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STUDIES

Good time management and effective study habits offer numerous advantages, such as better exam results and increased self-confidence in your studies. The student advisory service at your university is there to support you.

International offices

Every German university has an International Office that advises and supports international students. It is often your first point of contact on campus. The International Office organizes events and helps you make contacts with other international students.

Learning habits: how to improve them

The student advisory service will help you with questions about time management, optimizing your studies and increasing your motivation. The advisors take your individual circumstances, abilities and needs into account.

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With the student advisory service, you can develop strategies and plans that will help you learn more efficiently and find suitable learning methods. One example of this is the "MyStudy" service offered by the University of Hanover. Whether you have problems with time management, want to improve your exam results or are looking for better study habits - the student advisory service can be very helpful. It is particularly advisable for new students to contact the student advisory service if they are unsure about anything in order to receive support and find suitable working groups.

Individual or group lessons

Is individual or group support more effective? "I mainly work with students in individual coaching, as the best solution often lies within themselves," says Tina from the University of Mannheim's learning advisory service. Nevertheless, there are also group workshops in Mannheim. One example is the learning workshop for first-year students at the beginning of the semester, which aims to promote exchange between departments and teach methods such as mind mapping or group work.

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A good example of the benefits of these workshops is Tom from Heidelberg. He says: "Through the workshop, I learned to organize my studies, my time and myself better. Since then, I always make to-do lists to make sure that I do everything on time and don't forget anything." Tom also receives a lot of positive feedback, especially because of his rapid learning progress and improved exam grades.

Take chances !

It is completely normal to be a little hesitant about attending a study seminar or student advisory service at first. Don't let that put you off, because advice from trained professionals can be extremely helpful. Take advantage of this opportunity! You can find information about student advisory services at your university on the university website, on notice boards in the university or in the library. Simply make an appointment or visit the open office hours, which usually take place once a week.

Universitätsflur

Plan enough time for academic writing

The Internet has a major impact on time management when studying. On the one hand, it allows you to save a lot of time. In the past, you had to spend hours leafing through countless textbooks to find the information you need, whereas today you can find it in no time with the help of online search engines. On the other hand, the Internet also represents a temptation. With a few clicks, you can copy and paste impressive texts that you might not have been able to write yourself.

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Make sure you cite your sources correctly! Anyone who uses other people's content without correctly citing it runs the risk of getting into serious trouble at German universities. Plagiarism, i.e. the unauthorized use of other people's ideas or intellectual property, is severely punished. The sanctions can go as far as expulsion from the university. Since the Internet stores information permanently, such violations can be discovered even years later. There are examples of German politicians who were exposed for plagiarism in their theses and thereby ruined their professional careers.

Clear rules for scientific work

Specific rules apply to avoid accidental plagiarism. Footnotes are usually required for direct quotations. These small numbers mark quotations and central ideas in the text. The corresponding numbers with the exact source information, if available, can be found at the end of the page or at the end of the paper.

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Academic writing not only involves the correct use of quotations, but also the introduction and development of your own creative and personal thoughts. It is about dealing with the chosen topic critically and in detail, choosing a logical and systematic structure for the argument and formulating it precisely and objectively. In other words: The ideas of other authors can and should be adopted (with reference to the source!), but something unique and new must emerge from them.

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