The atmosphere of the campus in which I lived was very peculiar. On the one hand, it may seem that there are too many various entertaining institutions or little control on the part of the university, but on the other hand, you can see immediately self-discipline and motivation of everyone who studies there. The system of higher education, of course, is different from ours. But you can quickly get used to it. As a graduate student (or in German tradition, doctoral student), I had a certain freedom of action: most of the time I spent studying literature in the library or working on texts. The bachelor students must receive a certain number of “credits”, or credit units.
It is necessary to know a foreign language, preferably English. It may not be perfect English, but at least on an average level. There is no way without any foreign language! It is my luck that English is my specialty, so there were no problems with communication or with administrative issues. English had to be used everywhere — from the hostel, in which, among my neighbors, I had representatives not only from different countries, but also continents, to the secretariat, library, and classes.
The advantage of an international university is that you can easily find courses in English. In addition, almost all the teachers speak the international language of communication. I was also lucky that the teacher of the seminar on history was a graduate of one of the leading British universities, so I could enjoy classical English and at the same time practice with a native speaker. And communication in the study with a colleague from Cambridge supplemented the language practice.
As for classes ... The method of their constructing may differ depending on the specialization. But one thing remains common: students are given a task, a list of literature that they study independently. And they do not come to the class to re-write out the text, but to analyze the materials studied, to share their thoughts, to ask questions. That fact surprised and pleased very much. The students did come up so prepared that they could freely operate on the data, could analyze the problem posed and express their opinion. Any point of view was quietly listened to by the teacher and, if necessary, easily directed to the right track.
Frankly speaking: six months have rushed like one day. And imperceptibly it was time for the “session”. Having successfully passed the exam in German, as well as the test and the history exam, I was able to take a little breath and finish work on the topic of the dissertation research, practically living the last month in the library. But about it there should be a couple of words separately. This is not just a repository of books, where you can run and quickly escape by taking the right edition. This is the place where students live in the literal sense. In general, Tubingen has its own libraries in every university building. They contain narrow-profile literature, which may be required to prepare for classes.
But there is also a central library, open daily from 8:00 to 22:00, offering access to huge funds, equipped with computer rooms, lounges and study rooms, sofas, self-copying or scanning departments, and a buffet and so-called “negotiation” — open areas with tables and chairs, where you can sit with friends and prepare for classes. Everything is automated so you can find the book in the catalog by yourself, take it on the right rack or order it on a computer, register it through a special machine for carrying home, and even digitize the pages you need with a single student card.
I have experienced immense pleasure not only from the freedom of action or the opportunity to find almost everything you need — from modern editions to ancient manuscripts, but also from a special atmosphere of motivation that seems to be saturated all over the city. Of course, even during studies or scientific research, one should not forget about a rest. Therefore, on the weekend, I have traditionally tried to get out somewhere, see something new. In this regard, I was lucky. After all, Swabia — the south of Germany — is a country of mountains and castles. Therefore, it was not difficult to choose the place of the next adventure. And practically every week it was possible to get out with friends to the mountains, or to the thermal pools, or to the nearby ancient cities, locks. The most famous are the castle Hohenzollern, Bad Urach, Stuttgart, Constance. In addition, it was possible to see Swiss Zurich, French Strasbourg and German Nuremberg and Dresden.
I consider my one-hour report in English as my personal scientific achievement, I presented it in the framework of a scientific colloquium to German and foreign colleagues - undergraduates, postgraduates and teachers. This is an invaluable experience that has allowed not only to expand my professional horizons, but also to take a fresh look at the topic under study.