Bonn: Relaxed excellence
Bonn is proof that you don’t need to sacrifice quality of life to study at a top-tier international university. Once Germany’s capital, this peaceful city on the banks of “Father Rhine” boasts a small-town feel, the infrastructure of a major metropolitan center and more than 35,000 post-secondary students.
Uni Bonn by Dr Thomas Mauersberg
Bonn introduced
No matter how you wind up in Bonn, the city’s charms are impossible to miss. Located on the banks of the Rhine, it is the gateway to the romantic Middle Rhine Valley, a region dotted with castles and surrounded by the beautiful Siebengebirge, a landscape shaped by myths, sagas and fairy tales. Bonn boasts baroque buildings and an age-old charisma, yet remains solidly part of the modern world: More than a dozen United Nations agencies and 170 international organizations call it home, as do Deutsche Telekom (a global telecoms and IT services leader with operations in more than 50 countries) and Deutsche Post (one of the world’s largest logistics companies and owner of DHL).
Many of Bonn’s historic sites are more than remnants of the past. While tourists marvel at the baroque edifice of the Poppelsdorf Palace — a must-see on every sightseeing tour — it is also home to the University of Bonn’s Mineralogical-Petrological Institute, the Institute of Zoology, as well as the Mineralogical Museum Bonn. With 361 buildings spread throughout the city, the university is an integral part of life in Bonn, a city of culture and leisure that was chosen as the provisional capital of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany in 1949.
Since the government’s move to Berlin in 1990, Bonn has become one of Germany’s top college towns, a rich center of cultural and intellectual life where one in every ten residents today is a student.
Overview of the universities
University of Bonn (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University)
http://www1.uni-bonn.de/startseite/jsp/index.jsp?lang=en
The University of Bonn was established in 1818 in accordance with the vision of the great educator and philosopher Wilhelm von Humboldt. Traditionally one of Germany's leading institutions of higher education, it has a strong international focus, with students from over 130 countries now enrolled, accounting for over 15 percent of the student body. They follow in a tradition of scholarship that dates to the days of Wilhelm von Schlegel, the poet, critic and pioneer of German Romanticism, and Barthold Georg Niebuhr, the renowned nineteenth-century statesman and historian.
With 30,000 students, the University of Bonn ranks as the third-largest university in the state of North Rhine-Westfalia. Since there is no such thing as a centralized campus, its students are scattered all over the city, filling the cafés, pubs and lawns of the historic downtown area.
As relaxed as that setting may seem, serious studying goes on behind the uni’s walls: Bonn is one of Germany’s leading research institutions, a fact underscored by its success in luring money from major funding agencies including DFG (the German Research Foundation), DAAD (the German Academic Exchange Service) and the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation.
In 2006, as part of a 873-million-euro national funding program for excellence in higher education, the German government funded the establishment of the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics, a Cluster of Excellence with nearly 50 professors. The same funding program provided new resources for the Bonn Graduate School of Economics
The good news for Bonn continued earlier this year, when the German Research Foundation short-listed the university’s application for funding to establish an International Graduate School of Chemical Biology in the Life and Medical Sciences and the Bonn-Cologne Graduate School of Physics and Astronomy. The university’s application for funding for new clusters of excellence in media and applied informatics was also short-listed. Final decisions on the new round of funding are expected in October 2007.
Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences
http://www.alanus.edu/
This state-accredited private university is nestled in an ancient castle, where it teaches philosophy, aesthetics, art history, literature, education science, psychology, the social sciences and business management using a unique interdisciplinary approach.
Some 400 students are now studying at Alanus, which is named after the French theologian and poet Alanus ab Insulis (1114-1203 A.D.), who taught “the seven free arts” in what the school’s founders claim was the first true multidisciplinary program.
Degrees awarded at Alanus are recognized as equivalent to those from state universities and academies.
University of Applied Sciences Bonn Rhein-Sieg
http://fh-rhein-sieg.de
Founded in 1995, the university is the youngest in the federal state of North Rhine-Westfalia. The school’s 5,000 students are spread out over three campuses, one each in Sankt Augustin, Rheinbach and Hennef. Some 120 professors teach15 degree programs in business administration, computer science, engineering, applied sciences and social security management.
Bonn Rhein-Sieg places a heavy emphasis on experience in the form of both exchange programs with its extensive network of foreign partners and through practical internships at major regional, national and international corporations.
