The Viadrina College as a wild card

Husnida Sharabutdinova is still a little touched when she thinks about the certificate presentation after successfully graduating from the Viadrina College. She had not expected her graduation to be so festive, with a certificate and even a speech from the President of the Viadrina. The 20-year-old spent a year learning German in a Viadrina College language course and is now enrolled in the first semester of the Recht und Politik / Politik und Recht degree programme.

She has to thank two Viadrina ambassadors for giving her the idea of studying at the Viadrina, who told her about the European University at her Uzbek school - a PASCH school specialising in German. "The Viadrina does a pretty good job in advertising," says Husnida Sharabutdinova with a smile as she walks around the campus. She has arrived well in the student city; she likes the hall of residence in Birkenallee, enjoys switching back and forth between Germany and Poland on a daily basis and only travels to Berlin for work.

The things she liked best about the college programme were the excursions and the language courses, which went far beyond learning vocabulary. "I learnt a lot about German culture. The courses gave me an insight into the traditions and social values, which enabled me to develop a deeper understanding of life and culture in Germany," she says.

Eight other prospective students from Poland, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan have completed the one-year language course at the Viadrina College this year, just like her. In addition to this language track, there is another group of Poles who are specifically preparing to study German and Polish Law at the Viadrina College. The largest college group is completing the three-month fast track; this summer there were 20 participants from Ukraine, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the USA and Poland. One of them is 18-year-old Vladislav Yakunin, who came to the Viadrina campus straight after finishing school in Tajikistan. "Even as a child, I dreamed of studying abroad," he says. Friends of his told him about the Viadrina. The internationality and the preparation programme then convinced him to actually come to Frankfurt (Oder). The college was a good way for him to familiarise himself with the education system and prepare for university. And he also grew as a person during this intensive summer: "I think the most important thing I have learnt at the Viadrina is to help each other. When you move to another country where you know nothing, you need help from your friends, teachers and the college team. I also try to help others in any way I can." His friendships with people from many countries are his lasting memory of his time at college. He is now studying Internationale Betriebswirtschaftslehre together with some of them.

One of his fellow students is Kaylee Alvarez. The 19-year-old American picked up the language from her German mother, that is now making her studies easier. She used the language and specialised courses as part of the Fast Track programme primarily to improve her German as a scientific language. "That's the biggest challenge for me. The most important learning experience in the fast track was time management, which is now helping me in my studies," she says.

Every year, Antonina Balfanz is impressed anew by the determination and hard work of the college participants. At this year's certificate handover ceremony, the College programme employee once again noted: "I admire the participants; they work really hard, they want to learn and they are very grateful." She knows that the Viadrina College's bundling of different study preparation programmes is a major advantage for the location: "The fact that you can get ready for university in just three months is really a wild card." A convincing start, which is also reflected in the fact that many of the graduates not only successfully complete their Bachelor's degree at the Viadrina, but some also go on to complete their Master's degree at the European University. For Antonina Balfanz, this is a nice effect, as the participants also grow close to the college team through the close support they receive.

The fact that the programme is also close to Viadrina President Prof. Dr Eduard Mühle's heart was emphasised in his words of welcome at the certificate ceremony: "You, dear graduates, have become part of the Viadrina community in recent months. It is important to the Viadrina to be an accessible and open university for people from other countries and we are therefore very pleased that you, who come from Poland, Uzbekistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, the USA and Ukraine, have found your way to our university."

Frauke Adesiyan