Podcast

How to Hochschule

 

Welcome to our i² podcast How to Hochschule!

This podcast invites you to delve deeply into the lives and work of our diverse international HSRW community. Each month, a specific theme will  guide us as we seek out inspiring stories and people springing from life at our institution: how to start, how to fail, how to love, how to stay, how to … . From studio interviews with experts to conversations on campus and beyond, the How to Hochschule podcast aims to bring listeners closer to the experiences of people learning, working, teaching and creating at Rhine-Waal University and the university of life in general. We want to inspire, empower and touch the lives of our listeners.

How To Hochschule is produced and presented by theatre scholar, pop festival maker and film fest organiser Stephan Hanf. The Podcast is part of the i² project, an internationalisation project initiated by the Executive Board, run by the Centre for Internationalisation and Languages and funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Episodes are released at the end of each month from Januar 2023 on your favourite podcast platform.

Contact us:
Feel free to let us know what you think:  podcast@hochschule-rhein-waal.de
We are looking forward to hearing about your questions and suggestions and how you liked the episode.

 

N E W S:

Read about Hari's first podcast experiences in the Catcher on the Rhine: How to Podcast

 

How to Hochschule - Episodes

This way to the Spin-off  How to Hochschule VOICES

 

Episode 1 - How to Start

Our first episode explores what it means to make a start:
Join a first year student, a coordinater for international
student life, a PhD graduate from HSRW and a department 
head as they share their experiences of life at HSRW and 
what it is like for them to start their studies or even 
a new university.

Podcast #1 – How to Start 

Play it here

Show Notes:
 

Nele Decker is both a German student at Hochschule Rhein-Waal and the coordinator of the Welcome Centre as part of the Student Advisory Service. Nele’s main task is to help international students with their transition to life and studies at our institution. Organising the Freshers Week, which takes place at the start of every winter semester, is also part of her work.

Related links: Welcome Centre, Student Advisory Service, Freshers' Week
 

Dr Zunera Rana completed her Bachelor's degree in Economics and Finance at the Lahore School of Economics in Pakistan. She then moved to Germany to pursue her Master’s degree in the same field.  Now she is a research assistant in macroeconomics and public finance at the Hochschule. She holds a PhD in Development Economics with a focus on aid effectiveness and fungibility from Radboud University, the Netherlands.

Related links: Dr Zunera Rana
 

Dr Joost Kleuters started his academic career in the Netherlands and is now the head of the Centre for Internationalisation and Languages. As a member of HSRW from the very beginning, his work has always been related to the advancement of internationalisation at our institution. Dr Kleuters shares his insights and experiences in this field.

Related links: The Centre for Internationalisation and Languages
 

Norman Körber is a first year student from Germany studying Sustainable Tourism at HSRW. As a new student who grew up locally Norman shares his unique perspective and experience of starting at our international university.

Related links: Sustainable Tourism, Degree Programmes
 

Episode 2 - How to German

In the second episode, we explore a very important
topic for everyone who studies and lives in Germany:
the German language.
We meet an international student who arrived in
Germany with a good command of German, but
somehow "unlearned" it after living in Germany for
5 years. Join him as he sets out on a quest to regain his
old skills and meets a German language student, a
German teacher, a member of a traditional society that
dates back to the middle ages, and someone who also
came to Germany from abroad, but became fluent in
German and now works in the university's Languages
Department. They share their stories, and with them
priceless advice on how to learn German in the most
effective and fun way possible.

Podcast #2 – How to German

Play it here

Show Notes:

Hariharan Arevalagam is a student of Science Communication & Bionics at Hochschule Rhein-Waal. He is not only the main guest of this episode, but also co-produced the episode by helping with conducting interviews as well as post-production. 

Related links: How to Hochschule Podcast, Science Communication & Bionics
 

Carlos Eduardo Cabral Holguin was in his second semester of Mechatronics Systems Engineering at the time of recording. As an international student with an international background, he was able to share some relatable experiences about living in Germany and using the German language.

Related links: Faculty of Technology & Bionics, Degree Programmes, Mechatronic Systems Engineering
 

Carla Bongers is a German teacher at Hochschule Rhein-Waal. A native of the lower Rhine region, Ms Bongers has years of valuable experience in teaching the German language to international students and offers great advice to German learners. 

