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Itās a time of travel at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. Not only because the lecture term begins this week and students are returning to the university town, but also because a symbolic journey is beginning. āTravel enriches our lives; it broadens our horizons. Enrolment marks the start of a new journey in your lives,ā said Professor Isolde Heintze to the new first-year students during the enrolment ceremony on 18 March 2024 in the Peter SchĆ¼tt Lecture Theatre at the Centre for Media and Social Work. On Monday, 154 students began their studies at HSMW, whilst a further 272 started their one-year course at the Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, which will enable them to gain their university entrance qualification.
As Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Heintze left no doubt that the journey the new students are about to embark on is a special one: āToday you are at the start of your heroās journey, which will enrich you not only academically but also personally. You are now the protagonists.ā Joseph Campbell was at the heart of her welcoming address ā or rather, the concept of the heroās journey, which the American professor identified in myths around the world ā and which everyone is familiar with from literature and films.
Personal development through experimentation
Once the heroes have broken away from their familiar surroundings, their journey brings about an initiation through the acquisition of new insights, before they eventually return to their familiar environment ā and are able to enrich it. āYou will develop as individuals ā and thatās not a threat on my part,ā Tolkmitt promised the first-year students with a smile ā 112 of whom are aiming for a Bachelorās degree in Social Work ā before formally admitting them, through the enrolment ceremony, into the community of lecturers and students, researchers, and administrative and technical staff. āStudying at the HSMW means endless experimentation. We are the university where you can try things out ā and discover more about yourself. Your ideas, your thoughts and your actions are what weāre looking for.ā
The managing director of the Student Council had previously highlighted just how special the opportunities for students in Mittweida are. Samuel Frenzel described the HSMW as a āunique campus communityā. āWeāre very close-knit in this university town and know how to turn that to our advantage ā even making it our hallmark. We have grown together into a proper university family,ā said Samuel Frenzel, urging his new fellow students to get involved in the typical Mittweida way ā in university politics through subject student councils and the Student Council, but also in the numerous student projects ranging from 99drei Radio Mittweida to Technikum Mittweida Motorsport and the Mittweida Studentsā Club.ā
The mayor of the university town of Mittweida also emphasised the special bond highlighted by Frenzel. āWeāll keep bumping into one another from time to time. Thatās just how it is here in Mittweidaā¦ We see each other, we chat, and we even celebrate together from time to time,ā said Ralf Schreiber, inviting the students to get involved in the local community. āAs a town, we strive to recognise your concerns and address them. You are citizens of our town.ā
Internationality is a fact
All the speakers agreed that openness to the world and acceptance are a natural part of this close-knit campus environment. A glance at the official statistics is enough to show that Mittweida University of Applied Sciences is an international institution characterised by diversity: Thirteen nationalities are represented amongst the 154 new students for the summer term. The figure rises sharply when one considers the 272 new students at the preparatory college who are preparing to study at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. Admittedly, they are not officially counted as students of Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. āHowever, they are already part of our university community and take part in campus life,ā explained Tolkmitt.
The Preparatory College at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences fulfils an important role for Mittweida University of Applied Sciences and the Free State of Saxony. Not every foreign school-leaving qualification entitles the holder to study in Germany; furthermore, prospective students need a good command of the language in order to attend German-language lectures and seminars. The preparatory programme at the Mittweida University of Applied Sciences therefore lasts one year, leading up to the placement examination, after which students receive their official university entrance qualification. This examination is comparable to the Abitur. In addition to German as a foreign language, the curriculum therefore includes subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, English, social studies, history, geography, economics, business studies, computer science and technical drawing ā subjects that will be of benefit to students as they continue their journey at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences.
