"Say Hi" Buddy Programme

The International Office provides a comprehensive support programme to help international students settle in and find their feet in their new environment. And the centrepiece of the programme is “Say Hi”, which assigns international students a buddy. Buddies are HAWK students who support their assigned person during the often challenging first few weeks in a new country and help them with day-to-day university life throughout the semester. HAWK buddies help ensure that international students have an unforgettable experience in Germany and at HAWK.

Being a buddy enables you to:

• get to know students from all over the world,
• expand your intercultural skills,
• improve your language skills,
• enjoy the International Office’s programme of excursions and events,
• get first-hand information about countries and partner universities you might want to study in/at in future
• be issued with a certificate from the International Office on request.

As a buddy, you are one of the first points of contact for international students when they arrive. One of the main tasks of a buddy is to help people find their feet, especially in the first weeks at their place of study - in September/October (for the winter semester) and March/April (for the summer semester) - e.g. picking up students from the train station or airport and going with them to their accommodation, and giving them an initial overview of the faculty and the site (e.g. a short tour of the campus). Of course, you can also go to the canteen together or take part in other activities in and around the site. In principle, the programme is designed by the participants themselves; it works on a voluntary basis.

Buddies have a preliminary meeting with the International Office to prepare for their role.

HAWK students can become buddies by simply filling in the registration form (on the German version of this page). The International Office endeavours to accommodate the wishes (language, faculty) of potential buddies and of international students as much as possible.

Please note: The International Office is looking for students both with and without international experience. The most important thing is that you are interested in international networking and meeting new people.

The International Office will be happy to help with any further questions.