Hello everyone!

My name is Detroit, and I am currently studying a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at UniSC, Moreton Bay. I have recently completed a three-week short-term program at the University of Applied Sciences in Fulda as a part of their International Winter University. During my program, I learnt about German History, Culture and Literature in an Intercultural Context, Intercultural Competence, and the German language.

One of my goals during my degree was to study overseas, and this is why I applied for this short-term program. I had no particular country in mind, but I am 100% happy that Germany was the place! The amount of personal growth you gain from studying overseas is abundant and the knowledge you gain from your experiences will stay with you for life. What I enjoyed most about studying in Germany was the diversity of my teachers and tutors.

I've had amazing experiences! First, I got to study and create friendships with 22 incredible students from 14 different countries. Secondly, I went on amazing excursions to Weimar, Würzburg, Berlin, Kreuzberg, and Point Alpha. Participating in these excursions helped consolidate what we learned in our classes. Finally, I got to see snow, which you rarely see in Australia. On our excursion to Point Alpha, we all hopped off the bus and the ground was covered in fluffy snow. All students, tutors, and teachers had a snowball fight, and the laughter and smiles were contagious, that was an unforgettable experience.

A few tips I would have for students who would like to study in Germany.

• Be open to all the opportunities that come your way, studying overseas is a great life experience.
• If travelling in the winter, bring lots of layers of clothes.
• Travel on your free days as much as possible, Germany is well connected by trains and buses. You can take plenty of day trips around Deutschland.
• If you can, take an extra week or two to discover a few countries around Europe.

Detroit Harris - Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)

Hi, my name is Annette, I’m a mature age student studying Psychology at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs campus. I was very fortunate to be selected to receive a 3-week Scholarship program to study overseas at the University of Applied Sciences in Fulda, Hessen, Germany for the IWU 2023 winter program.

I have always wanted to go to Europe and specifically Germany as my mother is German and my father Hungarian. I applied initially to experience the application process as I was hopeful but thought I may not be a recipient. The application process was good and supplying the information was relatively easy, the communication from the Global Mobility UniSC team was great.

Looking into the program in Fulda, I chose to study German History, Culture and Literature, Intercultural Communication and Competence and German Language. The courses were presented by Professors and lecturers from around the world, who worked or had a link to the university in Fulda. They were personable, knowledgeable, and specialised but also made the experience in class fun, engaging, informative, reflective, and interactive. Having the opportunity to speak German and accelerate my language experience was fantastic. The field trips were coordinated to coincide with the class material, we went to Buchenwild, Weimer, Wurtzberg, Berlin (for 3 days/2 nights), and Kurzberg. I had a great time and Berlin was amazing! It is the capital of Germany and a fabulous city, filled with history, museums, canals (it has more canals than Venice!), great food, entertainment (we did Karaoke in the hostel bar..badly) and was easy to navigate to all that it has on offer! I also went to Kassel which is a world heritage UNESCO site with amazing castles, architecture, and historical sites.

The snow in Fulda was amazing, being an Australian from the Sunshine Coast made it even more spectacular, it was a real highlight. We went hiking, snow sledding, had snowball fights.

My tips if you’re considering IWU Fulda for overseas study:

• Take your thermals and hiking boots (You’ll be doing a lot of walking!)
• Sign up for everything on offer (I did salsa and Bachata dancing lessons, hiking, sledding, movie nights, its well organised!)
• Do a little research on things to do and not to do in Germany eg; Germans like you to be on time which means 10-15 minutes early.
• Take the time to genuinely enquire and talk to your fellow students, you’ll be glad you did, and not only create amazing friendships you’ll learn so much 😊

Thanks for reading, if anyone would love to know more or has any questions, I’d be more than happy to chat. Tschüss!

Annette Varday - Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology)