1290 students from 110 nations: Jacobs University starts the new academic year with record numbers
On September 1, Jacobs University starts the new academic year with a record number of students: 1290 students from 110 nations are now living and studying on campus, amongst them 677 undergraduates, 603 graduates and 10 international foundation year students. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Jacobs University has seen its student body increase tenfold since its opening in September 2001. The number of freshmen now stands at 403, an increase of 25% compared to last year. The most popular undergraduate program this year is physics with a growth of 80%.
September 1, 2011One of the trendsetters in the new academic year is physics student Matthias Aengenheyster. For the 19-year-old from Hamburg with a 1.0 Abitur, the German equivalent of an A+, the quality of his study program and the intensive mentoring at Jacobs were deciding factors in his choice of university.
“Here, class sizes are small, compared to larger universities with many thousands of students,” says Matthias in light of Jacobs University’s professor to student ratio of 1:10. “Like many other physics students I also find the transdisciplinary approach here at Jacobs very attractive,” he adds.
“This year we have many incredibly talented freshmen from Germany on campus. Matthias is a great example,” says Marie Vivas, Director of Admission at Jacobs University. "On average, our German newcomers gained a final Abitur grade of 1.4."
Jacobs University also continues to be a talent magnet on the international scale. “Three quarters of our freshmen from abroad are ‘Straight A’s’,” explains Vivas.
Among foreign students there has been increasing interest from China. This autumn, the rise in applicants has accounted for 70% more Chinese freshmen on campus compared to the last academic year. 19-year old Yina Wu from Shanghai is one of them. She studies International Relations and Behavior at Jacobs University.
“Many young Chinese like to study abroad, which often proves very difficult,“ she says. “Jacobs is one of the very few universities in Europe with excellent offers, where we can study straight after finishing high school without the customary preparation year and Chinese Admission Exam,” she explains.
Yina had heard about Jacobs University two years ago, when she spent a year in the German town Osnabrück as part of a school exchange. “I particularly like the combination of an Anglo-American university model in a German environment because I already know Germany and enjoy living here,” she adds.
International and inspiring
Jacobs University’s international campus community, which is unique in Europe, is one of the main reasons for many students to enroll at the Bremen-based private university. Norwegian Bård Drange was also very impressed by the internationality at his new university. “For two years I went to an international high school in the US where I experienced the fun and challenges of learning in a culturally diverse environment. I think it is very important and valuable to build on this experience,” says the 19-year-old undergraduate, who is starting a degree in International Politics and History.
Another new face on campus is 18-year-old Yohana Tesfamariam from Eritrea. Having already been accepted at renowned Florida Institute of Technology, she changed her mind and decided to study Biotechnology at Jacobs, an undergraduate program which was introduced last year. “The program is so well thought out and rounded that I think it has even more potential than many of the programs in the US, as it is very practice-oriented and prepares you for a career in research as well as in business,” says Yohana.
Like her fellow freshmen she has just finished ‘Orientation Week’ on campus and was very much impressed by the Major Fair, which introduced the newcomers to all courses on offer so that they could choose their minors. “All the courses are so interesting I wish I could clone myself to do everything,” she says laughing, glad to be able to supplement her major not only with mandatory courses, but with quite a few electives.
In her choice of courses she can also count on a lot of help and support from the university. “It is amazing, how much individual attention and help you get – not only getting organized in this completely new environment but also in terms of advising you on the best choice of classes.”
Jacobs freshmen, who are on average 3000 kilometers away from home, are happy about the friendly and open atmosphere on campus. “You can talk to anyone, everyone here is so nice and really helpful,” says Chinese student Yina. “That’s quite different to the US where people can be a bit reserved.” Matthias, her fellow German student, agrees: “After only a few days on campus professors and staff already know me by name. If you need help there is always someone to talk to. At Jacobs University you are not just a face amongst many.”