Bonn-Aachen International Center for Information Technology
http://www.b-it-center.de/
B-IT offers an international master’s program in applied IT, summer/winter schools for qualified computer science students — and a unique view. The magnificent university building is located on the banks of the Rhine River, and if that's not enough, students can take pride in the fact that they’re next door to the former office of the German Chancellor.
B-IT was established as a joint venture between academic powerhouses including the University of Bonn, RWTH Aachen University, the University of Applied Sciences Bonn Rhein-Sieg, and the Fraunhofer Institute Centre Birlinghoven Castle (IZB).
What Bonn is like
Tina Schultz studied at DePaul University in Chicago before deciding she wanted a taste of university life on the other side of the Atlantic. Opting to study German in Germany came naturally, the 21-year-old student explains.
“Just look at my last name,” says Tina, hinting at her German roots. She already knew Bonn from a previous trip, which made her choice even easier.
What did you think when you first arrived here?
Compared to a city like Chicago, Bonn is really, really small. Although I'd been here before, it struck me just how beautiful and cozy the city is. I thought, “Wow, Bonn is really beautiful!” There are the mountains, the river, everything is clean and tidy — it's just sweet.
What's different here compared to studying at DePaul?
Things are demanding in both places, but in Chicago the general approach is more school-like. The assignments are very specific, whereas at Bonn, students have more freedom. You learn as much as you want to learn, which makes good results all the more rewarding.
Your most memorable moments?
One of the history courses I took was about Germany from 1949 to 1990. Professor Scholtyseck brought across so much in this one semester — I'm thankful for that one. And then there was an impressive lecture about Beethoven. The professor was at least 80 years old, but so passionate about the subject. He really affected us students.
Would you recommend Bonn to other foreign students?
I would, definitely. There are a lot of exchange students and the foreign office does a lot to help us out — and to get us in touch with one another.
Where would you take your friends when they'd come to visit you in Bonn?
To the Einstein. That's a really nice café with good food and free wireless Internet access. You can sit there and study or meet friends and have a good time.
What’s next for you?
This semester is supposed to be my last, but I really don't want to leave. I just took up a job at a language school and I'm trying to figure out how I can prolong my stay here for a while.
Favorite spot?
Honestly, the bar in my Wohnheim (German equivalent of a dormitory). The drinks are cheap and I literally know everybody because we all live in the same building. There are tons of pubs in the city, but I really love this place just across the floor.
Did you know?
Bonn was the first university in Germany to introduce a central graduation ceremony. In 2005, students celebrated this illustrious event for the first time. Elegantly dressed in gowns and mortar boards, hundreds of graduates received their diplomas on the Hofgarten lawns in the presence of family, friends and members of the university.
Things to check out
In summertime, the Rheinaue is where you want to be. When the weather is nice, hundreds of people relax on the lawns of this park.
The Museumsmeile is Bonn’s cultural heart. Four museums form this institution, including the Bonn Art Museum, the Art and Exhibition Hall, the Alexander König Zoological Research Institute and Museum and the Haus der Geschichte.
Then, of course, there is Ludwig van Beethoven: Regarded by many as the most important German composer ever, he is undoubtedly the most respected son of Bonn. His birthplace has been nicely kept and restored and is now a museum.
Useful links
Studentenwerk Bonn
www.studentenwerk-bonn.de
The Studentenwerk offers more than 1,000 rooms for international students. For additional information, you can also contact the International Office (Akademisches Auslandsamt).
Living and learning in Bonn
A guide for international students published by the University of Bonn. The guide contains more than 80 pages, jam-packed with good information.
Bonn youth hostels
www.bonn.jugendherberge.de
Upon arrival — or as long as you don't have a permanent place to stay — you should opt for a cheap youth hostel. Keep in mind: It probably won’t be forever.
Shared apartments
www.mitwohnzentrale.de
For short-term leases, turn to private agencies, the so-called Mitwohnzentralen, which offer fully equipped rooms or flats for several days, weeks or months, depending on availability.
Local press
www.general-anzeiger-bonn.de
www.rundschau-online.de
Local newspapers are a good way to find an apartment. Adverts are usually published on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Study Buddy Program
The Study Buddy Program at the University of Bonn is a useful institution for foreign students. Study Buddies are German students who will give you a helping hand during your first semester. Most German participants have spent a year abroad themselves.
Studying in Bonn
http://www.studyabroad.uni-bonn.de
The Junior Year Program and the Exchange Program offer students enrolled at partner universities the opportunity to study a semester or year at the University of Bonn.
Photo 3: Flickr (cc) Jochen Wegner
Photo 4: Flickr (cc) user: vimar 77
