Feedback on studying at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg

Anna Shumidub, BSc “Marketing and Market Analytics”, gave feedback on her studies at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg.

Feedback on mobility programme

My name is Anna Shumidub, I’m on my 3d year of pursuing "Marketing and market analytics" bachelor programme. This year I spent a winter semester at Julius-Maximilians University in the wonderful Bavarian city of Würzburg.

Application and documents

In the spring semester of 2020 I participated in two calls for the mobility programme at once: university-wide call and faculty call in the Graduate School of Business. I applied to 6 universities in total, and Julius-Maximilians University was my last choice, because, at first, I was confused by the semesters' conflicting dates (at Julius-Maximilians the semester started in November and ended in March). Also, I was worried that the small town might be boring and there might not be much to see. Spoiler alert - it turned out to be quite the opposite!

First challenges

Studies started on the 2nd of November, but I was not able to get in town until the 12th because there was no way I could make an appointment to apply for a visa. I had already bought a flight ticket, but there was silence from the embassy regarding my visa. Finally, I received an email and went to the embassy to pick up my visa and I flew that very night to Germany having to change planes in Turkey.

The first few weeks in Germany were the toughest, as upon arrival I had quarantine for 5 days, get tested for coronavirus, and do all the necessary paperwork. In my case it was opening a bank account, registering in the city and arranging insurance. Away from home, even small problems can seem difficult to overcome, but this is what instills responsibility for yourself and discipline. Despite all the difficulties, I realised straight away that I really like it here and I've even started to think about staying on for a second semester.

About my studies

I chose several courses in English as well as a free German course at the host university. As for German, I had never studied it before and, at first, it was very difficult, but in the end I am very happy with the results, my level is already A2! During this language course I met my first friends, there were a lot of ERASMUS students from different countries.

Before the beginning of studies I was worried that the professors might be difficult to understand because of the accent or pronunciation. But luckily this was not a problem. I had to translate some of the terms, but all in all it was good and understandable. I opted for two master level courses and they were really challenging for me. But the previous courses at HSE prepared me for dealing with difficult material and I managed to cope even with the toughest economics subjects 😊. The lecturers were very friendly and competent, always willing to help and answer questions. We only went to the university building for exams, all the classes were online. In most classes we chatted with other students in breakout rooms, which was a really useful skill during online learning.

I didn’t notice any discrepancy in the timing, which I wrote about earlier, at all. The main point is to keep a close eye on all the deadlines and to attend the lectures and seminars both online and on campus of the host university responsibly.

About Würzburg

Frankly speaking, this small city with the population of 120 thousand people definitely exceeded all my expectations! Every 5th resident of Würzburg is a student, so the city's population is quite young and active. When the weather is warm, you can always see a lot of people on the promenade. Even though I got around all the main attractions fairly quickly: the Würzburg Residence, the Marienberg Fortress, the Hofkirche, I was still amazed by the beauty around me. The blossoming of the sakura trees in spring was particularly impressive.

With our student ID card you can travel for free to the nearby small towns and villages. It's a great way to spend your free time if you don't want to travel far. A separate pleasure is travelling on the local trains, they are very comfortable and clean.

Travelling and people

The opportunities to meet and socialise in the international student community are endless. Because I arrived quite late compared to the others, I missed the introductory events where most of the guys were getting to know each other. But, fortunately, I already knew people from the German intensive course, and got to know a lot of people through social networks.

So we had a group of Russian-speaking kids with whom we travelled all over Germany. Thanks to special offers on train tickets, we managed to make the trips budget-friendly and very intense. We were in Munich, Berlin, Regensburg, Stuttgart, Hanover, Lubeck on the Baltic Sea, Nuremberg, visited the famous Neuschwanstein castle in the mountains and the Alpine lake in Füssen.

The semester in Germany impressed me so much that I decided to extend my mobility also for the spring semester. In order to do so, I had to approve a new Individual Study Plan with the Study Office, submit an application and consent for mobility, and apply for a residence permit in Germany.

This experience gave me a lot, helped me become more mature and conscious, stop being afraid of loneliness and uncertainty, learn how to build relationships with totally different people, improve my English, start learning German, see a lot of beautiful places, make friends and become better and stronger!

More photos on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shum_i_dub/