Master(Plan): back at RPTU

Many students already have a clear idea of what they want to do after graduation when they begin their studies. While some stick to this plan, others change it as their studies progress. For Jan Mecker, new doors and options kept opening up during his bachelor’s program—including for his subsequent master’s degree. Shortly before completing his bachelor’s degree in Landau, Jan had decided to go to Sweden to accept one of the highly sought-after spots in the bioinformatics master’s program there. But instead of being in Sweden, Jan and I are sitting in the cafeteria in Landau, and as we talk, I realize that while his path has changed, he has remained true to his goal. True to the saying: many roads lead to the same destination.

Jan Mecker is a dual-major bachelor’s graduate of RPTU in Landau and successfully completed his studies in the summer of 2024 in the fields of conservation biology, environmental chemistry, and the elective subject of geography. When I met him for our first conversation to interview him about his plans after graduation, he was still in the middle of writing his bachelor’s thesis. He already had a plan for what came next: a master’s degree in bioinformatics at Lund University in Sweden. To understand his story chronologically, I asked him how he ended up in Landau, and he replied that his path had led him to the Southern Palatinate via a few detours: “Actually, I wanted to study biology after obtaining my Abitur, but I was worried that with a degree in biology I wouldn’t be able to find a job or make any money.” After a few semesters of business psychology in Cologne, a year in Australia, and a job as a forest worker back in Germany, he began studying environmental sciences in Landau in the winter semester of 2019. Although he found the coursework interesting, he realized that the dual-major bachelor’s program offered a combination that better suited his inclinations and interests. So it quickly became clear to him that he would switch programs: “Funnily enough, I ended up exactly where I originally wanted to be, albeit via a detour.”

His choice of major turned out to be the right one: Jan excels at what he does. He was even invited to present the data he collected for his bachelor’s thesis, titled “Effect of Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) and Historical Contingency on Benthic Periphyton Communities,” at two research conferences. First at a site visit organized by the German Research Foundation (DFG) in July 2023, and then at the SETAC “12th Young Environmental Scientists Meeting” in August 2023 in Landau. At the DFG site visit, for example, he was the only bachelor’s student among doctoral candidates and postdocs to present his thesis topic, which, in summary, aims to demonstrate an effect from theoretical ecology known as the “priority effect.”

Given this interest in Jan’s qualifications, it’s no surprise that he was also accepted when he applied to Lund University in Sweden for one of the few coveted spots in the master’s program in bioinformatics. I quickly realized that Jan isn’t studying just to learn as much theory as possible, but that he wants to make a difference, as he himself says: “In my opinion, there’s a lot of potential in this field, for example, and I don’t just want to keep learning and learning—I want to help and contribute in areas where results actually follow.”” To that end, he also tackles topics that aren’t among his strengths, as he told me: “Bioinformatics isn’t really my strength—it’s more of a weakness. But eventually, I want to be able to do everything in this field, and so I figured the smartest thing to do would be to learn this subject from the ground up in my master’s program.”

When we met again for our interview, he had already turned down the spot in Sweden. He’s staying in Landau, a city that Jan really likes and where he clearly feels at home. He’s now pursuing his master’s degree in Environmental Sciences at RPTU, an English-language program with students from all over the world. Despite deciding against Sweden—and thus his original plan—he remains very much true to his initial goal and feels that his current master’s program is bringing him even closer to it: “I’m broadening my expertise and don’t run the risk of specializing in just one niche. A major motivation for me is to have as wide a reach as possible and to make as big an impact as possible in the world, especially in the field of the environment.”

Through his dual-major bachelor’s program, Jan has gained subject-specific expertise that he can now apply in his master’s program: “We already have many solutions to a wide variety of problems concerning, for example, the environment and climate protection. By making a greater impact at the intersection of science, politics, society, and business—which my current master’s program enables—I have the opportunity to communicate and implement scientific findings. During my bachelor’s program, I first became familiar with the problems, so to speak, and now I’m learning how to solve them in society.”

Jan’s story is an example of just how common it is for plans to change during one’s studies. It’s also okay if someone doesn’t have a precise plan at the beginning—or even at the end. College is also a time to explore and learn as much as possible. Jan agrees when he tells me, looking back, what advice he’d give to other students: “Students should see their studies and all the other opportunities the university offers as a chance to forge their own path and shape their future. Even if it can feel like a burden at first, because you’re so flexible and don’t know exactly where you want to go right away. But it’s worth navigating your studies with an open mind.”

Thanks, Jan—and here’s to a successful start to the academic year for all first-year students!