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“Halle is like a smaller version of Budapest”

Hungarian high school pupils learn about living and studying at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg  

PAOLO SCHUBERT

The Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg collaborates with 14 German partner schools abroad as part of its international focus (BIDS project). One of these is the Ungarisches Bildungszentrum Baja (UBB) [Hungarian Centre of Learning]. In April, 17 prospective high school graduates visited from there in order to find out what Halle has to offer in terms of study conditions and degree programmes. In addition to selected lectures, they were able to enjoy a light-hearted programme. The atmosphere was fantastic despite the pouring rain.

Four of the 17: Laura Vancsura, Karmen Kovacs, Adél Gácser and Angéla Balaskó (from left) also got acquainted with Halle and the Martin Luther University. Photo: private/UBB

“I’m an ADLK, Auslandsdienstlehrkraft or teacher serving abroad,“ explains Christian Enders with a grim. That is his correct title. Basically he is a teacher who put his German and history school-teaching on hold in order to teach at a German school abroad for three years. In 2006, the man from the state of Hesse was accepted for a position at the Ungarisches Bildungszentrum Baja.

Right from the beginning his goal was to get young people in Hungary enthusiastic about studying in Germany. “We show our pupils interesting university locations. When we ask them which cities they would like to study in the future, they mostly name metropolitan cities like Budapest, Munich or Berlin. However we know the advantages eastern German universities have to offer: high quality education, degree programmes that are not over-flowing, low cost of living and no tuition fees.” Which of the pupils know about the universities in Bautzen, Ilmenau or Schmalkalden? Even the university in Halle is often unheard of.

The pupils who have gathered with him at the Tulpe – the model cafeteria on University Square – silently agree. It is confusing, the queue is long. A briefing during lunch. There will be no free time in the next 40 hours; it’s not on the schedule. Instead there is an introduction given by an employee from the Student Advisory Service, a tour of the Meckel Collection at the Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology and a visit to the International Table. “And for tomorrow we have selected lectures and seminars which you might be interested in,” explains Katharina Rommel, a student involved in the BIDS project at the MLU. Beforehand, she and the teachers checked which core subjects are taught at the Centre of Learning in order to create a lecture programme for two groups which was as interesting as possible. “The focus is on the areas of the humanities, economy, law and education sciences,” she explains.

Pupil Karmen Kovacs is an exception. She is interested in mathematics and chemistry and would like to study these subjects as part of a teaching degree. The Serbian born pupil chose to go to the all-day German school in Baja because the education was more diverse than at Serbian schools and it prepared its pupils better for studying abroad. “I can also do this at a Serbian university, however you are only educated in one subject and also there are a lot of technical fields which have nothing to do with the subject,” she says.

Like her fellow schoolmates, she has the possibility of doing her German Abitur at the UBB. Many subjects are taught in German and graded according to the German grading system. Furthermore there is a transition year between primary school and high school if the pupils do not achieve the necessary grade point average of 2.2. For some, the 13^th school year therefore becomes compulsory.

CURIOSITY WINS

During the introduction by the Student Advisory Services, some pupils are already pondering whether or not to take part in the upcoming tour of the Meckel Collection. “It’s not for the faint-hearted,” they’ve been told. And Professor Dr. Bernd Fischer warns his guests of this fact once more as he receives them in the historical auditorium at the Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology. He is a suitable contact person for the Hungarians who is aware of the possible problems which might arise for students after moving to Germany. In 2008 he was made chairman of the society “Hilfe für ausländische Studierende” (HAuS) [Assistance for Foreign Students]” which was founded in 1994. It was primarily set up to non-bureaucratically assist foreign students who found themselves in financial difficulties.  

However none of the pupils are thinking about this at the moment. “If it becomes too much for you, you don’t have to look at all the exhibits,” he explains once more before the tour begins. Nonetheless no one pauses, curiosity wins out. For an entire hour, “skulls”, “corsets” and all kinds of preserved organs are shown. For the vary brave, the expert gives information about extraordinary exhibits showing embryonic or infantile deformities. “Both fascinating and shocking at the same time,” one of the participants whispers. “But not as bad as we thought it would be at the beginning,” adds another.  And yet they are somehow relieved to be standing in the fresh air once again.

