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15.09.2020 | Story, Fakultät Wirtschaftswissenschaften

Orientation and experience at Paderborn University

Beyhan tells us how her story started in Paderborn, where it led her and which tips are worth their weight in gold when starting university.

Beyhan studied International Business Studies in Paderborn from the 2014/15 winter semester. The university here was one of the few to offer a combination of business and language - exactly Beyhan's thing. But moving to Paderborn? Her home town of Holzminden is not far away, so she had the opportunity to take a look at UPB before starting her studies. "I wanted to take a look at the city and the campus and I also met with the then Chair of the IBS student council. I immediately liked him and the work in the student council sounded interesting. I wanted to get involved straight away."

That's why Beyhan joined the student council in her first semester and remained active until she completed her Bachelor's degree. "It's really exciting to take a look behind the scenes during your studies. I also made friends very quickly and settled in in Paderborn. Many friendships from my time there have lasted to this day."

Languages + business = IBS

Although Beyhan had French lessons at school, she chose Spanish as her second language alongside English. Previous knowledge of the second language can be an advantage, but is not essential. "I just wanted to learn another new language and I really enjoyed the language courses. The contrast between the rather small groups in the language courses and the large events in the assessment phase and the different topics made the programme particularly varied." Beyhan still thinks the IBS degree programme is great and would study it again.

However, the degree programme can also be a challenge. Especially at the beginning of the programme, you are bombarded with a lot of new impressions and information. "At the beginning, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the new situation and all the possibilities. As soon as you've settled in, you already have to make a lot of decisions that affect your entire degree programme." In order to plan the semester well from the very beginning, it is important to keep an overview. So here are a few tips for first-year students (and everyone else):

5 tips for starting your studies

First semester guide: A lifesaver with useful information.
Search the internet! You can find information on every topic related to studying Economics on one of the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics websites. You should definitely save the homepage as a bookmark. There are also explanatory videos on how to register for courses and plan your semester.
Take advantage of the counselling and orientation services! Whether it's peer mentoring, coaching, tutorials or consultation hours - you can get help with your questions here.
Get involved! There are many organisations and initiatives at UPB in which you can get involved. You can gain valuable experience there and quickly make friends.
Facebook and Instagram: The wiwi.upb accounts regularly post information about the WiWi faculty and keep you up to date.

The early bird flies to a semester abroad

Beyhan was interested in the possibility of going abroad, so she found out about it early on in her studies and applied for a semester abroad. The application deadline usually ends a year before the stay, so early planning is important here. Although the IBS degree programme is internationally oriented, a stay abroad is not compulsory, but definitely not a bad idea. Language skills are deepened and intercultural competences are expanded. You also get to know a city and a country in a completely different way than on holiday.

Beyhan travelled to the capital of Catalonia. "I immediately loved Barcelona and over time I really took the city to my heart." She studied in Spain for five months and explored the country through the programmes for international students. There she also met fellow student Norina, who was completing an internship abroad (you can read her story here).

Don't rush things and find your own path

Beyhan had caught the travel bug, so she first travelled from Portugal to Amsterdam via Morocco before returning to Paderborn. There she completed her Bachelor's degree, but the wanderlust remained. "I actually wanted to do my Master's in International Economics and Management straight after my Bachelor's degree, and I had even already taken a few courses for it. But then I decided to take a year off and start travelling."

So she travelled from Australia via Fiji, New Zealand, Cambodia and Laos to Japan, the final stop on her journey. There she met up with friends who were taking part in the Paderborn University's International Economics and Management Master's programme and showed her around Tohoku University in Sendai.

The year had turned into 16 months and Beyhan returned to Germany in January 2020. Her wanderlust is still not satisfied. Paderborn has opened doors for her all over the world, so she recently decided to do a Master's degree in Groningen. "I like UPB and I enjoyed studying there. I'm still there often to visit friends and see the city again. Paderborn was exactly the right starting point for me to get my bearings, explore opportunities and gain experience. I can only recommend it to anyone."

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Discover the diversity of economics in our Bachelor's degree programmes. Each degree programme usually lasts six semesters and prepares you for a career start or an advanced Master's degree.

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