aggressively party to celebrate your exit, with
ally stretch yourself out. That’s ball) defeats, and enthusiastic, shiny shoes, but let’s not nit coffee and cake. Auf Wiedersehen
it. Lovely … unpretentious dancing. pick. You did fine enough and (Until next time).
25LE ARNIN G 26
When the first wave
of coronavirus hit,
German universities
got to work on digital
alternatives
BY DOIN G 27Z
GERMANY
It’s no secret that global higher education is struggling with
the ripple effects of Covid19. But the pandemic may also give German
universities a chance to leapfrog into digital learning approaches.
Students – across the street and around the world – could benefit
BY DEBOR AH STEINBORN PHOTOS DAVID AVA Z ZADEH
Take a course in pole dancing while enrolled at Eu in the summer, and plans to write his thesis this fall
rope’s largest sports university. Explore the salt marshes while starting a job in the German capital.
of Hallig Hooge, an island in the North Sea, with one Today, Saurabh sees the long months of online
of the continent’s biggest public research institutions. instruction in a positive light. “Sure, it was a little hard
Create riveting art from the unpredictability of life when I was sitting all alone in a hotel room in India,
in a Stuttgart lockdown. Protest social injustice and in quarantine,” he says. “But after a couple of months,
learn about the EU’s political system while you’re at it. it seemed some things, like corporate finance, were
Or simply learn corporate finance at your own pace. better to learn digitally. I could go back and review
These days you can do it all virtually, from afar, parts I didn’t understand. It was easier to participate
without setting foot in a lecture hall or walking across and follow the lessons.”
a college campus. Saurabh’s experience isn’t an anomaly. According
Welcome to Germany’s rapidly evolving Hoch- to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD),
schullandschaft, or highereducation landscape. Lit about 80,000 international students headed home
erally overnight, some of the country’s largest public in the spring of 2020 due to the pandemic. That’s
universities and its smallest private colleges have more than a fourth of all 300,000 foreign students
vaulted forward with technological tools for learning. who were registered at German universities at the
Covid19 gave them little choice, but they’re benefiting time. The majority of those who left did complete
from the change. the semester’s work digitally from abroad, according
Of course there are kinks to work out. In some to a representative survey conducted by the DAAD.
cases, basic infrastructure is still lacking, from telecom In a country of longstanding academic traditions –
cables to adequate recording systems. Legal constraints including paperbased, inperson final examinations
also pose challenges to conducting courses entirely mandated by law – this was no small feat.
online. But many believe the change is here to stay. “Covid19 was an incredible accelerator for digital
University administrators claim this digital transition ization at German universities,” says Alexander Knoth,
will make Germany a more attractive destination for head of digitalization at the DAAD. Knoth has been
higher education even after the pandemic is over. Some preaching the potential benefits of elearning since his
students think so, too. Even when “old” campus life days as a doctoral student and researcher at the Uni
returns – the jostling through classrooms, cafeterias, versity of Potsdam more than a decade ago. “For me,”
and hallowed halls – new forms of digital learning he says, “the coronavirus outbreak was a bull’s eye.”
will remain. Universities that had already explored digital learning
“At first, it was just an emergency solution,” says were pushed to step up their plans, and fast. And those
Parag Saurabh, a 34yearold MBA student at the that hadn’t? They had their work cut out for them.
European School of Management and Technology That’s where, clichéd as it is, the characteristic
in Berlin. “The best possible alternative was online German tendency to think and act methodically
instruction.” started to kick in.
In spring 2020, when Germany was in lockdown RWTH Aachen University, Germany’s largest
and campuses were shuttered, Saurabh caught the last technical university, offers a case in point. Located at
flight back to his hometown of Gurgaon, near New the scenic border to both Belgium and the Nether
Delhi in India, to be with his family. He finished up lands, the historic university had been looking forward
the semester online from there, returned to Berlin to the 2020 festivities to mark its first 150 years. As
28Laptop images: photo by Maria Rohweder (p. 26); painting by Paul Cézanne, Still Life with Skull, 1896-1898 / mauritius images (this page)
Study like Cézanne: Some students
turned the lockdown into art
late as mid-March, administrators were still planning Studierendenausschuss), the committee is rather like
a special party in Berlin. Chancellor Angela Merkel a student union in Anglo-Saxon countries. “AStA’s
was on the guest list, the stage was set. Just a couple of involvement made a crucial difference,” says Krieg.