9 pm, in the pouring rain. The atmosphere is fantastic. Pupils and advisers have gathered in “Charivari”, a karaoke bar which is a popular place for young people. Forty to 60, mostly foreign, students meet here for the International Table. While some of the pupils are still waiting at the door, Karmen and her friends are already looking around for new information. Adam Rotschadl is waiting patiently at a table next to other fellow-pupils and teachers. He is the only boy in the group. “The ratio of boys to girls at our school is disproportionate,” he says. This is probably due to the curriculum’s focus on the liberal arts. “Men tend to go for technology, women prefer language.” This explains why boys make up only 30 percent.

NOT ALLOWING OPPORTUNITIES TO SLIP BY

Alone among women: Adam Rotschadl came to the MLU along with 16 fellow pupils to check out local conditions for studying. Photo: Paolo Schubert

Adam has been going to the UBB since the first grade.  He actually comes from Dunaújváros, a very new place in central Hungary “which is known for its socialist buildings and iron processing and is 100 kilometres away from Baja.” This is why he lives in the school’s dormitory. He has to pay for his accommodation but is thankful for this opportunity. The 17-year-old would like to study politics in Germany after graduation – of this he is certain. “I have an uncle here so the country and the people are not completely foreign to me. And after all, he does go to a German school. Like a lot of us, I’m not going to let this opportunity slip by.”

It quickly becomes very crowded and there’s no longer any place to sit. It is nearly impossible to speak to one another because the music is so loud.  Students and pupils are not daunted. They try talking as loudly as possible. Meanwhile, some of the Hungarians are talking with two French women who finished their studies in Halle long ago.

First hand information: Christian Enders from the Ungarisches Bildungszentrum Baja (2nd from left) with Maren Tornow (l.)and Katharina Rommel from the International office and MLU Vice-Chancellor Wulf Diepenbrock in the University’s Historical Sessions Hall. Photo: Paolo Schubert

But they keep coming back because they can’t let go of the city and the university. And indeed there is a Hungarian student among the guests who will not find any peace until the end of the evening.

Thursday 2 pm, Lecture Hall XX in the Melanchthonianum, shortly before the start of the lecture on civil law case practice. The pupils have already had a tiring day. The lecture on general political science had already begun at 8 am in the Audimax. Prof. Dr. Michael Germann introduced the old theories of the state: Aristoteles, Augustinus and Thomas von Aquin are not unknown to the pupils. Adam and Karmen then took part in the political science proseminar on the topic “Parties and Elections in the FRG”. “Because we are studying the German system of government in social studies, we already knew about some of the things. Nevertheless it was interesting to see how the lectures are set up,” contemplates Adam. He was positively surprised by the round of discussion between the teacher and the students. This is not usual in Hungary where everything is run a bit more like school. “And it was remarkable to see how easily a German student gave a presentation,” he adds smiling.

In addition to all this, there were also a few minutes to personally get to know the University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Wulf Diepenbrock. He invited the group to an informal discussion in the Historical Sessions Hall in the Löwengebäude. It was a special honour for the pupils to have him answer their remaining questions. After six hours of lectures it is obviously difficult for the high school students to concentrate on the legal examples Prof. Dr. Armin Höland is giving. It is the last lecture at the university in Halle.  Afterwards they have to hasten to their bus. The group is expected at the Technical University Ilmenau in a couple of hours, where a full programme has also been planned for them until Saturday. Karmen is already summing things up. “I’m seriously thinking about applying to the MLU. I’ve noticed that there isn’t just a good university here, but also a lot of life. Halle is like a smaller version of Budapest.” And Enders adds, “I hope this visit will be the start of a long tradition.”  

(translated by Lorry King, http://www.able-sprachschule.de   )

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