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Part Two
Social issues were quite regulated in the socialist systems. On the one hand, the individual had maybe less to worry about, but on the other, he or she could not change very much. "I still don’t understand how, how we have so many organisational problems," says the Lithuanian student. "or maybe it is a little bit socialistic ideology, but, we, we were always what to do and how to do, of course . . . we have passing so many times always just trying to solve this organisational problems . . ."
The evaluation system is also not familiar, and the difference is significant: "This system of Referats was foreign for me; it was strange for me, . . . it is good to know that there are different systems . . . you know at the beginning I was lying to my friends that we don’t have exams all the time . . . " The issue of exams is of importance to the interviewee: ". . . [it irritates me] that we have necessarily to attend ICEUS to the very, very end to obtain this master's degree . . ."
The open relations between the professors and the students are considered to be positive: "The profs are really always very ready to talk and help . . . and I don’t think it is hard to establish this contact . . ."
The city is not the ideal one according to the interviewee, but it is good enough: "I would say for studying the city is quite good. I don’t have so many attractions, and I can concentrate a little bit more than being in Frankfurt. In Frankfurt I am quite sure I would find a job and do some kind of job, and it would be done on the cost of my studies . . . but Fulda is the same as a little boring for me . . . I mean it’s always unusual for me it is here no cars, and no people on the street on Saturdays and Sundays. It is somehow a little bit hard for me to get used to this . . . but we don’t have and I just feel I am just sitting in my room quite often."
Romania Part One
In Romania the system of education is top-down, that is, the lecturers teach and the students receive the information. Their attendance is checked, and the evaluation is only in the form of exams: ". . . it is not like in Germany . . . during the course the professors teach and really all the information comes from the professor. And then during the seminar we work on special writers. And there it is like this, that the professor normally takes the themes and then we go deeper in the themes, " says the Romanian student.
The evaluation system consists only of exams: "There are no writing papers in Romania. Well, it was the first time in Germany that I heard about 'writing papers'. . ." Romania is one of the exceptions because they did have Referats, but in a different form: "Normally, one did Referats, and a Referat, um, normally—traditionally it is as bad as here [in Germany], that is, one reads from a paper, and then one tries to speak a little . . ."
The traditions are strong in the sense that new trends, creativity and new methods are not supported: " . . . and, when you, for example, are innovative, then you make trouble for yourself. I mean, they don’t like such a thing, em, but otherwise, when the professor is also innovative, and uses new methods, and likes such a thing, then you can be creative, in this form it is possible . . ."
Checking the students’ attendance is again related to how traditional the professors are: ". . . the professors who control the presence, they are the older ones and the bad ones. Em, they need to role call because nobody goes to their classes . . . in seminars to be present is a duty, and you can miss only 20% of the classes . . . they have to (the?) right not to allow you to take the exam . . ."
As in Bulgaria, one way of overcoming the high power distance is to build a network to get enough information and to get it on time. Right connections therefore play an important role: "Nepotism existed, ja, it is clear, when you, for example, liked a professor, it was mutual, and that could help you a lot . . . I had a very good relationship with one of the professors, and, for example, thanks to her I got the job at the university . . . naturally that is a short cut, . . . of course I had to take the exams, but in other cases it was simpler . . . when you had problems you could telephone them even at home . . ."
This network also exists among the students themselves to help them survive the university. It could also help one to know how to react or what to do in relation to certain people. "Actually it is really good to know how to react to some special things. The older generation would anyway pass on the tradition: With this and that professor do this and that, you know . . . this kind of politics, but otherwise, or this and this don’t like this and this, and be a bit more modest, or show off a little, or - what can I say, but I think you could also find out about these things yourself . . ."
This network helped you solve your problems, too: ". . . well, consultations, that’s clear, when you have problems, you must talk to your friends . . ." Other services of the university also suffered from the general problem of countries in economic crisis: "There was a good but very old system, and books, new books were expensive and the orders were little . . . for example, if I wanted to find out something about Germany I had to travel to Germany and find out the books . . . sometimes there was only one book at hand and that belonged to the professor . . . and the professor gave us one copy, and sometimes that copy also disappeared . . ."
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