Finding new solutions

Valentin Burger is studying Computer Science. And he likes kiting, preferably near the campus. All he needs: a kite, the right winds and clear skies. And this is what Valentin likes so much about Würzburg. “The good summer weather.”

However, it was neither the fair weather nor the “great opportunities for leisure activities”, that was the deciding factor in the student from Wunsiedel settling on Würzburg as his choice of where to go to university and which course to take. Although, or perhaps because Valentin enjoys kiting as well as almost every other sport, he did not want to take Sport at the university but decided on Computer Science instead. “I was looking for a challenge.”

It was the engineering content of the degree course in Würzburg that clinched his decision. When people think of Technology and Computer Science they seem to think of nerdy stereotypes. An unwarranted prejudice, Valentin thinks. “The best computer scientists do not necessarily sit at their computers all the time. It is much more a question of confronting new problems, finding new solutions and not giving up too quickly. It is not unlike sport. Perhaps that’s the reason why I keep meeting computer scientists at sport.”

Course based on logic

Lots of people do not really know what to expect when they take up Computer Science. That’s what happened to Esther Fee Feichtner. After she left school she swithered between taking Music and Computer Science. However, the idea of what she calls a “course of study based on logic” is what convinced her in the end, and that’s why she enrolled in Computer Science.

What does she like best about the university? The fact that it is a real campus uni. When Esther is not in a lecture hall or a classroom, she is to be found on the campus pursuing one of her hobbies – fencing. The male students need not worry, however. Esther sees the predominance of men doing Computer Science as a clear advantage: “I enjoy it. It is far less complicated working with men. The atmosphere is relaxed.”

Mobile robot

Being one of the few women venturing into a male domain means having to justify yourself more often than your male colleagues do. At least that is what Isabel Grimm finds. “But there is no reason why you should not take Computer Science if you are a woman.”

It is a subject in which she hoped there would be plenty of hands-on classes as well as theory and she has not been disappointed so far. In one of the practical courses Isabel built and programmed a small robotic vehicle together with her male colleagues. They had to programme the robot to drive through a maze and also simulate the whole sequence on the computer. With the aid of a camera suspended above the robot the accuracy of the simulation could be verified. The whole thing took up a great deal of time, but the progress made simply with constant trial and error taught them a lot and was a great fun.

Personal atmosphere

Isabel is also convinced by the quality of the teaching of theory: “Our Computer Science professors are extremely well-prepared, give interesting lectures and can explain things really well.”

The range of seminars and practical classes is huge, and there is plenty of room for every student. Isabel particularly likes the personal atmosphere and has the impression “that the professors take an interest in every individual student”.

If she has a question about the content or the organisation of her studies, the professors or lecturers take time to talk or reply to e-mails straight away. “Before one of the exams, one of the tutors spent two hours with me and answered all my questions.”

Well looked after

A university which is not overcrowded, professors who know their students. Esther and Valentin feel extremely well looked after. The students also contribute to the academics’ research projects and thus prepare themselves for life once they have got their degrees.

But with all this studying, you need some time off. It is good that the University of Würzburg has such a wide range of sports on offer. “I spend a lot of time at the Sports Centre,” says Valentin. There he can try out the less common sports such as baseball or rugby. Weather permitting, he plays football or beach volley on the campus or flies off with his kite.