DAAD, the world’s largest funding organisation for the international exchange of students and researchers sent representatives to MUT who engaged students face-to-face at Bozzoli Hall on 23 August 2023. The purpose of the visit was to discuss the kind of scholarships available in Germany for students and staff. Before the meeting commenced, the team, represented by Eden Galetta and Lynn Allemann, requested a campus visit just to get a sense of the MUT campus and engage students. Many students were impressed by the fact that even though they were still doing the first year, there are possibilities for them as well.
Interestingly, most of the students who attended were from the Construction Management and Civil Engineering departments. One thing that stood out which the MarComms team will provide as feedback to schools it works with, is that all German universities require a good pass in mathematics, even if you are doing a Master’s or a PhD qualification. The engineering students would then appear to stand a better chance for admission to post-grad studies. There are many study opportunities at German universities, and these range from three months scholarship for research to fully funded Master’s and PhD programmes. “Once a DAAD fellow, your doors open widely”, said Galetta. “We are here to inspire you to dream even bigger. We want you to experience a different world. Keep DAAD as your destination after your undergrad studies”, added her colleague, Lynn Allemann.
The visit marks the relations that MUT has commenced building at the international level. This is the dream that the Vice-Chancellor has, “to host international visitors, even if it is for a day so they could engage with both staff and students”, as he always reminds staff.
An observation noted by Nelisa Mhlongo an S3 student was, “this presentation has opened my eyes and is giving me some hope on how I must look after myself to prepare for a chapter beyond my MUT qualifications”, she said.