Business and natural and physical science courses
Like students in the humanities and social sciences, JYM participants studying the natural or physical sciences or business may take courses in those areas at the Ludwig Maximilian University. Based on our experience, students in these classes (including heritage speakers of German and students with C1-level German abilities) find these classes more challenging than students taking courses in other areas, even when they are taught in English. This has to do with cultural differences in education systems that aren’t always immediately apparent.
Because knowing the challenges that lie ahead helps to prepare one for those challenges, we would like to share some that we have observed over the year:
- Most U.S. students were not trained in the German secondary school system and have thus developed a different set of study skills from those that Germans have. There tends to be less hands-on and experiential learning in Germany and more memorization and what we in the U.S. consider "regurgitation" of facts on tests. Because German students already have to do the latter from the fifth through 12th or 13th grades at the Gymnasium, and then pass das Abitur to graduate, they can do it well. It also means that university students in the sciences and in business tend to have a very strong command of the basic facts of chemistry, biology and physics, and math – each of which is taught every year in the Gymnasium starting in the 9th grade. This doesn't mean Germans are "smarter" than Americans – there are plenty of great doctors and researchers from both countries. They are, however, better prepared for universities in their country than Americans are when they first arrive in Germany.
- U.S. students face grade pressure that German students do not. If a German student does poorly in, say, a business or biochemistry class at the LMU, they simply retake it with no real financial or GPA penalty. U.S. students do not have this kind of luxury. This makes them nervous when taking classes in which grades are based solely on an exam at the end of the semester and unhappy when those grades are lower than what they would have gotten at home.
- Textbooks—especially in the neurosciences and business—may be from the U.S. or England. This would appear to be an advantage, but they are expensive in Germany and therefore often put on reserve in a library to the student you must be willing to travel in order to do the reading required for class. Sometimes the books for different classes will be in different libraries. Accustomed to having everything they need online, U.S. students tend not to like this very much.
- In the case of neuroscience, the subject is a master's level, not an undergraduate program in Munich. Students in this field will be in classes with students doing M.S. degrees who already have a B.S. in, say, bio or psych.
- German professors do not tend to break things down into smaller steps they way that U.S. professors do. The LMU is the top-ranked university in Germany, and the expectations are that professors present the material and students figure out how to master it.
- For students spending a year or a semester abroad, Munich itself is an important classroom and being there a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Once JYMers arrive, some find that they do not want to spend a good portion of their time studying and traveling across town to libraries.
Success in the classroom
To be successful in taking mostly classes in the natural and physical sciences and in business, one should be prepared and willing to face these challenges. The following strategies can help:
- Plan to take a mix of classes the first semester you are in Germany. It is not a good idea to start your time abroad with four or five business/science classes. Rather, start with one or two classes in these fields so you can learn to learn the way Germans do. The other classes could be in the humanities or social sciences, or classes at the JYM institute that are designed with U.S. students in mind.
- All JYMers are encouraged to attend seven to eight different classes for the first two weeks of class and then reduce their course load to the five that work best for them.
- Do not expect or even wish the classes you take to be like your classes in the U.S. They will not be.
- Find out right away whether the class has a study group, join the group and attend all of their meetings. Ask lots of questions about how participants prepare for exams.
- Be prepared to spend more time than other JYMers on studying (and perhaps a bit less time traveling on the weekend and going out at night). German classes do not have regular homework like U.S. ones do. This can be deceptive because it seems like no work is involved. This is not the case. One is expected to continually review and master the material without the scaffolding provided by regular homework. German students know this. That is why the study group is so important.
- JYM often has a number of participants in the natural and physical sciences. If possible, try to take a class together with them. Even if you aren't in a class together, set up regular study times during which you review the materials for your classes (you could try explaining your reading assignments to each other auf Deutsch for some extra language practice). This way you can keep each other motivated, talk about the expectations of the classes you are in and work as a team to learn how Germans learn.
If you decide that this approach to taking courses for your major is not for you, think about declaring a German major or minor and focusing on that while abroad or at least have it ready as a plan B. Ultimately, everything you do and learn and experience in Germany, including navigating the cultural differences between university systems, will help you to become a better scientist, doctor or businessperson.