"If you want to make it, it's best to do it here"

Florentine Domrös and Lena Wirries are in their fourth semester of a Bachelor's degree in mathematics at RPTU in Kaiserslautern. They particularly appreciate the open and informal atmosphere at their university.

She started her studies in the winter semester 2021/22, says Florentine Domrös, who originally comes from Brandenburg, near Berlin. Why did she choose to study at the TU in Rhineland-Palatinate? "I had looked at the CHE ranking for mathematics beforehand, among other things." This is a comprehensive ranking of German universities and universities of applied sciences based on the opinions of over 120,000 students: "It looks at study conditions, facts about teaching, facilities and research. Kaiserslautern regularly performs very well here."

Studying mathematics is all about proofs

She and her fellow students got to know the special approach of university mathematics as early as the preliminary course: "Unlike at school, you work more with proofs when studying mathematics," reports fellow student Lena Wirries. One example of this is "that you have to show that there are an infinite number of prime numbers. For example, you start by assuming that there are a finite number of prime numbers. You then derive conclusions from this until you finally arrive at a contradiction." Florentine Domrös adds: "You have to think about how to approach something like this conceptually. How do I start?"

And what does the everyday life of a mathematics student look like? "On average, we have three events a day. That could be two lectures, for example. And then maybe an exercise," says Lena Wirries. "Then we go to the cafeteria, repeat the material in the library on our own or work through exercise sheets." From the second semester onwards, you also have to do a lot of programming during your studies, adds Florentine Domrös: "Many people aren't aware that this is also part of studying mathematics."

And what advice would you give to young people who are interested in your subject? Lena Wirries: "Just try it out. You realize very quickly whether it's right for you." She adds: "You should be able to think logically and be willing to question things. And you need stamina." Both are very happy with their choice of university: "If you want to make it, then it's best to do it here," says Florentine Domrös. After all, you get a lot of support at RPTU - from the professors, but also from older students. (CP)

Source: This article was first published in a special supplement to the daily newspaper "DIE RHEINPFALZ" in May 2023.