Even as a little girl, Anudari Erdenechimeg wanted to study business administration. Now, at 21, her dream has come true: She is starting her bachelor’s degree in business administration at the School of Business at Mainz University of Applied Sciences. Just a year ago, Anudari left her home country of Mongolia and moved to Germany to learn German and study business administration. “I’m so happy that I get to study here,” she says. Anudari is one of more than 500 students who are now beginning their full-time studies at the department in the 2019/20 winter semester.
The bachelor’s and master’s students are kicking off the semester with orientation week. Over the course of these five days, they’ll get to know their fellow students and the department. They receive introductions to the degree program and tips for successful learning, workshops on time management, and lecture sessions on methodology and presentation skills. “Stay on top of things,” says Prof. Dr. Anett Mehler-Bicher, dean of the department, in her welcome address. The professor of business informatics advises first-semester students to consistently prepare for and review her lectures—“then you’ll do well on the exams, too.” The dean advises the new Bachelor’s and Master’s students to find teammates and study partners. “It’s easier to study in a group. You motivate each other, and your study partners support you when things aren’t going so well,” the professor explains. But studying should also be fun. That’s another reason to take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad and attend the infamous AStA parties. “Partying hard is part of college life!”
The dual-track bachelor’s programs in the department kicked off as early as the beginning of September. Unlike their full-time peers, the roughly 200 students in Business Administration and Business Informatics must juggle their studies with a job or vocational training at the same time. They study one afternoon a week and all day Saturday; the rest of the time, they focus on their jobs or apprenticeships. It’s a double burden that can be very demanding, but it also brings many advantages. Dual-track students can often apply theory directly in practice and, by the end of the program, not only have a college degree but also several years of professional experience.
