Studying at a German University

After a semester-long of study at Heidelberg University, I identified many discrepancies in the education experience between Germany and the US. It is impossible to conclude which system is better, since people have different perspectives and understandings of what makes a study experience better than the other. In this blog, I would like to share my observations of a German university and would like to know that in your opinion, what seems better and what makes no sense.

Heidelberg University Library (credit to depositphotos.com)

• Credit System

In Germany, universities use the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credit system. This system is used all throughout the European Union, and it makes student performance more transparent and comparable all across European Union countries. Thanks to the ECTS credit system, students from EU-countries can study abroad and earn a degree that will be universally accepted all throughout the EU.

In addition to the convenience of this credit system, I am surprised by the level of flexibility in which the credit can be applied by students. In contrast to students in the U.S. where they take each course for a settled amount of credits, students at Heidelberg can choose how many credits they want to take for each course, according to how many work load they are devoted to. For example, in a 0 to 7-credit range, a student can get 2 credits for attendance, 4 credits for completing an oral presentation, or get the extra 3 points for an additional term paper. The amount of credits varies according to the amount and type of work a student choose to complete. The flexibility of the credit gives students chances to take a wide variety of courses they are interested in without overwhelming themselves with tons of work, meanwhile getting enough credits to fulfill requirements. I know Heidelberg students who take 8 or 10 courses a semester, but they only have to take full credits for 4 of these courses and half or less credits for the rest. Thanks to the flexibility of choosing the amount of credits they need, they are able to balance between their academic interest and academic requirements.

• Classroom Experience

Because almost every class I took was a seminar, the professors left a lot room for student discussions and questions. Sometimes I think this is a very engaging approach and indeed intellectually stimulating! I think I developed my presentation skills and became more adept at analyzing the text. However, sometimes I think there is a lack of organization and clarity and I hope the professor can provide more information.

City Library Heidelberg (credit to Stadtbücherei Heidelberg)

• Student-Professor Relationship

German language lends a layer of formality in the student-professor relationship. Students are expected to refer to professors as ‘Herr/Frau’ or Professor and use the formal version of language to address each other. While this is generally true, I think there are some exceptions with young professors. I took a course who a professor who just graduated with his Doctor degree and had studied in Canada. He clearly welcomed students to address him with his first name, and while American students did so, the rest of German students still insist on addressing him with ‘Herr’.

You get feedbacks from professors more often in the US than you do in Germany, since there is no weekly assignment. This can make the study difficult, because it is hard for students to know about their performance and how to improve during the semester. It is also hard to know what the expectation that the professor has is. In addition, I find professors in Germany are less involved in students’ academic performance and cared less about students’ lives outside study than professors in the U.S. generally do.

Heidelberg Center for American Studies (credit to HCA)

• Final exam and grades

The final exam in the US generally happens during the last week of the semester. Final exam is important for your grade, yet it is not the only component and it sometimes occupy less than 50 percent of the grade. Students are also graded on participation, homework, papers, mid-term exams and quizzes.

At German universities, the period of final exams can last one month or two, after the official end to the lecture period. Students can write their papers during the “break” and even in the upcoming semester. So if the lecture period ends at the end of July, students may be asked to submit papers from August, in most cases, to November. While this system gives students a chance to research more deeply and have more time writing a paper, this also means that students don’t have the insanely long summer break, when they can completely leave school work behind, that American students get.

In addition, in Germany, because of the absence of regularly assigned homework and mid-term, final exam grade almost determines your grade entirely. This makes a really stressful time for students who have to take the exam or write the paper.