Facilitating the transition from school to university

The Rupert-Neß-Gymnasium in Wangen im Allgäu and Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences (RWU) have signed a cooperation agreement. With this cooperation, the two educational institutions want to make the transition from school to university more active and provide pupils with pragmatic guidance.

"We already have educational partnerships with companies and banks, but it was important to us to expand this offer to include a university," said Andreas Vochezer, Head of the Vocational Orientation Department at Wangener Gymnasium, at the signing of the agreement. Principal Michael Roth added: "This is an important offer for our pupils. And it's not about quantity, but quality. That way, everyone benefits."

Getting to know the opportunities on site

One conceivable format for the exchange would be, for example, for the students in the pre-final year, i.e. currently the eleventh grade, to get to know the courses on offer in various workshops. This would also address general questions: What is the difference between a university of applied sciences and a university? What previous knowledge or A-level grades are required? How do you enrol and how does a degree course start?

On the university side, the cooperation agreement was signed by the Rector of RWU, Professor Dr. Thomas Spägele, and the Vice-Rector for Studies and Teaching, Professor Dr. Sebastian Mauser. "The initiative with which Wangener Gymnasium approached us has boosted all of our efforts to establish contacts with schools," says Sebastian Mauser. "It is important that prospective students are also aware of the local opportunities, because the universities are in turn hugely important for a region like ours."