Related links: Languages Department
 

Benedikt Brömling is a treasurer of the Schützenbruderschaft St. Josef Haldern. As a longtime member of this traditional German nightwatch brotherhood, he shared some insights about the annual folk festival and how it is closely tied to its local village community. Benedikt highlights how these traditions are not only annual events where people have a good time, but they also make up a big part of their members' identities, who also happen to be very open to "outsiders" joining them.

Related links: Schützenbruderschaft St. Josef Haldern
 

Brett Ellis is the deputy head of the language department at Hochschule Rhein-Waal. Originally from the United States of America, Brett is a great example of someone from a different country making Germany their home - and becoming fluent in German while their at it. Brett talks about his language learning journey and the importance of culture in language learning. 

Related links: Languages Department, Centre for Internationalisation and Languages

 

Episode 3 - How to Study

The theme of this episode is a crucial one for any student:
Studying.

In this episode, we delve into the topic of 'How to Study'
and provide practical insights from students and professors
about their experiences and the lessons they have learned.

We also examine the difficulties that studens often face
and offer effective strategies for overcoming them. Whether
you're studying digitally, collaborating on group assignments,
or preparing for challenging exams, this episode is sure to give
you valuable tips on how to improve your study skills, boost
your confidence, and maximise your academic success.

Podcast #3 – How to Study

Play it here

Show Notes:

Verena Schürmann started her studies in psychology at HSRW and is now a research assistant who provides support in the study programmes Work & Organisational Psychology and International Management & Psychology. Verena is also a researcher and is currently doing her PhD focusing on collaboration.

Related links: About Verena Schürman (in German)
 

Sophie-Marie Clemens and Larissa-Tabea Bettray are both students of psychology, specialising in industrial and organisational psychology. Their programme is part of the Communication and Environment faculty that is based in HSRW's Kamp-Lintfort campus.

Related links: Psychology, Specialization: Industrial and Organizational Psychology, B.Sc.
 

Ali Ayan and Anirudh Madhusudhan are both higher semester students of Mechatronic Systems Engineering and are tutors at HSRW's Welcome Centre.

Related links: Welcome Centre, Ali's bio, Anirudh's bio, Faculty of Technology and Bionics
 

Professor Alexander Struck is a professor of Theoretical Physics at the Faculty of Technology and Bionics. He is very popular among the students of his faculty and is also the professor in charge of HSRW's Astronomy Club.

Related links: Faculty of Technology and Bionics, HSRW Astronomy Club
 

Professor Jörg Petri is a professor of Media Production in the Faculty of Communication and Environment at HSRW. In 2019 he was elected Vice-President for Studies, Teaching and Continuing Academic Education.

Related links: Prof. Dr. Petri's bio
 

Anežka Konvalinová is the Departmental Coordinator for International Exchanges and Internships at the Department of International Relations and European Studies at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic. She is also part of the administrative group of the VERSATILE project - a project that develops, tests, and evaluates methods for running a collaborative online semester abroad. Both Masaryk University and HSRW are partner universities in this project which is co-funded by Erasmus+.

Related links: Masaryk University Faculty of Social Studies, VERSATILE Project
 

Simon Park and Alexander Hermsen are students of International and Business Management. They both took part in the VERSATILE project for an online exchange semester. They share their experiences of their virtual semester abroad and the challenges they faced when working collaboratively.

Related links: International Business and Management, B.A.

 

Episode 4 - How to Find a Home

The theme of this How to Hoschule episode may be the
most crucial one for student life yet: finding a home.

We tackle the challenges often encountered by students
in their search for a roof over their head and share their
solutions for overcoming them. 

Whether you're a new student navigating the German
housing market, seeking shared living arrangements,
or trying to find the perfect balance between campus
life and personal space, this episode will provide you
with valuable takeaways to help you find the right
accommodation that will support your academic
pursuits and personal growth at Rhine-Waal University
of Applied Sciences.

Podcast #4 – How to Find a Home

Play it here

Show Notes:

Shashwat Singh Chandel is an engineering student at Hochschule Rhein-Waal who originally comes from India. Throughout his time in Kleve, he has moved houses a few times and in this episode, he shares some of his misadventures during his early weeks in Germany where he faced some challenges .

Related links:  Industrial Engineering
 

Anna Maria Rivas Sandoval comes from Colombia and studies Gender and Diversity at HSRW. She is also employed by the university's Welcome Centre where she supports students that struggle with student life. In this episode, she talks to us about blacklisted landlords who all students should look out for.

