Well, I am officially a German Uni student and to accurately sum it up: It sure ain't Elon. This is truly the most accurate way to describe Uni Bremen. Everything about Uni Bremen is different than Elon and as a three-week veteran, I'm not sure that's such a good thing.
Germans are typically very well educated people: There are many more educational paths in Germany than in the United States. In the US, our options are fairly limited to university, community college and on-the-job training. Those options also more-or-less exist in Germany, but for those people who do not want to go to college or do not need to go to college, the chances of success are much higher. These people usually still get a very good education through on-the-job training and academic training through a specific field or business. The focus of study is much more concentrated, but when that person is done, he or she still has a very respectable education.
That being said, I want to extend my congratulations to every single German who ever manages to get through the system. Bureaucracy takes on a new meaning in the German university system. Organization, efficiency and protocols are all highly valued in the German culture, and normally I would support all three--I myself can be slightly neurotic at times. BUT: There is a very definitive point where efficiency for efficiency's sake works against itself. I believe I have found that in the German Uni. My adjustment to the German uni began in October when I took a language class there, and it is just now (November 15th) maybe coming to an end.
The best way to describe what being at a German Uni can feel like is the following. Please try to put yourself into this situation, as a relatively confident and self-assured American, in order to understand:
When one registers for Uni Bremen she receives a student ID card. This card is nothing more than a credit card-sized piece of paper with one's name, student number and other irrelevant details typed onto it. This card, while needed for everything, actually does nothing. Inevitably a student will want to use the library, but please be mindful that one is not allowed to take her belongings into the library. Instead, one must take what she may need out of her backpack, stick it in a blue grocery basket and check the remainder at the coat check. Do not dare bring your coat in. At the library people normally want to use a computer. Hold the phone. One must first register with the library (I asked myself, I am a student, right? Shouldn't I already be registered?). To do that, one must first use the registration computer and enter all data about her life in Bremen then proceed to a desk. At the desk one must present identification (which in my case had to be my passport), the resident registration with the town/state and the student ID card. Upon successful presentation of said items, one receives a library card. On the back of the card is a barcode that allows you to log onto the internet. The code and password are completely different and unrelated to the email and password that already were established in order to register for classes. Because one normally needs to print now and then, the library is the logical place. When one logs onto to do so, a new roadblock appears: One cannot pay for printing with the newly acquired library card. Nope, sorry. Instead, to print, one must acquire a Mensa card, which is how you pay for food. To do that one must go to a different office, which is only open a few hours a day, four days a week. Upon purchase of Mensa card, you must then load money onto it with a different set of machines. One might now be able to print if she can figure out that totally separate system.
Now, I'm not stupid, but I'd like to meet the person who could easily remember the codes and passwords for three different sets of cards and situations. I have never appreciated my Phoenix Card from Elon, which was used for entrance to buildings, paying for food, printing, identification and so much more, so much. Uni Bremen has 19,000 students and Elon only had 5,000. I would like to give Uni Bremen the benefit of the doubt that the relative chaos is due to size of the Uni, but wouldn't a large university want to have everything more streamlined? There are so many processes at the Uni that I can't help but feel that they are all working against the efficiency of the others. Yes, it certainly is organized and there are certainly protocols, but I think it's gone a little too far.
Now, I really do not want to complete insult the German Uni, because, besides the extreme bureaucracy, the important parts of the experience have been very positive. The classes have so far been interesting and even though I'm not leaving the place as excited as I am after seeing the premier of a Harry Potter movie, I find the classes positive. I am taking three classes, all in German. It is remarkable easy to zone-out when all you're hearing is German and the effort to stay truly tuned-in the whole time is very difficult. I find that I have no problem understanding what is being said in the moment, but my brain is working so hard to understand that moment, that it has a hard time connecting to the situation and understanding the context. Once I lose the context of the conversation it is very hard to re-engage.
The people at the Uni are also very nice. There are of course those frustrating people who enforce the bureaucracy and are quite unforgiving when you break protocol, but my interactions with the students and professors have been very positive. There is also an organization called ERASMUS Initiative that organizes a whole slew of fun social events for international students. The organization is very inclusive, has great events and makes a noticeable effort to make people feel included and welcomed. I appreciate that a lot.
The system of the German Uni is what set me into the downward spiral of frustration mentioned in my previous post. Adjusting to the Uni was undoubtedly the most confusing part of my time thus far, but I'm very confident similar examples will continue to happen. Everything here needs an appointment or something similar, otherwise not much can happen. It can be a very frustrating feeling for me, as an American who grew up in a more-or-less relaxed culture. Of course, when we compare American culture to certain other cultures we are a very uptight and stiff culture, but certain things are more relaxed. If I have learned anything over the last month besides German it is that in Germany I should always stand in line and make sure I'm standing in the right direction--If there is a sign that says stand to the right and you're standing behind the person in front of you, you will be cut by the three people behind and you will receive no sympathy for the five minutes you're losing. I hate to say that my experiences here are making me less self-assured, because that's opposite of the purpose, but it has made me realize that one has to adjust to the new system. It doesn't matter what that system is, but I suspect it is always tied very closely to culture. My year here is about living the German culture and if that means I have to slow down, remind myself that I don't know how to automatically do everything and stand behind that line, in line, even though there is no one in front of me, then that is what I need to do.
See, the German education system really is very good.
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