The more latitude your degree program affords, the more important it is to plan carefully. At the start of your studies, you arrive with certain knowledge and skills that you should be conscious of. Ask yourself: Do you have gaps in your knowledge that you need to fill in addition to your regular studies? Feel free to set goals for yourself at the outset. Do you intend to complete your degree within a certain period of time? What are the main topics you would like to focus on? Do you want to study abroad for a semester? Do you have a particular career in mind?
Even if you are preoccupied with getting to know the academic culture, content, requirements, faculty and students of your degree program, you should still think about how you want to plan your studies and what your future career might be. The goal of a course of study is not to limit you in your creative freedom, but to help you deliberately make the most of your opportunities from the very start. Of course, long-term planning at the beginning of your studies will be more open ended. Nevertheless, the idea is not to stick to a rigid plan. Be (self-)critical, challenge yourself and your plans, and adapt them to current circumstances. You are going to go through changes during the course of your studies, and so will your agenda.
Successful studies - successful career start
Usually when you apply for your studies, it is enough to have a good grade point average. However, when you are competing for attractive internships, jobs, or entering a career after graduation, the employer's attention is not only drawn to your qualifications, but also to your overall personality. The typical question in job interviews - "Why should we hire you?" - is not always easy to answer considering the numerous high-quality candidates..
Employers are looking for a qualified team player who can quickly learn the ropes, come up with ideas on their own, take on responsibility, and who has additional relevant skills. If you recognize your individual potential early on and identify career fields that interest you, you will have a solid foundation for all the decisions you will make over the course of your studies:
- Seminar selection
- Setting priorities in the course of study
- Internships (in specific career field)
- Useful additional qualifications for your individual profile
- Stay abroad (as an internship, master's degree, language program, research project, or as a place to live after graduation)
When you apply for a job after graduation, you can then leverage your individual profile as a rich source of information for marketing yourself confidently, e.g. for wording your cover letter, giving clear examples of your competencies, and presenting straightforward arguments.
