Division 1.4 - Student Advice Centre
- What can one study at RWTH Aachen?
- What is the best fit for me?
- What aids exist so that I can make a well grounded decision about a course of study?
- What are my career prospects later on?
- How do I correctly apply for a university allocation spot?
- How can I handle problems during my studies? What kind of support is there?
- If I am interested in studying something else or likewise - what do I need to keep in mind?
Just Talking It Over with Someone
We will gladly help you with any of the above questions - with understandable explanations, well founded decision aids, and contact to the right contact person. Whether you are a school student or university student - we will support you with any questions about studies.
Open Office Hours, Orientation Weeks, Brief Advising via Telephone
You can come to our open office hours -spontaneously and without an appointment - every day for any matters regarding studies. We will happily answer any brief questions over our phone hotline. From March 25 to 28, 2013, and April 2 to 5, 2013, we are holding two orientation weeks with comprehensive presentations for prospective students, that you can spontaneously visit without registering. During the open office hours, we will only provide brief information for concrete questions.
We Will Gladly Advise You on These Topics
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Courses of study offered at RWTH Aachen
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Orienting yourself and choosing a course of study
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Demands and content of studies
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Preparation for studies and layout of studies
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Guidelines for application and enrollment
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Changing your degree program or universities
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Social questions about studies
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Career prospects and the job market
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Search for contact persons at the university
Competent Advising, Understandable Information
Whether you are just about to decide what to study or you are already studying and want to reconsider your decision - you will want to consider many thinks and weigh different alternatives. Get advising before your decision.
Our academic advisors can provide you with any information regarding studies and will help you with a well founded decision. We see our advising as support for self-help. That is, we accompany you, while you make your own personal decisions about studies. We do not have the answers for you, but we have questions that can bring you a step further.
Neutral, confidential, and of course free of charge
We have an obligation to confidentiality. Everything we discuss with you, stays between us. We do not spread any information further, including to other university employees.
The goal of our advice is not to advertise a course of study or promote studies at RWTH Aahen. You can rest assured that our conversation focuses on your concerns and interests.
What happens in an academic advising meeting?
When is the best time to go to the open office hours without an appointment?
You can come to the open office hours without making an appointment. However, if it will take you a while to get here and cannot get here during the office hours, you should notify the Student Advice Centre beforehand.
The Student Advice Centre has established particular office hours for school students on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. This can sometimes lead to waiting times, especially in the spring before the Abitur. We ask our students to try and use the morning appointments, so that we can answer your questions without any distractions.
When should I plan my first visit to the Student Advice Centre?
Come as early as possible. We are happy, when school students do not wait to see us till right before the application period. We will have more time for any concerns, and you have more time to prepare your decision on what to study.
How can I start preparing?
Our academic advisors usually take 20 minutes for an academic advising appointment. It is best if you have already thought about which questions you can answer yourself and which you would like help with.
If you are deciding what to study, you can take one of RWTH Aachen's Self Assessments and other tests to create a profile, for example the Situativen Interessenstest or the Ministry of Science, Research, and Art self test from the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg or the Ruhr-Uni Bochum online advising tool.
Are there any good resources online that can help me answer my questions?
Yes, there are. There are good aids for any information question, that can be answered during an academic advising appointment. We put together a few of them in our Web-Weiser. Take a look!
Is it better to come with my parents or alone?
That is your decision. However please keep in mind:The decision of what to study is one of the first decisions, where you alone will have to bear the consequences. For this reasons, we are happy, if you act as independently as possible when choosing your studies. We know: this is the best prerequisite for an independent, viable decision. We offer special presentation evenings with personal conversations following, in order to provide your parents with important information.
I am already studying at university. What questions can I contact the Student Advice Centre with?
We will provide advising for any questions that arise during your studies: for example accommodation difficulties in the first few weeks at the university, social problems, learning difficulties, or the decision to change your degree program.
I am considering changing my subject. Can the Student Advice Centre help me with this?
Yes, please contact us as soon as possible. We offer special individual advising appointments and group presentations on changing degree programs.
Should I go to the Student Advice Centre or departmental advising? What is the difference?
The Student Advice Centre does not only provide information about all subjects and decision aids, but rather also application processes, basic BAFöG guidelines, and social questions about the start of your studies. In contrast, departmental advisors provide advising specifically for a subject and will answer your more specific questions. If students want to change subjects, departmental advisors can provide information about kind of credit and recognition students can get for their first studies. They will often then issue a certificate of good standing, with which the student can enroll in the new subject.
Info Center
You can find information to take with you in our Info Center on the ground floor - for example academic guides, exam reguluations, link lists for special research topics, books, and brochurs. There is also a PC work station to do research online. One of our academic advisors is also there, who will gladly answer any questions.
Presentations and Information Sessions
In addition to advising in person, we offer info sessions and presentations, where school students, students, parents, and school teachers can get information all about choosing a course of study and academics.
Academic Advising and University Visits for School Groups and Upper Levels
Either on location at your school or directly at RWTH Aachen - we offer advising and presentations for groups in person. If you visit us at RWTH Aachen, you can combine your information session with a university tour or a lecture visit. Please contact us with what you are interested in, by calling our phone hotline or sending us an email- we will gladly advise you.