A placement abroad pays off

Students report

(sf) Three young men who have at least three things in common: They all studied Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at D UAS, all gained marks of 1.0 for their Bachelor theses in August and each spent a semester abroad. A memorable as well as an exciting time for Timo Bolse, Oleg Ermanntraut and Volker Burgers, one which will stay with them well beyond their studies.
Timo Bolse obtained a placement in Silicon Valley in the USA and wrote his Bachelor thesis in the VW Electronics Research Laboratory there. The 23-year old says: "The region, which basically invented IT, the major companies and the closeness to the universities of Stanford and Berkeley, was simply an experience of a lifetime. I learnt so much, for example about the development and control of autonomous vehicles."
Oleg Ermanntraut similarly has positive recollections. He was employed by Extentia, an IT and consulting company in Pune, India, for six months and worked on a CRM project for administering client relationships. "India is a country of extremes. Everything I'd imagined about the heat, food, traffic and poverty was exceeded by far by what I experienced there", reports the 24-year old. Elephants on the roads are part of everyday life. "You learn to see things from a completely different perspective there", says Oleg.
Volker Burgers, who performed his placement and subsequently wrote his Bachelor thesis with one of the largest global corporate consultancies, likewise has only good things to say about his stay abroad. "It's simply an enormous personal and professional enhancement to get to know other mentalities, structures and working conditions", believes the 23-year old. However, it was not always easy to organise the placements abroad, despite resolute support from their professors Dr. Wolfgang Lux and Dr. Roger Frese and the International Office. Oleg recalls: "We initially got numerous rejections on account of the worldwide economic and financial crisis." Yet their commitment and stamina paid off in the end. All three draw the same conclusion: "Working abroad has hugely improved our communication skills. It's a social enrichment without any doubt, and if the opportunity arises to go abroad again, then there'd be no second thoughts."
A total of twelve students completed the Bachelor course in the Summer semester within the regular study period. "An excellent outcome", is how Prof. Dr. Detmar Arlt, professor at the Department and Prorector for studies and teaching, views the outstanding work put in by the new post-graduates.