Related links:  Welcome Centre, Housing,  Gender and Diversity
 

Ibrahim Bageya, originally from Uganda, is a student of International Taxation & Law at HSRW. He is also a student assistant who supports both his own degree programme as well as International Business & Management. Ibrahim tells us about his experience navigating life  in a small German town and being perceived as an outsider but learning to adapt and thrive throughout the journey.

Related links:  International Taxation & Law

 

 

How to Hochschule VOICES - Spin-off

In this new spin-off series from the How to Hochschule team, you can listen to full-length interviews and stand-alone stories as a mid-monthly bonus feature to the main podcast. HtH VOICES will also feature a collection of interviews in German with the people of HSRW, and the people of Kleve and Kamp-Lintfort! 
 

Bonus Feature 1

This episode of HtH VOICES is entirely in German. The English transcript is available on our How to Hochschule blog.

Claudio Abels, erster Absolvent der Hochschule Rhein-Waal 

In our first feature of HtH VOICES, Norman Körber,
a first year student featured in the first episode of How
to Hochschule, talks to Claudio Abels, the very first
graduate of HSRW, about his experience studying at
a university that was still in its infancy. This episode
of HtH VOICES is in German; the English transcript
is available on our How to Hochschule blog.

Podcast #2.1 – HtH VOICES 

Play it here

Show Notes:
 

Norman Körber is a first year student from Germany studying Sustainable Tourism at HSRW. As a new student who grew up locally Norman shares his unique perspective and experience of starting at our international university.

Related links: Sustainable Tourism, Degree Programmes

 

Claudio Abels is the very first graduate of HSRW. In 2012, he obtained his engineering Master's degree in Bionics, M.Sc. After moving to Italy, he worked on his PhD in the field of microsystems engineering and even invented an artificial lateral line sensor (Find out more by listening in on the feature). HSRW was then fortunate to win Claudio Abels back as a scientific researcher. Claudio Abels has since joined the StartGlocal team where he shares his experience as an entrepreneur and inventor by helping students develop their own ideas and prototypes.

Related links: Bionics M.Sc., StartGlocal

 

 

Bonus Feature 2

Hari, our podcast sidekick, and Brett, HSRW's university translater and department head, standing next to each other and brightly smiling into the camera 

In our second installment of How to Hochschule VOICES,
we join Hari, who was featured in the second episode
of How to Hochschule, as he sits down with Brett Ellis.
In this  full-length interview, Brett shares special insights
from his journey of becoming fluent in German and making
Germany his home. Dive into the importance of culture
when learning a language and get inspired. It's a must-listen
for language learners and anyone interested in both
cross-cultural experiences and leaving your comfort zone!

Podcast #2.2 – HtH VOICES 

Play it here

Show Notes:
 

Hariharan Arevalagam is a student of Science Communication & Bionics at Hochschule Rhein-Waal. He is the host of this episode and conducted the interview with Brett. 

Related links: How to Hochschule Podcast, Science Communication & Bionics

 

Brett Ellis is the deputy head of the language department at Hochschule Rhein-Waal. Originally from the United States of America, Brett is a great example of someone from a different country making Germany their home - and becoming fluent in German while their at it. Brett talks about his language learning journey and the importance of culture in language learning. 

Related links: Languages Department, Centre for Internationalisation and Languages

 

 

Bonus Feature 3

This episode of VOICES is entirely in German. The English transcript is available on our How to Hochschule blog.

Two neighbours are standing next to each other in the living room 

This time How to Hochschule VOICES takes us into the
vibrant student life at the heart of the charming Kellen
district of Kleve. Daniela Polensky, a student of
International Relations at Rhein-Waal University of
Applied Sciences (HSRW), gives us insights into her
experiences of living in an international shared apartment
(WG) and exchanges views with her German neighbor
Wolfgang about the essence of good neighborliness.
Their conversation reveals the special feature of
mutual support, the unique dynamics in a WG, and how
strangers can ultimately become friends.

Podcast #2.3 – HtH VOICES 

Play it here

Show Notes:
 

Daniela Polensky is studying International Relations at HSRW and lives next to her neighbour Wolfgang in a six-person WG in Kleve Kellen. 

Related links: Degree Programmes, International Relations, B.A., City of Kleve