"Jak studiować w Goerlitz?"

On April 27, 2015, GÜSA e.V., with the support of Interclub Femina and the Polish regional youth council in Zgorzelec, offered various educational institutions in Görlitz the opportunity to participate in a joint information event. Representatives from the Dietrich-Heise-Schule, the DPFA-Schulen gGmbH, the Augustum-Annen-Gymnasium, and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences provided information on school, vocational, and academic educational opportunities for Polish children, teenagers, and young adults from Zgorzelec and the surrounding area.

As part of this event, Mr. Andrzej Dmytruk, a student in the Economics and Languages degree programme at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences

(

), presented the diverse range of study options at the university to interested Polish students, parents, and teachers with enthusiasm and humor. There was widespread interest in degree programmes in Mechanical Engineering, electrical engineering, and business and languages, so following the presentation, many one-on-one discussions took place to address potential formal hurdles before starting studies and language requirements during the program.

 

 

There was a particularly noticeable lack of information regarding the language proficiency required before beginning studies in Germany; many of the parents and students present requested that the information available online regarding language requirements be expanded—good for finding, clearly organized, and in Polish! The reason is obvious: Since discussions about career paths in the students’ Polish families begin several years before the Polish high school graduation exam, the admissions information should be good to understand and find—even for parents who do not speak German—to enable long-term planning for language preparation. Only then can they provide their children with targeted support. This request is now being implemented by Dr. Ewa Wieszczeczyńska, a faculty member in the Economics and Languages degree programme, together with students and alumni of the 'Studienkolleg' (preparatory college).

To help overcome the mental and cultural barriers, Mr. Dmytruk—true to the motto “Students advise future students”—shared his Facebook details with the Polish parents to take home with them!

Regarding language preparation for high school graduates from Zgorzelec and the surrounding area, plans are underway to launch a special class with expanded German instruction, which will be actively supported by faculty members from the Economics and Languages degree programme, so that students can acquire the German language proficiency required for their studies while still in high school.

---

Contact:

Faculty of Managerial and Cultural Studies

MA Zonja-Stefania Szymanowski

Email: z.szymanowski(at)hszg.de