Anna Hellermann is a first-year student of Physics. She is pursuing the Bachelor of Science degree.
What made you choose this degree programme?
Even as a little girl, I wanted to do something with astronomy. I had actually discarded that plan once I realised that I would have to study physics for that purpose, because I’d thought: “You won’t make it, anyway.” Eventually, I decided to give it a try. Fortunately!”
In which respect have or haven’t your expectations been fulfilled?
Difficult to say, because I didn’t know what awaited me to begin with, as I’d not had physics at school for a long time. I suspected that maths would turn out to be very abstract – that suspicion was confirmed. On the other hand, I find several fields of physics much more interesting than I’d ever expected.
Which aspect of your degree programme do you enjoy most?
I have not encountered much yet, but so far it’s definitely experimental physics. I often find the explanations of everyday phenomena baffling that you usually don’t give any thought to. I often enjoy calculations where maths is actually applied and leads to concrete results.
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
Maths. It has nothing in common with maths that you know from school, and I still find it difficult to learn the way of thinking that you need to understand my assignments. It is like a wholly new language!
What would you like to become after completing your degree?
I’m not quite sure yet, because there are many options open to physicists, many of which, however, I don’t fully understand yet. So far, my dream has been to work as an astronomer in research.
Which advice would you like to give to students who consider enrolling in this degree programme?
Don’t let them put you off. Even if you didn’t choose advanced maths and physics courses at school, it doesn’t mean that you cannot study Physics. That had been my worry, but it turns out in Physics you’ll start from scratch anyway, so that everyone’s got a chance to catch up. Those who studied physics at school might have a small head start, but it doesn’t take long until the content of the curriculum goes beyond what you’d learned at school. What’s important is that you enjoy it – if you don’t, you might find the heavy workload discouraging.
Marina Falke is a first-year student of Physics. She is pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree, 2-subject programme. Marina's second subject is Media Studies.
What made you choose this degree programme?
Even back at school, physics was the most fascinating subject for me. I’d like to understand how the world works. Physics satisfies my curiosity and lets me see the world through different eyes.
In which respect have or haven’t your expectations been fulfilled?
The physics lectures are exactly like I imagined them – perhaps even more entertaining and hands-on than expected. The mathematical part, however, is more difficult than expected. It requires a lot of effort, according to my fellow students in 1-subject programmes.
Which aspect of your degree programme do you enjoy most?
It feels really good to understand new theories and everyday phenomena and to be able to explain and calculate them. Solving a problem that I’ve been working on for ages in a group is fun, too.
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
Explaining to my fellow students in physics why I would voluntarily combine Physics and Media Studies. And for my fellow students, the greatest challenge was mathematics for physicists 1; in order to finish my Master’s degree, I will have to struggle through this subject too.
What would you like to become after completing your degree?
I can’t really say yet. My original plan was to pursue a career in science journalism, but I can also imagine an academic career in physics. But there’s still time to start looking for a job.
Which advice would you like to give to students who consider enrolling in this degree programme?
You will need a lot of curiosity and stamina. Being quick on the uptake doesn’t hurt, either, when you study physics. First and foremost, you will have to reserve a lot of time for mathematics and theoretical physics. But it’s totally worth it!
What made you choose this degree programme?
I first studied another natural science subject and noticed during my studies how exciting I found basic physics and math lectures; at school I had hardly any contact with physics. Because I could not fully satisfy my curiosity in my then subject, especially for the basic processes, I started my physics studies after graduation.
In which respect have or haven’t your expectations been fulfilled?
I expected that the studies would be a new, big challenge, and that was confirmed. You spend a lot of time calculating and sometimes even several days working on a math problem. I was pleased that it was confirmed that it is not a rote learning subject. What I didn't expect at all is that physics students are very social beings. It was very easy to find great, interesting people, without whom studying would probably be twice as hard.
Which aspect of your degree programme do you enjoy most?
What I enjoy most is solving the tasks. Solving a problem where you think at the beginning, "You can't calculate that with so little information" at the end feels great. Checking the calculations in an experiment and figuring out why the two don't match is also great - like detective work.
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
The biggest challenge for me was math and theoretical physics. In both subjects I learned ways of thinking and approaches that I had never had to deal with before. Both were quite difficult at the beginning, but you grow into it during your studies and now I am proud that I have understood it.
What would you like to become after completing your degree?
I don't have a fixed goal. I can well imagine staying in science and doing research. I can also imagine myself working in a company in research and development or in the software sector later on. One of the great things about physics is that you learn problem-solving skills that can be applied to many different areas.
Which advice would you like to give to students who consider enrolling in this degree programme?
It is not necessary that you had physics and math classes in school, you can also start without great previous knowledge and after a short time the school material is through anyway and everyone is more or less on the same level again. A certain stamina or a high frustration threshold are rather characteristics that you should bring along. What is also very important: If you do not understand something, you are not alone! All physics students feel this way again and again, and that's why we study physics - to understand.
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