Regina Rubio Odgers is a mechanical engineering student. She studied in Esslingen from March to August 2021, followed by an 6-month internship at the company P&G in Frankfurt.
My stay abroad in 5 words…
Great, challenging, rewarding, friendship, discovery
Deciding for Esslingen…
I chose to come to Germany for my Double Degree because I went to a German school since my early childhood. So Germany was kind of a second home already in my school years, I’ve also been to the Stuttgart region as an exchange student twice. That’s one of the reasons I chose to go to Esslingen. Also, I looked to pictures of Esslingen and thought that it is a really nice, beautiful city. When I had the first contacts to the International Office in Esslingen, all the people were so nice and made a really good impression to me.
Studying at Esslingen University…
It was new to me to be together with so many students in the classes. Studying in Mexico is a more individualized learning process with max. 25 people in a class, but attending to every class is mandatory and you cannot miss a class. It is also different that in Germany you just have one exam in the end which you have to pass to pass the whole course. In Mexico we have three exams in the semester. I liked the professors in Esslingen because they put a lot of effort in their classes and materials to make it more easy to understand the contents. They were always super kind and supportive. I guess I would like a combination of both systems best.
My biggest worries about coming to Germany
I had some worries but fortunately, none of them came true. I worried if I would be able to find friends, if it would be difficult to meet people, especially because of the covid restrictions. As I was living in a dormitory in Esslingen and many other international students were living there too, I met a lot of people and we had a good vibe from the beginning on. I also worried that it would be hard to study and I would fail and not pass all of my exams. But I passed all of them ;-). In my time in Germany I figured out that I’m capable of living on my own in a foreign country.
My free time in Germany…
At the time of my stay in Germany, there were a lot of covid restrictions. But what I still remember the best about my stay despite those is finding a super nice group of friends and travelling. I remember gathering with other students in one of the kitchens in the dormitory and just being together, playing board games, having drinks,… In summer we also met in the small garden next to our dormitory and had Barbecues. In my first four months I travelled around in Germany. I visited a couple of cities, including Konstanz, Munich, Berlin and Mainz. Later, I went to Spain with a Mexican friend to visit some Spanish friends we got to know in Esslingen. Other than that, I’ve also been to Paris and Zurich. My favourite cities in Germany are Munich and Berlin.
Thesis and Internship in Germany…
For 6 months I did my thesis and internship in Frankfurt at the company P&G. I really enjoyed it, I learned so much! In addition to professional skills, I learned a lot of soft skills, that are not only useful in working life but also in everyday life. As P&G is a really international company, I worked with people from all around the world and made a lot of good friends from different countries.
What I also want to say (to future incoming students at Esslingen University)...
Go for it and go to Esslingen! It is a super nice city and good university. There is nice weather in summer and in winter you also get the chance to see snow and go skiing (which is a big plus for a student from Mexico). Don’t be afraid, I am completely sure that you will make friends from all over the world (German as well as other international and exchange students). You will get to grow personally and academically/professionally and will definitely have a great time!