days later, the event had been canceled and RWTH’s “We were in telephone contact every single day, often
campus shut down. Written exams and lab courses several times a day. When problems in the transition to
were called off indefinitely. And foreign students, digital coursework arose, we knew right away, thanks
who make up 25 percent of the student body, were to the student association. We were able to react.”
scrambling to return home. In the first weeks of the crisis, student representa-
“It’s an understatement to say we were all taken by tives recall, they left their desks only to get some sleep.
surprise,” says Aloys Krieg, RWTH’s vice president And they are still on the job. “It’s like a marathon,”
for education. “But it is also no exaggeration to say says Alexander Schütt, a master’s student in sociology
that we got to work immediately to find solutions. We at RWTH whose student-rep duties morphed into a
knew that students needed to take their final exams full-time job when the coronavirus struck. “We are all
and that we had to transition to online teaching as a little exhausted now, but we keep going.” He ticks
smoothly and rapidly as possible.” off the challenges they tackled in recent months: How
Working mostly out of their own homes, ad- to ensure all students get to take their final exams
ministrators joined forces with representatives of the and round out the semester? How to get students up
general students committee. Commonly referred and running online? How to help foreigners return
to by its German acronym, AStA (for Allgemeiner to campus in the fall? And the list goes on. “With so
29GERMANY
Chemistry lab in times of coronavirus:
Experimenting at home
many thousands of students, there is always something course completion. Matters were often resolved on a
that needs to be clarified,” Schütt says. casebycase basis – by assigning an additional paper,
In hindsight, RWTH’s biggest challenge had noth for instance, or postponing an exam until the university
ing to do with technology. Rather, how would all those board could clear the exceptions.
students actually fit into the quaint city of Aachen By late summer, RWTH staff felt confident that the
while adhering to new rules for social distancing? The winter semester could proceed smoothly – whether on
overall population is 245,000, and there are 45,000 campus, online, or in a combination of both – even if
students at RWTH. Germany faces another virus outbreak. Accommodat
German law specifies that university exams must ing foreign students still presents a challenge, however.
take place in person, with just a few exceptions. This China accounts for 22 percent of RWTH’s interna
may seem like no big deal, but Aachen lacks a con tional enrollments, followed by India at 12 percent.
vention center or other large facility, which would Due to restrictions on international mobility stemming
have enabled physical distancing for large numbers of from the pandemic, “it will be extremely difficult for
test takers. How could students take their tests? Staff these students to return to Germany for the winter
and student reps tackled the task with mathematical semester,” admits Krieg, the VP for education.
precision. They rented all the extra rooms they could Partly to address this, the university recently adopt
find. They agreed on a new, delayed exam schedule. ed a new initiative introduced by the state government
And for foreign students who had left town in the out of North RhineWestphalia called a Kann-Semester –
break’s first days, they tried hard to find loopholes for literally, a “cando semester.” In this format, students
30can complete a semester’s coursework, but they don’t Medien, a non-profit university of art, design, and
have to if, midway through, they change their minds or media, are taking new ways of learning in their own
encounter too many logistical obstacles. This applies to creative direction.
all university enrollees, but it should help international Were it not for Covid-19, students in a film and
students in particular. video theory class would have spent the summer
Indeed, universities are working diligently toward semester preparing documentaries and art exhibits
blended-learning, e-learning, and off-campus solutions. throughout the surrounding Black Forest region. In-
A study published by the DAAD in July shows that in stead, the 24 students published weekly video diaries
dealing with the pandemic, German universities have about living and studying under coronavirus restric-
seized the opportunity for progress in digitalization and tions. They turned the lockdown into art. One diary
committed to helping students from abroad. entry offers a hair-raising juxtaposition: the quietude of
Half of all universities surveyed had compensated leftover dishes and a laptop, camera taped over, in the
for the cancellation of in-person classes with completely kitchen of a Wohngemeinschaft (shared apartment) with
virtual events, while the other half relied on a mixed an ever-louder din outside. It’s the sound of thousands
model of classroom and digital teaching. At 98 percent of protestors against coronavirus measures marching
of these universities, staff could work from home, and past the building on their way downtown.
