City rally, student tutors and lots of preparation: every semester, the University's International Student Office welcomes students from all over the world with the International Orientation Week, helping them to settle in.
"Welcome", "Bienvenue", or simply "Moin": if you want to greet all Oldenburg students in their native language, you will be busy for a while. Around 1200 international students from 130 countries are currently studying at the University of Oldenburg. And at the beginning of the winter semester this year, more than 200 international students arrived here.
To make the start at the university easier for international newcomers - whether exchange students, students on Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes or doctoral candidates - the International Office invites them to the International Orientation Week on the Haarentor campus at the beginning of each semester.
Everyday things
"Internationality - that means being open to the unknown, the foreign". Prof Dr Sabine Kyora, Vice President for Studies, Teaching and Gender equality, opened this year's international orientation week with these words. This year's participants are Janneke from the Netherlands and Maria from Spain, who are already looking forward to meeting new people and experiencing new things in Oldenburg.
Boris Pohl from the International Office knows that the unknown is often a matter of everyday life. He has been organising the orientation week for several years with the support of student tutors. He and his student colleagues routinely answer questions such as "What do I need to bear in mind when making an appointment with a doctor?" or "How does the German deposit system work?". "We are well prepared and help the international students to settle in in Oldenburg," says Lasse Veers, one of the six tutors.
Reception in the old town hall
The rest of the orientation week programme also helps students from all over the world to settle in: The staff of the International Office provide tips on studying and living at the university and in the city at various information events. Of course, the German waste separation system is a must.
Every year, representatives of the City of Oldenburg also welcome the new arrivals in the Old Town Hall. Anyone who wants to can sign the city's Golden Book. In the evening, the programme becomes more colourful: "For example, we organise a city rally and an international games evening," reports Pohl. The informal get-together in particular helps the students to overcome language barriers and quickly get to know others.
Contact person for problems
The varied week traditionally ends with the International Dinner in the intercultural meeting place. All students contribute to a large buffet with dishes from their home country. For Lasse Veers, this is clearly one of the highlights of the week: "From Chinese rice specialities to Spanish tortilla de patatas and American pancakes, it was all there".
But the tutors' work continues even after that: "Our support goes far beyond the orientation week. We remain the point of contact for problems and continue to organise events so that the international students arrive in Oldenburg smoothly and feel well looked after," says Veers. With this in mind: "Welcome", "Bienvenue", or simply "Moin" to the University of Oldenburg.
