SURVIVAL KIT FOR STUDIES  "What are you going to do with that?"

Mara Julseth, 26, studies for a Master‘s degree in European Ethnology and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology at Humboldt-Universität and Freie Universität Berlin. At times, she had to cycle through the entire city once a day.

The biggest cliché about your school – and to what extent it’s true:

I think the biggest cliché about European ethnologists is that they are chatterboxes who like to listen to themselves.This is partly true, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they don't have anything interesting to contribute.There is an outdated cliché about biologists, that says t hat they were those children who used to play in the mud and collect earthworms. Nowadays, people say that they have no idea what they want to do after graduation and decide to study biology just because of their good grades in school. It's true that the course is a bit overrun. It was a big shock to sit in a lecture with 400 people. But there are a lot of people who start their studies with a specific interest and who already know in which area they want to work, when they’re done with their studies.

What’s your everyday life like?

At the beginning of the two degree course, it was incredibly exhausting. My biology lecture started at eight in the morning – fortunately, the two courses had different rhythms – and by twelve, at the latest, I was sitting in a European Ethnology seminar. In between, I had to cycle across Berlin. Later, the schedule got less stressful, because many of my biology classes were not spread over an entire term but took place in the condensed timeframe of several all day sessions.

What could you have done without?

Classes where you could notice that the lecturers came unprepared and didn’t feel like teaching. Sometimes they would simply use the slides of other professors and then obviously had little idea about what they were saying. But this also applies to students. I always found people annoying who said: “I didn't read the text, but ...” With regard to doing two degrees simultaneously, I would’ve liked it to be a bit easier in terms of bureaucracy. Every semester, I had to run back and forth between the two university administrations.

Which day at university will you never forget?

There are several days. I did an excursion to Sylt, which I’ll definitely remember. It gave me a feeling of being on a school trip. We collected crabs in the mudflats, and I found out that I have a crab phobia. I just couldn't touch them – that was of course after my group had decided to work with crabs. Another unforgettable memory is certainly of the day when I passed my logic exam.

If you could start over at university, what would you do differently?

In the beginning, I would’ve listened more to what other students and representatives of the student councils had to say and which courses they’d recommend. Apart from that, everything was great. What has often proved a lifesaver for you?

I actually believe that it’s the fun I had with my studies. Sometimes I would sit in class and realise that, although doing the parallel degrees  caused me a lot of stress, it was definitely worth it. I’m really happy to have accepted this challenge since the experience was so rewarding. At no time was I bored. Often, doing nothing at all also helped. There were times when I just said to myself: well, whatever, I’ll take a break, go to the Tempelhofer Feld and have a beer or go skating with my longboard. My friends often made me realize when it was time to quit  studying for university. There’s a risk at university of not knowing when to stop since you could technically work at all time. That’s why it’s so important to allow yourself some free time.

What did you eat when you were running low on funds?

I avoided that quite well by eating only pasta with pesto for a while: so, there was no difference for me between the beginning and the end of the month. My beer budget was also very generous, after all, people in Berlin drink Sterni, which is rather cheap – and a good piece of culture. There were only a couple of months, where I economized – mostly on events. I just wouldn’t go to the cinema, for example.

What question do you always hear at every family gathering?

What are you going to do with that and where are you going to work when you’re done? The question came up particularly often in relation to European Ethnology – but many people also didn't get the combination with biology.

Where can you be found when you’re not at university?

I’m always outdoors when it’s summer. But the winters in Berlin ... I have blocked out all my memories of them. In my friend group, we spent a lot of time in each other's apartments. I always had all my classes together with one friend. Afterwards, we would always go outside or watch Friends.

What was the highest price you’ve paid for a good mark?

Financially speaking, it must’ve been my bachelor’s thesis for European Ethnology – I used that as an excuse to travel to the US. Apart from that, probably my lab work. During a mandatory internship in Basel, I had to work unpaid 45 hours a week – even though I didn't get a grade for that.

University is also about learning for life. What’s your takeaway so far for the future?

Through studying two degrees simultaneously, I learned a lot about time management: what are my deadlines, what do I do first, what can I do better on my own and what can I do better in a group, where do I have to show up physically or when can I delegate work? Biology has taught me to pay attention to what happens in nature and European Ethnology has made me more sensitive to interpersonal situations. Both have given me a lot of new food for thought, which is certainly also due to the many cool lecturers and my fellow students.