From the mountains to the Ruhr region: Why Julia Landherr moved to Witten for her dream degree programme
Julia is in the middle of her first semester of medicine at UW/H. She talks to us about goals, courage, home and good mountain cheese.
When you listen to Julia Landherr, you immediately realise: this was a big step. The 19-year-old left her familiar home of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria to study medicine in NRW. After completing her higher education entrance qualification, she did her federal voluntary service in a hospital, giving her first insights into her dream job. She wrote applications in between her shifts. "I looked for universities that offered medicine as a model degree programme, and Witten/Herdecke University was one of them. At first I had no idea where Witten was even located, but the descriptions on the website appealed to me." With the acceptance from UW/H, the move was finally on the cards.
"For many people, my home town is probably the cliché of Bavaria. Here, people wear traditional costumes for festive occasions, the cows are driven up to the mountain pastures every day and the view of the mountains is a given," says Julia. The contrast was all the greater for her on her first train journey to the Ruhr region: "I set off surrounded by meadows and fields and ended up between industry and big city flair."
Julia also noticed small cultural differences in everyday situations at first: saying "Grüß Gott" when doing the weekly shop tended to cause confusion and the selection of cheeses was not quite what the student from Upper Bavaria is used to. "I stood in front of the refrigerated section and thought: butter cheese, Emmental - not really the real deal." After all, she finally found a small pack of Austrian mountain cheese in a corner - a little piece of home on the supermarket shelf.
House hunting from afar
Like many students who move for their studies, Julia was completely reliant on online research when looking for accommodation. Platforms such as classified adverts or WG-Gesucht helped her. "I definitely wanted to move into a shared flat and made several calls for shared flats, but initially only got rejections - mostly because I was too young and had only ever lived at home." After an initial interim tenancy, she finally found a shared flat in Witten-Mitte, where she feels she has really arrived for the first time. "The location is ideal for students! Especially if you want to study in the library for a long time or go out in the evening," says Julia and has a tip for anyone coming from other German federal states: "Shared flats are very competitive in Mitte. Start looking as early as possible - preferably as soon as you've been accepted." Julia is impressed by the rents, which are much lower in the Ruhr area than in Upper Bavaria. "For the money I pay for a flat here, I wouldn't even get a room in Garmisch."
Arriving: Between disorientation and a sense of belonging
The many new impressions on the first day of the unit were very exciting for Julia. But the 19-year-old was not alone in this feeling. "All the newcomers were somehow equally disorientated. We were all in the same boat." The mentoring system for first-year students was particularly helpful during the familiarisation period.
I got a really lovely mentor from the third semester. She took away my fears because I knew that she was just a click away if I had any questions and needed her." Some students only email back and forth with their mentors a few times, while others develop a real friendship that accompanies them throughout their time at university. Julia also found allies even before she started her studies, whom she met during the admission interviews. "We exchanged numbers straight away and finally arranged to meet up for the first day of class." The familiar feeling on campus gives her a sense of security: "We are shown that we are here because we are supposed to be here. I also notice that in my year group. Every personality has been specifically selected and fits in with this university."
The first few weeks of term were intensive: introductory events, introductions to scientific principles and lots of new material! "Although it was super exhausting, we were always well supported. It's extremely surreal that I get to learn all this. I think it really was one of the best decisions of my life," says Julia.
Homesickness over 700 kilometres away
There are now more than 700 kilometres between her and her family. Her busy timetable and study times at the library often leave little time for reflection. But of course there are moments when she misses her loved ones. A box full of "if packets", a farewell gift from her group of friends, is particularly valuable to her: "If you're ever homesick", "if you miss us" - each packet is a little support when a real hug is not possible. What also helps Julia: music that reminds her of shared experiences with her friends, or one of her favourite dishes, such as red cabbage with spaetzle.
Julia also associates her new start in Witten with extreme personal development. Even before starting her studies, she learned a lot about structure, perseverance and time management through her work at the hospital, the application phase and organising her own move - qualities that are now benefiting her during her studies.
"I'm sometimes a very cerebral person, but I try not to put myself under too much pressure," says Julia. It's important for her to find a sporting balance, which she finds in dancing. As a course leader for contemporary dance at the university sports centre, she consciously creates space for herself outside the "university bubble". As a qualified fitness trainer, sport has always been an integral part of her life. She is all the more grateful to now be able to pass on her joy of dancing to others in her new environment.
Openness, togetherness and a word for Witten
What she particularly appreciates about the community in Witten: "People here are so open-minded that everyone can have their own opinion. Nobody judges anyone." She notices this in the Studium fundamentale (Stufu) courses, where students from all disciplines come together. "The cool thing is that people here are so open. It doesn't matter whether you're studying management or medicine. Obviously all participants have chosen the same course, so they seem to have something in common."
If she had to describe Witten as a feeling, it would currently be "curiosity" above all. "Apart from the many things and people I still want to get to know, I believe that as a student you have to be curious, otherwise you've done something wrong somewhere."
