So German!
May 13, 2018 - Bianca Meyer for SoGerman
A physical example of German-Canadian relations being built: the cooperation agreement between the Departments of Architecture of the German University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen (HAWK) and Vancouver’s British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) enters its fifth year. Within this framework, students from both universities can spend one or two semesters in Germany or Canada, as well as take part in binational competitions and seminars. In the following days, three HAWK students will tell us about their experiences on the far side of the big pond and show us their pictures over at our Instagram page, @germanyincanada.
“The partnership between BCIT and HAWK was established when I started studying in Hildesheim at HAWK. As soon as I heard there was the possibility to go to Canada through HAWK and study abroad, I didn’t even apply to another university in Germany. I knew I wanted to go to Canada, so I stuck with HAWK to make my dream come true. Studying abroad sure was one of the best experiences I could get. I totally enjoyed my time over there even though it was much harder and different from studying at HAWK.”
“In Canada, we had about the same amount of courses as we do in Germany. The amount of work was just very different. Professors stayed until 8 or 9 pm to give us desk crits. I felt like they even expected us to stay late in the studio and work all day on our projects as well. They wanted to see progress from week to week. Nevertheless, I totally enjoyed the way they worked at BCIT. Students set up their studios and work in school all day and quite a few night shifts. They’re all in this together and help each other out as much as they can. They learn a lot from each other, give each other crits and split the work into projects equally.”
“I would totally recommend studying abroad for a term or two, especially, when there’s a partnership between the universities. I met quite a view people from Germany and Austria who studied at BCIT without having a partnership. They spent a crazy amount of money to study in Canada. If you use a partnership, you can also make sure to get all the courses accepted in Germany that you’ve passed in Canada. Everything’s well organized and they help you with your organization as best as they can. They also started doing workshops and competitions which is a lot of fun and a great experience as you get to work with many different people, get to improve another language and learn about many different ways of working on a project.”
“First of all, it was hard to find an affordable accommodation which is close to the university. It took me three tries to find the perfect home. I would always recommend choosing a homestay. That way you don’t have to worry about food (which is very expensive in Canada) and you’ll live in a peaceful and quiet home. When you study at BCIT you’ll appreciate every minute of sleep you can get. In the beginning, it was hard to find friends, as I started in fourth-year studio where everyone knew each other and they already had their groups and friends they worked with. It took a while to get used to the way they work, but after a while, I figured that out as well.”
“Studying at BCIT really improved the way I work now in Germany. I start thinking about a project in a different way than I used to and I think I work on a project different than I used to. Staying abroad will definitely change you as a person as well – you will return as a much more open, self-confident and independent person. It gives you an insight into many different cultures and a different way of life. You’ll get to know great people that have a lot of great stories to tell. And in the end, you’ll be the one telling your friends at home many great stories. Plus I’m pretty sure if it comes to working for a company that has contracts with other countries or even locations in different countries I might have a better chance than other people as my stay abroad shows I don’t have a language barrier and also professional knowledge in another language.”
“A bit of advice for people who want to study abroad: collect as much information as possible about the culture, people, and country you want to go to. Also, I would make sure that you’re able to get all the courses accepted back in Germany if you don’t want to study longer than you have to. It’s always good to set up a partnership with the university you choose, and a lot of fun and a great experience to work with people from abroad on workshops and competitions and whatever else will be offered through the partnership.”
“’If you want an easy life, don’t choose architecture.’ I once read this sentence on the internet and thought, in some way it is true – but isn’t that the way it is in every job? As long as you have fun at what you’re doing and working on – it’s going to be alright.”