Some students have found that the cloud has a silver lining:
learning in totally new, creative ways and places
almost 90 percent offered virtual counselling hours At Justus Liebig University Giessen, a large public re-
to students. search university in the state of Hesse, professors in the
Indeed, throughout the country, universities have field of science found their own creative vibe.
introduced digital laboratory experiments, reinvented Hans-Peter Ziemek is one of them. The tenured
research excursions and cross-cultural internships in biology professor couldn’t bear to cancel an annual
virtual formats, and developed hybrid course offer- excursion to the North Sea; it’s something he has
ings – half online, half analog – to be flexible for the offered for years to his grad students in education. So,
pandemic’s duration and beyond. for two weeks in June, 18 students spent time with him
When ZEIT Germany went to press in September on Hallig Hooge, a small German island.
2020, the cloud of the coronavirus was still hovering Instead of making the trip in person, they “trav-
over Europe. Germany has been something of a model eled” to the island via the internet – with videos, live
in its systematic, scientific, and orderly handling of the broadcasts, and online presentations. Beforehand,
pandemic. When the number of infections escalated students received a set of packages with secret contents
in March, politicians brought public life to a grinding by old-fashioned mail and links to pre-recorded videos
halt. They introduced rigorous testing and later loos- and invitations to e-meetings. Their instructions: to
ened restrictions step by step. open each package on a particular day of the week.
Higher education has moved in a similar vein. On one day, they explored the salt marshes via
Concerned that the virus could again spread rapidly video with a guest lecturer who explained how plants
if campuses reopen too soon, universities have post- and soil interact in this environment. On another
poned the winter semester several times, most recently morning, each student unwrapped sandpaper, string,
to November 2. a block of amber, and instructions on how to polish
Yet some students have found that the cloud has a the fossilized resin. Janina Heinigk, a student in the
silver lining: learning in totally new, creative ways and group, spent two and a half hours polishing the amber
places. Alexander Schütt, the student-rep at RWTH, at home. “That was a cool experience,” the future biol-
can imagine a career in politics after completing his ogy teacher says. She now plans to integrate practical
master’s studies. He has put his studies on hold in and digital elements into her own lessons as a teacher.
order to focus fully on his leadership role in student Ziemek didn’t want to leave out the usual, final fun
governance during the pandemic. “If ever there was either. So he rounded out the digital excursion with a
a situation that calls for change and development,” he good old-fashioned Umtrunk, or round of drinks. In
says, “this is it.” their final package, students found ingredients for a
In Stuttgart, meanwhile, students at the Merz Pharisäer. This northern German cult drink consists of
Akademie Hochschule für Gestaltung, Kunst und coffee, two cubes of sugar, a dollop of whipped cream,
31GERMANY
and a shot of rum. They toasted their successful online calculation-oriented corporate finance but track-and-
excursion on Zoom. field, dancing, and other physically oriented subjects.
As recently as a year ago, online art diaries and digi- For staff at the school, which is located in downtown
tal biology excursions might have sounded too futuristic Cologne, the pressing question was how to digitally
in some corners of German academia. Pole dancing via implement courses in practical sports. The answer, at
Zoom still does. Yet in the “Corona semester,” “Pole first, seemed to be “not at all!” one professor recalls.
Dance Fitness via Zoom” was one of the most popular But the pandemic inspired a true rethink in many
courses at UniSport2, a joint initiative by the German areas, says Thomas Abel, director of digitalization
Sport University Cologne (DSHS) and the University and diversity at the school. And students adapted
of Cologne. quickly. (The university was lucky that it had already
“Demand was high, and the courses were almost replaced old, rotting telephone cables the previous
always fully booked,” says Eckhard Rohde, head of the year as part of a longer-term plan to update technol-
sports department at the University of Cologne. And ogy on campus.)
this was despite obstacles, he adds: “Not every student Universities still face hurdles. Many foreign stu-
apartment provides enough space, and not all students dents are struggling to enroll in the winter semester.
can afford to buy a pole for 85 euros or more.” Pole With many embassies and agencies abroad closed, they
dancing as a sport has caught on among students ever may not be able to obtain documentation required to
since Madonna and other stars claimed it as their secret register at German universities. And like in the US, en-
recipe for staying fit. For the online version, students rolling in an online-only course of study isn’t enough
simply needed to find their own pole. for a student visa granting entry into Germany; the
To be sure, DSHS – Europe’s largest sports uni- federal government placed a ban on that back in July.
versity, with about 6,000 students – faced a particular Only students from one of seven countries on a so-
challenge. The courses it had to move online weren’t in called positive list are exempt from this ban.
en.khm.de Y
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Obtain your PhD in a
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Application Jan./Feb. 2021 a joint initiative between
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