As part of the joint project “Campus OWL – Opportunities for Students Considering Changing or Dropping Out of Their Studies,” the central student advisory services and career services of the OWL universities are inviting students to these theme days with online and in-person offerings and advising students who are looking for support and guidance.
Experts will provide information and present strategies for dealing with challenges in your studies and successfully continuing and completing your degree. The aim is to offer students support in dealing with their doubts as early as possible.
“In many cases, doubts are part and parcel of studying. The reasons for this can vary greatly,” says Juliane Metzmacher, student advisor at the Central Student Advisory Service of the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences (TH OWL). ”Some students realize that the subject they have chosen does not match their interests or abilities, while others have difficulties with self-organization and learning. Financial worries, care responsibilities, or other personal challenges in addition to their studies also place a strain on some students. And last but not least, stress and exam anxiety can lead to doubts about studying.”
The program for the digital theme days is as diverse as the reasons for having doubts about studying. There are lectures on mindfulness, financing your studies, and opportunities on the job market. In workshops, students have the opportunity to reflect on their time management or reevaluate their choice of study program. Irrsinnig menschlich e.V. is offering an event entitled “Studying with mental fitness.”
The events are aimed at students from all disciplines at the four participating universities: TH OWL, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Bielefeld University, and Paderborn University.
The complete program is available at www.th-owl.de/thementage-studienzweifel. In addition, those involved in the theme days will be available for individual consultations.
Background: The four universities in OWL have been working together successfully since 2017 in the joint project “Campus OWL – Opportunities for students who are unsure about their studies or want to drop out.” They develop joint information and event formats and are in close contact with each other and with their cooperation partners at the employment agencies, chambers of industry and commerce, chambers of crafts, and district craft associations. This has resulted in a cooperative counseling and placement system to facilitate changes of subject and university or transfers to the vocational training system within the region.