During the pandemic, not only travelling was restricted. Students could only take semesters abroad under conditions more difficult than usual. The trend towards internationalisation is continuing at THWS.
The Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) has always been characterised by its international orientation. This internationalisation has been strengthened even further by the introduction of the so-called TWIN programmes (degree programmes which can be studied in German and English). The University currently cooperates with 201 partner universities worldwide. For students, these connections to partner universities are a great chance to complete a semester abroad and to gather priceless personal memories. However, after the outbreak of the coronavirus, students could only go abroad under more difficult circumstances. Has this negatively impacted the internationalisation endeavours at THWS?
How the pandemic affected students taking semesters abroad
According to Dr. Daniel Wimmer, Head of the International Office, the number of partner universities remained static during the coronavirus pandemic. However, the number of students taking a semester abroad has declined significantly: from 225 in 2019/20 to 117 in 2020/21. This is due to various reasons: In 2019 in particular, many countries with partner universities had closed their borders to internationals. Taking a semester abroad was thus not possible in these regions. Students also became more careful. Many didn't dare complete a semester abroad during the pandemic. "At the moment we are trying to get on top of all the waiting applications. Students applied for various spots abroad in different years, partly withdrew their applications, or moved their requested stays into the future", Dr. Wimmer explains. This indicated the prevailing insecurity of students regarding semesters abroad during the coronavirus pandemic.
The decrease by about 50 percent compared to pre-Covid times is not too high compared to the whole of Germany. Numbers at other universities dropped by about 90 percent according to Dr. Wimmer. Even though Covid is still a highly relevant topic, the numbers at the University are recovering very well. In 2021/22, 281 students of THWS went abroad, which is even more than pre-Covid. "I am very certain that the internationalisation of THWS will continue at its old pace after the coronavirus." Dr. Wimmer says.
A semester abroad despite Covid: Adam Alrammahi in the US
Among the students who successfully completed their stay abroad, despite a global pandemic and the emerging difficulties, is Adam Alrammahi. He is a Business Administration student in his fourth semester and spent August to December 2021 at Anderson University in South Carolina (US). Alrammahi is really glad he got the chance to spend time abroad. "The semester abroad was a blast. While in Germany lectures were still taking place online, there were nearly no more restrictions in the US. For the first time as a student, I had something comparable to a student life", the student says.
According to Alrammahi, the US did not quite feel like it was in the midst of a global pandemic. At the exchange university, students from different countries from all over the world came together and visited lectures in person, and mostly even without wearing face masks. Additionally, students were able to move freely in the US so that they could experience the country, the culture and its people. There was even an advantage to the pandemic, Alrammahi says: There were about no tourists in the US and he could thus experience the country even more authentically.
Covid creates international perspectives
Semesters abroad are not only worthwhile despite a pandemic, but they always have and will be, which cannot only seen by Alrammahi's experience in the US. The coronavirus brought, in addition to the restrictions, some advantages and future perspectives for the internationalisation at THWS. Students did have higher chances of getting a study place at their preferred university, says Dr. Wimmer. They could also shape their semester abroad more freely. Some of the partner universities also conducted their lectures online so that students could choose whether to participate in lectures from Germany or from abroad.
"In the pandemic years, significantly more students chose Europe than pre-Covid", explains Dr. Wimmer the trend, which can be attributed to Covid. This could also be explained by the simpler in- and outward travels within Europe. Another advantage of the coronavirus: The vast amount of virtual offers reduced students' and lecturer's reservations. New exciting offers like virtual mobility or also blended mobility (a module, which mainly takes place online and partly on site, together with a course by the partner university) have gained popularity. Dr. Wimmer is convinced: "If we hadn't had Corona, the demand for these elements would have been significantly lower."
The coronavirus pandemic has thus made semesters abroad more difficult for students of The Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt, which is why many of them preferred postponing their semester abroad. However, it is already becoming visible that numbers are on the rise again. This leads to the conclusion that the pandemic did not hinder the internationalisation of THWS. It only caused a small dip.
