Dzieǹ dobry, good morning or Guten Tag?

Wilhelmshaven. Poznan. Getting off the train in Poznan after a seven-hour journey, I’m taken aback: Where in 2002 the old station building stood, now a vast mall welcomes people to the city. Travel seems secondary – it’s all about high-end shopping. Poznan – a city of 549,000 inhabitants in the Midwest of Poland – has embraced the world.

Today, I find a modern, global and growing commercial city. It offers all the goods you want, plus those you never even knew you wanted. With its enormous malls and shops, and advertisements for at least ten different banks on the main street, Święty Marcin, it immediately announces that you need money to live here. Walking through the city by night, I can see how much Poznan has changed. The streets are clean and brightly illuminated by billboards. I hear people speaking English everywhere. Some occasionally switch to German. It’s hard to find traditional Polish food like pierogi around the main square, Stary Rynek.

Poznan – a city of growth, modernization and internationalization. And a city of education. It is home to the Adam Mieckiewicz University, which offers a full programme of natural sciences as well as humanities. Also located in Poznaǹ are the Academy of Music – Akademia Muzyczna – as well as several higher educational establishments. For several years, Jade University has been presenting its study programmes and research activities at the POLECO fair and maintaining contacts with UAM. This year, Jade University is exhibiting at the MASTER & MORE instead.

Tomorrow, I’ll present our range of master´s degrees. Is my Polish still good enough? I’m both excited and nervous. What I want to find out is whether we can attract students to study for their master’s in German. How good is their German? Do we have the study programs they are looking for? The small, exclusive fair features 20 exhibitors – mainly universities, but also student´s associations like AIESEC and DAAD. And the students flock to the stands. They typically want to know whether master´s programs matching their bachelor degrees are available. Cost and scholarships are another focus. More of them than I expected want to know whether they can study in English.

Many students are pleasantly surprised at the low study fees and cost of living in our region. However, language is a huge barrier for most. So it’s not surprising that universities from English-speaking countries or who offer study programmes in English attract twice as many visitors. Lots of people are glad to be able to talk to me in Polish. Some offer to switch to English after a while. But there are also students who speak to me in German. They are particularly interested in our German summer course, and the opportunity to spend a day visiting lectures with a “Jade Lotse” student mentor before choosing Wilhelmshaven, Oldenburg or Elsfleth.

My conclusions: Yes, there are students interested in studying at our university. And yes, languages are essential in today’s shrinking world. More language learning at Jade University would benefit both sides. Students will need these skills in life, and they are the best possible advertisement for our university. They will tell people about the dynamic, open-minded environment where they were able to learn and develop personally, preparing them for life in Germany or in their home countries. Foreign languages and cultural skills are invaluable in a globalized world. That’s why I wrote this article in English.

Marlen Jähnert