Emma's Exchange to University of Oldenburg | Germany
I had completed my first degree in Marketing at Curtin University without the confidence to sign up for the exchange program. At the same time a friend of mine attended Murdoch and did two semesters abroad, starting in Sweden and finishing in Ireland. Her stories were so amazing and she came back so confident in her travel abilities that I soon wished I had taken the plunge as well. I then began my second degree at Murdoch and signed up straight away!
I did my exchange at the University of Oldenburg, which is located in Lower Saxony in Germany’s far North. The city was a beautiful place to live, all students purchased bikes and we rode to university, had picnics in the parks, drank coffee by the harbour and made some really amazing friends. Accommodation in the city was a little scarce so the international students were located in different buildings around the city, this had both positives and negatives but at the end of the day it meant we really truly explored where we lived and mingled with the local students as most accommodation held both German and international students.
I signed up for the buddy program that was offered and to me it was the best decision I made prior to going! My buddy helped me so extensively with the sometimes severe and isolating language barrier, she introduced me to other Australians who actually lived and worked in Oldenburg, she invited me to her home in a neighbouring city where I met her family and friends and she became the closest friend that I made on my travels. I would highly recommend anyone who is going on exchange to make sure they sign up for the program.
The university itself was a great size with several cheap café’s to eat in, a great library and located not far from the city centre. I would however advise people who travel to Oldenburg to have at least 12 months worth of German before they go as all other countries who send students send only students fluent in German. Because of this the university is not set up for English speaking students. The university website is predominantly only in German and often the majority of information given out by the university is also only in German.
The International Student Office itself organised some fantastic events. There were three weekend trips planned that students could sign up for and travel to cities within Germany including Cologne, Bonn and the island of Rugen to name a few. These trips were really good fun as it provided the opportunity to meet students that were completely separate from your own current exchange group, you got to travel and learn about Germany within the comfort of a bus and the prices were very reasonable.
To me, the best thing about the trip was meeting and getting to know so many people from so many different cultures and countries and all mingling together within a positive atmosphere. And the travel itself was amazing! I have returned a much more confident traveller, and confident in myself to go out and meet new people, people that may not have anything in common with me. It has given me further encouragement to be more curious about the world and what it holds.
- Emma studied abroad at the University of Oldenburg in Germany
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