Dana Tholen, M.A.

What‘s your nicest memory of Braunschweig and do you have a favorite place?

Braunschweig has many beautiful places! As a Social Sciences student, I naturally spent a lot of time on the North Campus. The library of the Social Sciences Institute was our favourite hangout —both for studying and for all kinds of exchanges. Later, my focus shifted to the main campus and the AStA office, of which I also have many fond memories.

Reasons why the TU Braunschweig is a great place to study:

A very application-oriented focus, which is also reflected in the otherwise often less technology-oriented disciplines of the social sciences. If you want to work on transport topics (transport policy, transport psychology, transport sociology, etc.), this is the right place for you.

Which contents of your studies can you still use in your career today?

A whole bunch of skills and knowledge that I didn't necessarily acquire in seminars, but mainly through my involvement in voluntary activities. As a doctoral student in Sociology, however, the insights into scientific work and the research system that I already gained in various positions as a student assistant in the Department of Social Sciences are particularly important to me.

Are you still in touch with former fellow students? Do you see each other and if so, how often?

Doing university studies is a very special, formative time and, despite the physical distance that now separates us, it has given me some very close, hopefully lifelong friendships, which I renew as often as possible by visiting Braunschweig.

What advice would you give current students for their personal career planning?

1. Get involved in initiatives, student councils, and other groups instead of hunting credit points only! 
2. Take advantage of the wide range of free or low-cost activities offered alongside your studies, from the language center to the university cinema to the sports center! 
3. Don't focus too much on the standard duration of your study programme — campus life and the soft skills you develop along the way are just as important, and you won't get opportunities like these again anytime soon!