These three (seemingly) simple questions play a pivotal role when young people are in the process of choosing a degree program and profession.
Schools and teachers make a valuable contribution to helping their secondary school pupils answer these questions, augmented by study orientation programs offered by universities.
School is not only a place where the formal requirements for university studies are established and fulfilled – as places of education, learning, and living, schools also give their pupils important guidance and direction about their interests, abilities, and (career) goals, and help them get to know themselves better.
As teachers, you can use your subject and educational expertise as part of your daily lessons or in special career and study orientation programs to empower your pupils to engage in self-reflection and take responsibility.
This will give them the skills they need to make informed choices about their studies and careers.
We are happy to support you!
Career and study orientation is a process with four basic steps.
In line with the guidelines issued by the Ministries of Education, such as the Guidelines on Choosing a School Path and Preparing for Career Choice and Study Orientation in Rhineland-Palatinate (Richtlinie zur Schullaufbahnberatung sowie Berufswahlvorbereitung und Studienorientierung), schools and cooperating partners contribute to each step in a variety of ways.
Depending on the school’s requirements and its environment, this contribution takes different forms and incorporates different components. Schools can access a wide range of guidance and support services from universities, educational institutions, professional associations, and the local branch of the German Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit).
These services can only be effectively integrated if secondary school pupils are encouraged to explore the following questions in class:
- Where am I in the process of career and study orientation and what direction do I want to take?
- How can I utilize the respective offers; what are my expectations?
- What questions would I like answers to?
- How do I document the answers; how do I structure new information?
Ideally, the topic of career and study orientation is integrated into the curriculum and not exclusively limited to attending informational events
With this in mind, the following questions play a key role in planning your school concept:
- What is already available at our school?
- What works well?
- What do we need?
- What sources and experiences can we harness here?
- What contributors can we involve?
You are not alone in this: We can help you develop a suitable concept!
As experts in career and study orientation, the advisors at JGU’s Student Advisory Center are happy to assist with programs at secondary schools. They can provide you with support, primarily in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, drawing on their many years of experience in advising young people.
We are happy to customize our offer to accommodate your ideas and the needs of your pupils. We can participate in both face-to-face and online programs.
What we have to offer:
- Information presentations
of varying lengths on various topics related to studying (such as “Choosing a degree program and a career – how do I make a decision?”, “Studying – what exactly does that mean?” “How do I get a spot in my desired degree program?”, etc.) - Open discussion sessions
on all topics related to studying - Information booths
at school career and study orientation fairs, where we provide information about the courses offered at JGU and offer short advising sessions - Support & recommendations
for your career and study orientation program, including best-practice models
We look forward to hearing from you!
- How does studying actually work?
- What can I expect at the university?
- What are the advantages of getting a university degree?
- How did other students find the degree program of their choice?
These and similar questions are on young people’s minds during and especially shortly before the end of their time at school.
Who better to answer these questions than real students?
Our student ambassadors are JGU students from various degree programs who can still easily recall their own school days. They are happy to engage with your pupils by answering the most frequently asked questions, providing helpful tips, and sharing their own experiences when it comes to choosing a degree program, starting your studies, and everyday life at university.
By doing so, they help young people gain the best possible impression of the university and student life before they make a decision for or against studying.
Our student ambassadors are happy to participate in your school’s career and study orientation program by giving short presentations or holding discussion groups, and chatting with your students, either in person at your school or online, depending on your needs.
Would you like to invite our student ambassadors to come to your school? Get in touch with us!
Our student ambassadors will show you and your students the most important buildings and locations, give you helpful tips for navigating the campus, and share some insider information about life as a student.
The academic advisors from the Student Advisory Center will be happy to come to your school. Please do not hesitate to contact us – ideally including a brief outline of your career and study orientation program.
Our student ambassadors are happy to participate in your school’s career and study orientation program by giving short presentations or leading discussion groups, and chatting with your pupils, either in person at your school or online.
