Magali Riedel

Do you have any tips for current students?

Don't stress so much about everything – you can do it! And don't forget to believe in yourselves more and make new friends at uni.

Do you have a special anecdote or story from your time at Saarland University?

One of our courses was filmed for a promotional video for the degree programme. Usually, students are only moderately engaged in the class, but on that day everything was suddenly different: Everyone was smartly dressed, participation in the class was exceptionally good, and we took more notes than ever before – though, of course, only while the camera was rolling. Even our professor was so surprised by this that he treated us to ice cream in our next class. I've never seen such brilliant acting before!

What was your favourite place on campus?

I always really loved spending time on the campus lawn or just sitting at the tables outside the little supermarket and enjoying a drink with my fellow students.

Why did you study this subject specifically?

I really wanted to keep German and French culture at the heart of my daily life and studies, so I looked for a degree programme that would allow me to deepen my knowledge of both languages and cultures. I also found the wide and varied range of modules particularly interesting. It was important to me to have a bit of everything, which is why I chose 'European Cultural Studies' as my minor subject, as this also allowed me to take further language courses.

How did you make the transition to working life?

I made the transition into working life easier by gaining practical experience while I was still at university. Last year, I completed a five-month work placement at the Eurodistrict SaarMoselle. After getting to know the working environment, I realized that it suits me really well. When I started looking for a job, I found out that a vacancy had come up there – and it was just a perfect fit for me.